How to play

Octocade turns any TV into a party game console and everyone's phone into a controller. It takes about a minute to set up, and nobody needs to install anything.

What you need

• A big screen with a web browser: a smart TV, or a laptop connected to the TV with an HDMI cable.
• One phone per player (up to 8), any recent iPhone or Android phone.
• Wi-Fi. Everyone on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV works best.

Setting up

1. On the TV, open Octocade in the browser and choose Host on this screen.
2. Choose a game with the remote, the mouse or the arrow keys.
3. Everyone scans the QR code on the TV with their phone camera, types a name and taps Join. No camera? Open Octocade on the phone, tap Join a game and type the 4-digit code from the TV.
4. Turn the phone sideways. It becomes a controller with a direction pad and two buttons, A and B, in your own colour.
5. When everyone is in, press Start game on the TV. A short countdown, and you are playing.

During the game

• Watch the TV, not the phone: the controller works by feel, like a real gamepad.
• Rounds are short, about a minute. After each round the TV shows who won; any player presses A to play again.
• Arrived late? Scan the code any time: you join at the next round.
• Your phone remembers you. If it locks or you reload the page, you come back as the same player.
• Tap your name on the controller to change it.

Tips for the best experience

• A laptop on HDMI gives the smoothest graphics; smart-TV browsers can be slower.
• On iPhone, use Share, then Add to Home Screen for a full-screen controller.
• Turn the TV sound up: the games have sound effects.