MATCHSTICK.CLUB
Light a match. Waste your time. Call it a skill.
PLAYWhat it is
Matchstick.Club is a tiny game about one thing: keeping a match alight. You strike it, and from then on the flame is yours to look after. Lean it too little and it starves; swing it too hard and you blow it out. Your score is how many seconds it lasts.
It is free, it runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, and there is nothing to download and no account to make. A game lasts less than half a minute, which is the problem: you will want another.
How to play
- Swipe to strike the match. It flares up as the head catches.
- Drag left or right to tilt it. Held upright, the flame starves. Tipped over, it feeds on the wood.
- Keep leaning in. The flame gets hungrier as it burns down, so the angle that kept it alive a moment ago soon is not enough.
- Mind the wind. Drafts come and go during every match, feeding the flame or starving it, and the right angle moves with them.
- Don't swing too hard. A fast swing blows the flame out, however well it was doing.
Tips
- Small, steady corrections beat big ones. Panic blows it out.
- When the wind comes, the sweet spot moves. Find the new one rather than fighting for the old.
- The theoretical maximum is 25.69 seconds: starve the flame almost to nothing early, then feed it exactly as fast as it can take until the match burns out.
- Watch the flame, not the stick. A flickering flame is losing the fight before it shrinks.
A new matchbox every day
Every day the first match of your visit comes out of a different matchbox. Some days are sponsored: the sponsor is announced before the box opens, and the match itself may come in their colours. Other days, one of our own designs takes its turn.
Leaderboards
Your best times go on public boards for today, this week and all time, under a name of up to eight letters. Tap the podium in the corner of the game to see them. There is no sign-up: the game remembers you in this browser.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. No download, no account, no payment.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes, and on tablets and computers. On a phone you drag with a finger; on a computer, with the mouse or the trackpad.
What languages is it in?
English, Finnish, Vietnamese and Spanish. It picks the one your browser asks for, and you can change it in the game's info panel.
What do you keep about me?
No name, email or account. The name on the boards is whatever you type. The privacy policy lists everything.