StratuxStratux Arcade v2: four new games, a cleaner arcade, and your club leaderboard
Stratux Arcade started as a handful of small browser games for pilots. Version 2 is the big one. It adds four new games, gives every older game the same polish, adds a way to compare scores with your friends, and loads faster. Everything is free, and everything runs in a browser on a phone, tablet or laptop. There is nothing to install.
Four new big games
Taxiway Tycoon is a RollerCoaster Tycoon-style airport builder with a control tower. Lay runways, gates and terminals, then watch the planes taxi and the passengers complain in thought bubbles. Runway length matters, so a 737 needs more pavement than a Cessna. There are eight scenarios and a daily challenge.
So You Want to Be a Captain is a point-and-click adventure inspired by Quest for Glory. Pick a class, earn your four stripes at a moated airport and beat the Baron. Every puzzle can be solved from the clues in the game, and a fog-bound mountain pass has a box that shows you the traffic around you.
Gate Expectations is a life sim set in an airport terminal. Keep your Fliers fed, calm and boarded through delays, a volunteer auction and a ground stop. The Fliers talk in a made-up language called Gatelish, and the PA system has opinions.
GO / NO-GO is a decision game about the moment before a flight. You brief real-format weather, set your own minimums and decide whether to go. The game grades your decision, not the dice, and then tells you what the weather actually did.
The 44 older games, audited
Before v2 shipped, we played every one of the 44 earlier games and wrote up what we found. The fixes are the boring kind that make a big difference:
- Esc opens the menu everywhere. Pause and menu keys now work the same way across games, and tutorial screens close first.
- Typing works. A few word games swallowed the first letter you typed, and now they don't.
- Facts are checked. Frequencies, runway details and rules of thumb were softened or corrected where we could not stand behind them.
- Hangar Tetris is now HANGAR PACK. The name "Tetris" is protected, so the game got a new name. Old links still work, and your saved scores are kept.
Every game also has a short credits card the first time you open it, and a CREDITS line in the menu. Each one reads: Designed by Sean Chuplis, coded by Claude Code.
No ads, just a little Stratux
There are no ads in the arcade and no shop buttons. Stratux appears only inside the games, where it belongs to the story: a power-up here, a cameo there, and an in-game ADS-B receiver with a price tag that is a joke. If you want to learn how the planes on your screen get to your screen, how ADS-B works is a good place to start.
Play with other pilots
Three things are new for the social side:
- Hangar Leagues. Leagues are public by default, so you can browse them and join the ones that look fun. Each league has a code you can share.
- 🏆 High Scores before you play. Every game shows today's scores, all-time scores and your leagues before you start, so you know what you are up against.
- END RUN & SAVE SCORE. Need to stop? Choose END RUN & SAVE SCORE from the menu. Your score is posted and you leave the game without crashing it.
Faster loading
The big games were slow to open, so we bundled their files together and tuned the server. On a typical connection the big games now open in a second or two the first time, and almost instantly after that. You should not have to wait for the runway to appear.
Start a league, play the daily
Here is the invitation. Start a Hangar League for your flying club, your EAA chapter or the fly-out crew at your local field. Share the code at the next meeting and see who tops the board by Saturday. Then play today's dailies: Taxiway Tycoon, Gate Expectations and GO / NO-GO each give everyone the same challenge for the day.
Tell us what your club's league looks like, and which game you could not stop playing.
Designed by Sean Chuplis, coded by Claude Code.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stratux Arcade free? Yes. Every game runs in your browser, with no sign-up, no download and nothing to buy.
Are there ads in the games? No. Stratux appears only inside the games, as a power-up, a cameo or an item in the story.
What is a Hangar League? A public leaderboard you can browse and join, or start for your club or EAA chapter.