How to play Maatjie Arena

1. Press Play and pick a nickname

Open the game in your web browser and press Play. You do not need to sign up or type an email address. Pick a nickname: one word, like Comet or Pebble, with letters only. Don't use your real name. Stuck? Tap Suggest one. Your friends and the ranks show your nickname, and you can change it later in Me.

Your pet lives on the game's server, so it is still there when you come back.

2. Choose your egg

There are five species to choose from: Spark, Tide, Leaf, Stone and Ember. Each has its own element, its own favourite food and its own way of looking. There is no best one, so pick the one you like.

Then give your pet a name. The game suggests a few, or you can type your own. Your friends can see it too, if it passes the game's word check; other players never do.

3. Gentle or Classic?

You choose the mode when the egg hatches, and it stays the same for that pet's whole life.

4. Look after your pet

Your pet has four needs: Food, Clean, Fun and Energy. When one gets low, its care button glows and your pet tells you how it feels. Feed it in the kitchen, give it a bath, play a game with it or tuck it in for a nap.

Needs go down slowly, so you do not have to play all day. Popping in a few times a day is plenty, and if you are going away, a grown-up can switch on holiday mode so your pet waits safely. The pet care guide explains every need and every care action.

5. Watch it grow up

A new pet is a baby for 12 hours, a child until it is 2 days old and a teen until it is 4 days old. Then it is a grown-up. The care you give at each stage shows in how your pet looks at the next one, so a well-loved pet grows up bright and happy.

6. Train and learn moves

From the child stage, you can take your pet to the training room for a game of Hurdle Hop, Power Punch, Balance Beam, Climbing Wall, Tug of War, Jump Rope or Stretch Time. Training earns experience, and each new level brings skill points to spend on moves in the skill tree.

7. Battle!

Grown-up pets can battle. Start with Training, a practice battle against a friendly arena buddy that does not change your rating. When you feel ready, try an Arena match against another player's pet: the game finds you a rival of a similar strength, or a tougher Arena bot steps in if nobody is free. You never see the other player's nickname. Battles take turns, and every turn you pick a move, Block or Focus. Read the battles guide to learn the tricks.

8. Play with friends

Open the Friends tab to find your own friend code. Give it only to friends you know in real life, and add theirs. A friendship starts when you both say yes. Then you can visit your friend's pet, challenge them to a friendly battle just for fun (it never changes your rating), and, once a grown-up has set up a safety code, swap outfits. There is no chat, so nobody can send you messages.

9. Make it yours

Pick a room for your pet, earn outfits from crates and badges, and climb the ranks each season. Rooms and outfits never change a battle, so nobody can buy or dress their way to a win.