Playable
Fairy Lights
A tangle of wire and a string of dead bulbs. Turn each piece until current runs from the socket to every last light.
Joynix · a small arcade at the end of the pier
Puzzles that cost nothing and pay nothing.
Three browser games and a score called Glow that stops meaning anything the moment you close the tab. No download, no account, no money anywhere on this site.
Made for ages 13 and up · Works on phones · Nothing to install
Try it here
Tap a tile to turn itTurn the wires until every bulb lights up.
3Games playable now
0Money involved, ever
0Prizes or payouts
24/7Open in your browser
The short version
Everything here is free, and it stays that way.
There is no payment system on Joynix. Nothing is for sale, there is no premium tier, no subscription, and no way to spend a single cent even if you wanted to.
Every game is played for Glow — a number kept in your own browser. Glow cannot be bought, sold, transferred, cashed out or exchanged for money, goods or prizes, because there is nothing here to exchange it against. You keep your best runs, and that's the whole reward.
Open now
Three games on the boardwalk.
Each one is won by thinking, not by luck. Learn the rules in a round, then spend the rest of the evening beating your own record.
Playable
Rockpool
Eighty-one tiles, ten hidden crabs. Each number tells you how many crabs are touching it. Clear the pool without meeting one.
Playable
Sugar Stack
Slide the board and matching sweets fuse into bigger ones. Simple for ten moves, then it starts asking questions.
Getting started
Three steps, no wallet.
1
Pick a game
Open any game straight from the browser. There is no sign-up wall, no install and no waiting room.
2
Work it out
Read the board, make your move. Glow goes up when you solve something and stays put when you don't.
3
Beat your own record
Your best run for each game is saved on your device and shown on the board. That's the entire prize.
The whole board
Six games on the wall.
Three are open. Three are still being built and will appear here when they are ready. Every one of them is free, now and later.
Playable
Fairy Lights
Rotate wire tiles until every bulb on the string is lit. Five by five, always solvable, fewer turns means more Glow.
Playable
Rockpool
Pure deduction on a nine by nine grid. Ten crabs are hiding and the numbers always tell the truth. Your first tap is never a crab.
Playable
Sugar Stack
Slide, merge, repeat. Reach the 2048 gobstopper if you can. Arrow keys, swipe or the on-screen pad.
In the workshop
Deckchair
A packing puzzle. Fit the whole beach onto one striped towel before the tide comes in. Currently too easy, which is why it isn't here yet.
In the workshop
Ferris
A wheel of eight cabins that rotates one notch every turn. Get the right passengers to the top in the right order.
In the workshop
Postcard
A word game built from seaside postcards. Waiting on a dictionary we are allowed to ship.
A note on content
The pier, the arcade and the people described on this site are invented. Any resemblance to a real seafront, business or person is coincidental. Nothing here is advice of any kind — it is a set of puzzles.
The arcade
Three games, one cabinet.
Switch games whenever you like — your best run for each is kept separately. Everything runs in this tab.
Turns0
Best—
Round1
Glow0
Turn every wire until the whole string lights up. Click or tap a tile to rotate it.
Glow is a free score kept in this browser. It has no cash value, cannot be redeemed for anything, and disappears if you clear your browser data.
Standings
The board at the end of the pier.
A friendly ranking, kept for amusement. Your best run lives on this device only, so the board resets if you clear your browser data.
Your best runs
| Game | Best | What counts |
|---|
Tonight on the pier
| # | Player | From | Favourite game | Glow |
|---|
Names other than yours are illustrative and do not represent real players. Glow is a virtual score with no cash value. It cannot be exchanged for anything, and it may be reset when scoring rules change.
The lamp ladder
Sparkler (0) → Boardwalker (400) → Lamplighter (1,200) → Pier Keeper (3,500) → Lighthouse (9,000). Your lamp is decoration. It unlocks nothing, costs nothing and is worth nothing.
You are currently a Sparkler.
Instructions
How each game works.
Read this once and you will not need it again.
✺ Fairy Lights
A five by five board of wire pieces with one socket, marked in red. Every piece has been turned at random, so the current stops somewhere it shouldn't.
Click or tap a piece to rotate it a quarter turn. When a piece is connected back to the socket through an unbroken run of wire, it lights up. The string is finished when every bulb on the board is glowing.
