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What a token is not
Starting here because it is the question we are actually asked.
A token on Monster Arcade is a shape drawn on a canvas that is worth a number of points. It stops existing when you close the tab.
- It has no monetary value of any kind.
- It cannot be bought, sold, traded, cashed out or transferred.
- There is no in-game currency, no shop, no purchases and no premium tier.
- Nothing on this site involves gambling, wagering or anything played for value.
- Nothing is stored outside your own browser.
We state this plainly because 'collect tokens' means something specific and unpleasant on many sites, and it does not mean that here. The full position is on our disclaimer page.
How values are assigned
Base values come from the shared collectible system and are consistent across the library:
| Item | Base value | Combo steps | Magnetisable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coin | 10 | 1 | Yes |
| Token | 15 | 1 | Yes |
| Fruit | 20 | 1 | Yes |
| Gem | 25 | 1 | Yes |
| Orb | 30 | 1 | Yes |
| Pearl | 35 | 1 | Yes |
| Crystal | 40 | 1 | Yes |
| Egg | 45 | 1 | No |
| Treasure | 70 | 2 | No |
| Prism | 90 | 2 | Yes |
| Star | 120 | 3 | Yes |
Two things are worth noticing. The highest-value items are frequently not magnetisable, which means they always have to be reached rather than harvested from safety. And treasure, prisms and stars are worth extra combo steps, which makes them disproportionately valuable in a chain-driven game.
Why the same item scores differently between games
A coin is worth ten points everywhere. A coin in Monster Coin Rush is worth up to a hundred, because the multiplier cap there is ×10 rather than ×5.
That is the entire explanation for why scores are not comparable between games, and it is why personal bests are stored per game rather than as a site-wide total. Comparing a Monster Coin Rush score to a Monster Treasure Hunt score is meaningless.
Some games also override base values. Risk lines increase in value along the row specifically to make stopping harder, and depth-scaled pearls are worth more the further down they spawn.
Where the numbers are stored
Your best result for each game is written to your browser's localStorage under keys beginning ma: when a run ends.
There is no server, so nothing is uploaded and we have no copy. That has one consequence worth stating: clearing your browser data erases your best scores permanently, and there is nothing to restore from.
The full detail of what is stored is on the cookie and storage policy page, which lists every key and what it contains.
Tokens are not currency
Worth being unambiguous, because the vocabulary of free games usually implies otherwise.
Coins, gems, crystals, eggs and pearls in these games are scoring objects. They are not spent, they do not accumulate between runs, they do not unlock anything, and there is nothing on this site to buy. A run's collectibles exist for the duration of that run and contribute to that run's score.
The one apparent exception is Monster Arena's between-round upgrades, and those are bought with points earned inside the same run and discarded when it ends. There is no balance anywhere, no wallet, and no state that carries forward except your own best results, stored in your browser.
Why values are small numbers
Coins are worth ten points rather than a thousand, and that is a deliberate readability decision.
Small base values keep the multiplier visible. When a coin is worth 10 and you see '+80', the multiplier is obvious and you start looking for what caused it. When a coin is worth 1,000 and you see '+8,000', the same information is buried in digits.
It also keeps scores in a range people can hold in their head. A best of 14,200 is a number you remember; 1,420,000 is a number you round.
Density, not value
The instinct in a token game is to head for the most valuable item on screen. The better instinct is to head for the densest cluster.
The reason is the multiplier. A cluster of five ordinary tokens collected in sequence builds a chain that multiplies everything afterwards; a single high-value token collected alone is worth its face value and then the chain times out.
So the ordering is: dense first, valuable second, and isolated high-value items only when they are on the way to somewhere else. Players who optimise for the biggest number on screen consistently score below players who optimise for the shortest gaps between collections.
This flips near the multiplier cap, where an extra chain step is worth nothing and conversion becomes the point. At that stage, the valuable isolated item is finally the right target.
Why the counter is separate from the score
Token games show both a token count and a score, and they are not the same number for a reason.
The count is how many you collected. The score includes the multiplier that was running when you collected them. Two runs with identical counts can differ by several times in score, and that difference is the entire skill the game is measuring.
Displaying both makes the relationship visible. A player whose count is high and score is low can see immediately that the problem is chain management rather than collection, which is a diagnosis the game is handing them for free — and a far more useful one than a single combined figure would be.
Key takeaways
- A token is a scoring object with no monetary value, no trading and no purchase of any kind.
- Base values are shared across the library, but the highest-value items are often not magnetisable.
- Scores are not comparable between games because multiplier caps differ, which is why bests are stored per game.
- Everything is stored locally and nothing is uploaded, so clearing browser data erases scores permanently.
Frequently asked questions
Do tokens have any real-world value?
None. They are scoring objects inside a browser game, with no currency, trading, cash-out or purchase anywhere on this site.
Why is my score so much higher in one game than another?
Multiplier caps differ. Monster Coin Rush caps at ×10 and most others at ×4 or ×5, so scores are not comparable between games.
Where are my scores stored?
In your own browser's localStorage. There is no server, nothing is uploaded, and clearing site data erases them permanently.
Should I chase the most valuable token on screen?
Do tokens carry over between runs?
Why is my token count high but my score low?
Alex Morgan
Browser Games Editor & Interactive Gaming Content Specialist
Alex Morgan is the editorial byline for everything published on Monster Arcade — the design notes behind all 30 original games, the strategy guides, and the tuning decisions that set every difficulty curve on the site. More about our editorial byline.
Published · Last updated
Games mentioned in this guide
Monster Coin Rush
The fastest collection game here. A two-second combo window and coins arriving faster than you can think.
Monster Conveyor
Collect monster eggs from moving conveyor belts. The floor is always taking you somewhere.
Monster Treasure Hunt
Gather treasure in an overgrown clearing while creatures wander through. The clearest combo lesson here.