FAQ

What is PICO-8?: PICO-8 is a "fantasy console" — an imaginary 8-bit machine with deliberately tiny limits (a 128×128 screen, 16 colours, four sound channels) that people use to make and share small games. Over a decade in, the community around it has produced thousands of free, polished little titles spanning every genre. Wikipedia has a longer write-up if you'd like more background.
Where do I get carts?: The PICO-8 community hosts thousands of free carts on the Lexaloffle BBS. Explore the community, find games you like, and download their cart files into a folder Pixl8 has access to. They'll show up in your library, ready to play. And don't forget to support the authors!
What's a cart?: A "cart" is a single tiny file that holds a whole PICO-8 game — the code, the art, the sounds, the music, all in one place. The clever bit is that a cart usually looks like a small PNG image: open it in any image viewer and you'll see a label screen, but feed it to Pixl8 and it's a playable game. You'll see them as .p8.png (image carts with a label) or sometimes plain .p8 (text-source version) — both work the same way in the library.
What's a multicart game?: A few PICO-8 games are too big to fit inside a single cart and ship as several files that load each other while you play — a main cart plus one or more sub-carts. When you download one of these from the BBS, you need every cart file for it to work; if a sub-cart is missing, the game stops mid-play. There's a short setup guide covering where to put the files so Pixl8 can find them.
What are the featured carts?: Pixl8 ships with a small, hand-picked selection of games that show up in the library under the "★ Featured" section, so there's something great to play the moment the app opens. Every featured cart is included with the express permission of its author, and the authors remain the sole copyright holders of their games — being featured transfers nothing.; If you're an author and would like your game featured — or want one of yours removed — get in touch via our contact email.
Can I play with a friend?: Yes — Pixl8 has two-player multiplayer. One of you hosts a game and the other joins, and you both play the same cart together in real time. It's built for two players — a Player 1 and a Player 2 — so it isn't meant for bigger groups. It only makes sense for carts that actually read a second player's controls, so Pixl8 marks those with a small two-player badge in your library, and gives you a heads-up if you try to invite someone to a single-player game (they'd just be watching, not playing). Hosting a game is a Pro feature; joining a game someone else hosts is free for everyone — so one Pro user can host for a friend who doesn't have Pro. There's a step-by-step multiplayer guide covering how to host, join, and add a friend.
How do the two of us connect?: Three ways, and Pixl8 uses the best link it can:

Same Wi‑Fi — if you're both on the same network (at home, for example), you connect directly. This is the smoothest, lowest-delay way to play.

A direct link between the two phones — no shared Wi‑Fi? Sitting side by side, one phone can open a direct connection to the other. Still direct, still very smooth.

Over the internet — to play with a friend who's somewhere else entirely, Pixl8 can connect you across the internet through your home Wi‑Fi.

The first two are local and feel great. The internet option is the flexible one — see below for what to expect from it.
What's online play like? Is it reliable?: Online play — with a friend who isn't near you — is the newest and most experimental part of multiplayer. Because it travels across the internet, how smoothly it runs depends on both people's connections. On good home Wi‑Fi it can play really well; but you might see the occasional slowdown, a brief pause mid-game, or a dropped session — and on some networks it may not connect at all. We can't promise a perfectly stable game on every network, because it genuinely depends on the quality of both links. Playing locally (same Wi‑Fi or a direct link between phones) doesn't have these caveats.
Can I play over mobile data?: No — online multiplayer needs Wi‑Fi on both sides. It won't run over mobile data (4G/5G): those connections usually can't carry a real-time game reliably, so the online option is simply switched off when you're not on Wi‑Fi. If you want to play while you're out, a direct link between two phones works without any Wi‑Fi network at all.
Can I make a physical cartridge for a game?: Yes — with a cheap NFC tag. Long-press any game, choose "Write NFC cart", hold a blank tag to the back of your phone, and you're done. Tap that tag any time and Pixl8 opens and plays the game — free, offline, no subscription. One thing to know: the tag is just a link, not the game itself, so it launches a game only on a phone that already has it (in its library, or as a built-in featured game). So a tag for a featured game works on any Pixl8 install, but a tag for a game you downloaded yourself needs that same game present on the other phone too — a fresh install only ships with the featured games. There's a short NFC carts guide with the details.
How do I make my own game?: Lexaloffle hosts a free in-browser editor at pico-8-edu.com — perfect for trying things out without installing anything. Once you're hooked, the proper way to develop locally is to buy a Lexaloffle licence and download the real PICO-8 tools.; Great places to learn:
Is the engine official?: No. Pixl8 ships an independent re-implementation of the PICO-8 runtime designed for compatibility with carts published on the BBS. Lexaloffle and the PICO-8 trademark are owned by their respective holders; Pixl8 is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lexaloffle.
What does Pro unlock?: Save states (10 slots per cart), the in-app input script recorder & playback, the source-level debugger pane, and the one-time purchase removes any future feature gating.
Does it work on retro handhelds?: Yes. Pixl8 adapts to any screen shape — 4:3, 16:9, 1:1, whatever your device runs.
Does it run on a smartwatch?: Yes — Pixl8 runs on Wear OS watches (Samsung Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch and others). You send games over from the phone app, and the watch has its own touch controls, a games carousel and round-screen fitting. The Pixl8 on your watch guide walks through transferring carts, the on-screen controls and how the watch app is laid out.
What does Pixl8 collect about me?: See the full privacy policy. Your cart files and save data never leave your device.
I found a bug. Where do I report it?: Open an issue on GitHub or email our contact email.