Every board is built from a single connected string, so there is always a solution and there is never any guessing. Fewer turns and faster solves earn more Glow, and each string you finish makes the next one worth a little more.
◍ Rockpool
Nine by nine tiles with ten crabs hidden underneath. Tap a tile to look under it. A number tells you exactly how many of the eight tiles around it are hiding a crab; an empty tile opens up its neighbours automatically.
Your first tap is never a crab, and neither is anything touching it, so you always get a clean opening. Right-click, or switch the marker on and tap, to flag a tile you believe is a crab. Clear every safe tile to win the pool.
There is no luck in the middle of a pool, only in the very last tiles of an awkward corner. If you are guessing, look again — there is usually a tile somewhere that the numbers have already decided for you.
◆ Sugar Stack
Four by four. Slide the whole board in a direction and every sweet travels as far as it can. Two matching sweets that collide fuse into the next one up, and a new small sweet drops into an empty space after each move.
Use the arrow keys, swipe on a touchscreen, or the pad under the board. The run ends when nothing can move. Keep your biggest sweet in a corner and work along one edge — that single habit is worth more than any amount of speed.
What Glow is
Glow is a number kept in your browser's storage, on your own device. It is not a currency, not a balance and not an account. It cannot be bought, sold, gifted, withdrawn or exchanged for money, goods, services or prizes. Clearing your browser data deletes it, and we cannot bring it back.
Playing without a mouse
Every game is fully playable from the keyboard. Tab moves between tiles, Enter or Space acts on one, and in Rockpool the F key places a marker. Sugar Stack takes the arrow keys once the board has focus.
About us
Joynix is a small studio that makes free browser puzzles. There are seven of us, spread between Porto, Kraków and a converted ice-cream kiosk in Whitstable, and we have been shipping small games together since 2019.
Why we built it
We wanted the feel of a seaside arcade on a wet Tuesday — the noise, the lights, the machine that owes you nothing — without the part where it eventually asks for a card number. We decided at the start that ours never would, then built the site so that it structurally can't: there is no payment system, no shop, no balance and no prize pool anywhere in the product.
That constraint turned out to be freeing. When a score can't be sold, you can tune it purely for how good it feels to earn.
How we pay for it
Joynix is funded by the studio's contract work. We do not run advertising, we do not sell player data and we take no affiliate payments from anyone. If that ever changes, this page changes first and the privacy policy changes with it.
What we will never do
- Accept a payment of any kind from a player.
- Hand out money, goods, vouchers or prizes for play.
- Let Glow be bought, sold, transferred or redeemed.
- Sell the list of people who play here.
The people
- N. Adeyemi — studio lead. Wrote the first version of Fairy Lights on a ferry.
- T. Rasmussen — systems and scoring. Owns the argument about how many turns is fair.
- M. Ferreira — art direction, the awning, the whole colour scheme.
- K. Nowak — front end. Made the games work on a nine-year-old phone.
- J. Vale — community and support. Answers the contact form.
Joynix Games Ltd., 14 Harbour Parade, Whitstable CT5, United Kingdom. Company number 09112233. This is a sample site and the entity details above are illustrative.
How we pick games
Every idea that reaches the board has to pass four tests. Most don't.
1. It has to be readable
A player should be able to explain the rules to somebody else after one round. If the pitch needs a diagram, it goes back.
2. Thinking beats luck
We favour games where a careful player beats a lucky one over time. Chance can set up a round, but it shouldn't decide it. Rockpool is the clearest case: the crabs are placed at random, the solution isn't.
3. It has to survive having nothing riding on it
This is the test that kills most candidates. Take away any possibility of winning something and a lot of designs fall over, because the loop was never the fun part — the reward was. If a prototype isn't interesting when nothing is riding on it, it isn't interesting.
4. No fake economies
We don't build games around a balance that goes up and down, and we don't borrow the interface language of money. Not because it wouldn't work, but because it would, and that isn't what this pier is for.
Got a game you think passes all four? The contact page reaches a real person. We read everything and reply to most of it.
Questions
Things people ask.
Is Joynix really free?
Entirely. There is no payment system on this site. Nothing is for sale, there is no premium tier, no subscription and no in-game purchase. You could not spend money here if you tried.
