How Retro-Arcade Checks a Ranked Score

Ranked mode records scores for supported cabinets under a defined session. It provides more evidence than asking a player to type a number, but it is not a guarantee that cheating is impossible. This guide explains what the current implementation checks and what a player should do when a result does not appear.

What is actually checked

The browser submits an emulator state associated with a ranked session. The server uses a decoder for that particular supported game to extract a score. It checks the session’s owner, game identity, expiry, update sequence, elapsed time, and whether the score increase passes a plausibility check. Repeated data and conflicting updates are also handled.

This explanation is based on an editorial review of Retro-Arcade’s score service and game-specific decoder definitions. It describes the implementation at the article’s review date; behaviour and supported sets may change later.

What “verified” does not mean

The server does not reproduce every frame of the run from a trusted recording. The emulator executes on a device controlled by the player. State validation and plausibility checks reduce some invalid submissions; they do not establish that every input, device, or external tool is beyond manipulation.

A Retro-Arcade result also is not automatically equivalent to a tournament record from original hardware. Set, settings, controls, rules, and evidence requirements can differ. When making a comparison, identify those conditions rather than comparing only the final number.

Prepare an ordinary run first

Sign in and make sure you have access to the cabinet. Confirm its controls in ordinary play before selecting the ranked option. Ranked support is specific to the game set: another version of the same title may not have a compatible decoder. The current High Scores page is the place to find supported boards.

Once you begin a ranked run, use the session as intended. Do not assume that loading a saved state or changing the environment mid-run is equivalent to starting from the cabinet’s normal initial state. Read the ranked instructions shown in the player.

If a score is missing

Send those details through Contact. Do not send credentials or try to manufacture a replacement state. A screenshot can help explain what you saw, but it is not equivalent to the server accepting a ranked submission. Support can investigate a report without promising that every lost result can be recovered.

This is a site-function explanation based on the source code, not an independent security audit or certification of competitive fairness.