Playing your game: CodeCTRL and the simulator

There are two ways to play a game you've made in Arcade.

On the CodeCTRL

The CodeCTRL is Forward Education's handheld game controller. It has a micro:bit inside, so loading a game works exactly like loading a program onto a micro:bit.

1. Plug the CodeCTRL into your computer with a USB data cable.
2. In Arcade, click Download. The first time, pick the micro:bit in the browser window and click Connect.
3. Wait for the checkmark. Your game starts on the CodeCTRL's screen.

Use Chrome or Edge on a computer — other browsers can't connect. See Connecting and flashing your micro:bit for fixes if the connection is fussy.

In the simulator

No CodeCTRL nearby? Click MakeCode. Your game opens in the MakeCode Arcade editor with a game console on the left of the screen, already running your game. Click its on-screen buttons or use your keyboard arrows and A/B keys to play.

This is also the fastest way to test a tweak: play, click Go back to MicroChat, ask for a change, repeat.

Controls

• Direction pad – move (left/right, or up/down if the game uses it).
• A and B – whatever the game says: jump, fire, start.
• Menu – pause menu inside the game.

Reading the blocks

Game blocks are arranged top to bottom in MicroChat. Scroll down to see them all, and across if a block is wide. The purple on game update block is usually where the action happens; the on start block sets the game up.

Good to know

• Only one game lives on the CodeCTRL at a time. Downloading a new game replaces the old one.
• The CodeCTRL runs the game without the computer once it's loaded — unplug it and pass it around.
• If the download file isn't ready, wait a minute and try again (see When something goes wrong).