Can I win money or prizes?
No. Joynix is entertainment only. Every game is played for Glow, a virtual score with no cash value that can never be redeemed, withdrawn, transferred or exchanged for money, goods, services or prizes.
Do I need an account?
No. Every game is playable the second the page loads. An optional free account exists only so your Glow can follow you between devices, and it never involves payment details.
How old do I have to be?
The games are made for ages 13 and up. Accounts are for 16 and over, because they involve an email address.
Where is my Glow stored?
In your browser's local storage, on your own device. In this build nothing is held on a server. Clearing your browser data deletes it permanently and we cannot restore it.
Why does the site look like a seaside pier?
Because one of us grew up next to one. The awning, the ticket stubs and the lamp ladder are set dressing on an otherwise very ordinary set of puzzles.
Do you sell my data or run ads?
Neither. No advertising, no data sales. See the privacy policy for the full picture, including the one analytics cookie you can decline without losing anything.
Something is broken. Who do I tell?
The contact page. Tell us your browser and what you were doing when it broke, and you will usually hear back within two working days.
Can I put these games on my own site?
Not without asking, but do ask. We have said yes to schools, libraries and one hospital waiting room.
Say hello
Contact
General and support
hello@joynix.cyou
Privacy and data requests
privacy@joynix.cyou
Press
press@joynix.cyou
Reply time
One to two working days, from a person, not a queue.
Post
Joynix Games Ltd., 14 Harbour Parade, Whitstable CT5, United Kingdom.
Recruitment
Open positions
Small team, remote across European time zones, four-day week. We hire slowly and we answer every application.
Puzzle designer
Remote · CET ±3 · Full time
Front-end engineer
Remote · CET ±3 · Full time
Illustrator — signs and lettering
Contract · 6 months
Community and support
Remote · CET ±2 · Part time
Sample listings for a demonstration site. Applications to hello@joynix.cyou with the role name in the subject line.
Playing well
Nothing here costs anything, but habits still matter. A puzzle with nothing riding on it can still eat an evening you meant to spend elsewhere.
Decide the length before you start
Pick how long you're playing for and put a timer on your phone. Sugar Stack in particular is designed to make "one more board" feel reasonable, and it will keep feeling reasonable for an hour.
Treat the score as decoration
Glow measures nothing outside this page. It isn't progress, status or an asset. If chasing it starts to feel like an obligation rather than a game, that's the signal to close the tab.
Play around your life, not through it
Sleep, work, people, food. If any of those are being moved to make room for a browser puzzle, the puzzle should give way.
Look after your eyes and hands
Twenty minutes on, a couple of minutes off. Look at something far away, stretch your wrists, drink some water. Rockpool is not going anywhere.
If it stops being fun
Then stop. That's genuinely the whole advice. If something about the way you're using a screen is worrying you more generally, talking to your doctor or someone you trust is a better move than another round.
Want your local data removed? Clear this site's data in your browser, or use the button on the board — everything this build keeps about you lives on your own device.
Terms of use
1. Entertainment only
Joynix is a free-to-play games website provided solely for entertainment. All games are played for Glow, a free virtual score with no monetary value. Glow is not money and is not a payment instrument. It cannot be purchased, sold, withdrawn, transferred, gifted, traded or redeemed for money, goods, services or prizes. Joynix offers no opportunity to win money or prizes of any kind.
2. Eligibility
The games are intended for people aged 13 and over. Optional accounts are for people aged 16 and over, or the age of digital consent where you live, whichever is higher. By creating an account you confirm that you meet that requirement. We may refuse or close an account where we reasonably believe you do not.
3. Nothing of value changes hands
There is no payment system on this site. Nothing is offered for sale, no deposit can be made, and no payout can be received. Outcomes and scores exist for amusement only.
4. Glow and lamps
Glow and lamp levels are a limited, personal, non-transferable licence to view score features on this site. They remain ours, confer no ownership or property right, and may be adjusted, expired, recalculated or reset at any time — for example when scoring rules change, or when we detect automated play.
5. Accounts
Accounts are free and optional. You are responsible for your credentials and for activity under your account. Do not share it, and tell us promptly if you think somebody else has been using it.
