Start a match
- Choose 3, 5, 10, 20, or Infinite from the Rounds dropdown, select a 5-second, 10-second, or 30-second time per move, then create a waiting room. The Rounds info tooltip explains the Infinite option. The defaults are 3 fixed rounds and 10 seconds.
- The room initially contains only its creator. Registered players can wait for another signed-in player to join through the room list, room code, or shared room link. The host can instead select Add bot in the host-only actions row below the player list. Guests create a room and add a bot the same way; their rooms are unrated and cannot be joined remotely, even while the second slot is empty.
- The host starts ready by default, a joining human starts not ready, and the bot is automatically ready. Adding a bot leaves the room waiting. Before starting, the host can select Remove to reopen the slot. Once both slots are filled and all humans are ready, the host selects Start Game.
- Choices stay visible but disabled while the room is waiting. The first move deadline begins only when the host starts the match.
- Before the match starts, a signed-in viewer can join an open slot. A player can switch to viewing when another human remains in the room; host ownership transfers when the host switches or exits.
- Guests can play against the bot and view waiting and started matches from the lobby, but cannot join other rooms as players. Bot matches never change ELO.
Every room is public to view. A registered player room's Joining setting is Open by default. Host approval lets the host Accept or Decline a pending request, while 4-digit passcode requires the exact code chosen at creation. A player may cancel a pending request and stays in any existing waiting room unless accepted. Only the host can see the passcode. Adding a bot preserves the chosen joining policy, but its occupied slot cannot accept a human. Removing the bot restores human joining and rated eligibility for a registered room. Guest rooms always use Open, remain unrated, and never accept remote players. Bots cannot be added or removed after the match starts.
Play a round
Each player privately chooses rock, paper, or scissors. Your submitted choice locks until the opponent submits. The server reveals both choices and determines the result only after both are ready. The random bot privately submits a new random choice at the start of every round. At the deadline, the server randomly fills every choice that is still missing and resolves the round.
- Rock beats scissors.
- Scissors beats paper.
- Paper beats rock.
- Matching choices produce a draw.
Win the match
In a fixed match, the game ends after the selected number of rounds. The player with more round wins wins the match; equal win counts produce a draw. An Infinite match has no round limit and starts another round after every result.
Only the losing human participant can choose Stop in an Infinite match. A win is 1 point and a draw is 0.5 points for each player. A participant is losing only when their completed-round points are strictly less than half of both players' combined point total. The leader cannot stop, and neither player can stop while tied. Stopping discards the current unfinished round and makes the completed-round score final.
Ratings and leaving
After the final fixed round or an Infinite stop, the server updates both players' Rock Paper Scissors ELO using the completed rounds. During either match mode, every human participant sees Resign. Its confirmation offers Resign to remain in the completed room or Resign & Exit to return to the lobby after the same decisive loss succeeds. In an Infinite match, only the losing participant additionally sees Stop, and that option uses the actual completed-round point shares without offering Resign & Exit. Either completion preserves the roster and changes Resign to Exit. Bot matches are unrated, and their human participant can still resign to terminate the match quickly. Exiting a waiting room removes that player; the top-left links and closing the page do not resign or stop the game, so the player may return to an active match.