6. Acceptable use
Use the site lawfully. Do not attempt to disrupt or overload it, reverse-engineer it for exploits, scrape it at volume, automate play, impersonate anybody, harass anyone, or upload unlawful content through any form on the site. We may restrict or end access where behaviour harms the service or other players.
7. Content and fiction
The pier, arcade, characters and locations on Joynix are invented. Any resemblance to real places, businesses or people is coincidental. Nothing here is instruction or legal, financial, security or medical advice.
8. Intellectual property
The site, its games, code, artwork and text belong to Joynix Games Ltd. or its licensors. You may play them; you may not copy, resell or redistribute them without written permission.
9. Availability, "as is", and liability
The service is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind. Games may change, pause or be withdrawn without notice. To the fullest extent permitted by law we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, lost scores, or damages arising from the use of a free entertainment service. Nothing here limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
10. Changes and governing law
We may update these terms; the version date above will change, and continued use means acceptance. These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, without prejudice to mandatory consumer protections in your country of residence.
11. Contact
Questions about these terms: hello@joynix.cyou.
Not legal advice. Joynix is a demonstration site and this text is sample wording written for illustration. Rules covering free-to-play games, virtual scores and age limits differ by country and state. Have a qualified lawyer review your own terms before you operate a real service.
Privacy policy
1. Who we are
Joynix Games Ltd., 14 Harbour Parade, Whitstable CT5, United Kingdom, is the controller of personal data collected through joynix.cyou. Data questions go to privacy@joynix.cyou.
2. What this build collects
This demonstration build has no server-side account system. The only things kept about you are stored in your own browser: your Glow total, your best run for each game, your display name if you set one, and your cookie choice. None of it is transmitted to us.
3. If you create an account on the live service
We would hold a display name, an email address, a hashed password and your Glow total, in order to run the service and let scores follow you between devices. Lawful basis: performance of a contract with you. We do not ask for and cannot accept payment details, because there is nothing to pay for.
4. Contact form
In this sample build the contact form transmits nothing at all; submitting it only shows a confirmation. On the live service, messages and the address they came from would be used solely to answer you, kept for up to 24 months, then deleted.
5. Cookies and analytics
Essential storage keeps your Glow, best runs and preferences on your device. Optional analytics would tell us which games people finish and where they get stuck. Decline it and nothing about the games changes. Full detail on the cookie policy page.
6. What we don't do
We do not sell or rent personal data. We do not run advertising or advertising trackers. We do not build marketing profiles, and we do not share data with third parties for their own purposes.
7. Your rights
Where the UK GDPR or the GDPR applies you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction or portability, or object to processing, and you may complain to your supervisory authority — in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office. Write to privacy@joynix.cyou and we will respond within one month.
8. Retention
Local data lives on your device until you clear it. Account data on the live service would be deleted within 30 days of a deletion request, or after 24 months of inactivity.
9. Children
The games are suitable from age 13, and accounts are for 16 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has provided data, write to us and we will delete it.
10. Third parties
Web fonts are served by Google Fonts, which may receive your IP address as part of delivering them. Self-hosting the font files removes this. Hosting is provided by a European infrastructure provider under a data processing agreement.
11. Changes
Material changes will be announced on this page with a new version date before they take effect.
Sample policy for a demonstration site, and not legal advice. Have counsel review a real policy before launch.
Cookie policy
Joynix uses very little. Here is all of it.
Essential — always on
- jx_glow — your Glow total. Local storage, kept until you clear it.
- jx_best — your best run for each game. Local storage, kept until you clear it.
- jx_name — the display name you chose, if you set one. Local storage.
- jx_consent — remembers your choice below so we stop asking. Local storage, 12 months.
Analytics — optional
A single first-party measurement cookie recording which games are started and finished, and on what kind of device. No advertising identifiers, no cross-site tracking, nothing sold. Declining costs you nothing: every game behaves identically either way.
Advertising
None. Joynix carries no advertising and sets no advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
Changing your mind
Use the button below at any time, or clear this site's data in your browser settings.
Accessibility
We aim to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA. We are not there on every page yet, and this says honestly where we are.
What works today
- Every game is fully playable by keyboard: Tab to move, Enter or Space to act.
- Visible focus outlines throughout, never suppressed.
- Game feedback is announced to screen readers through a live status region.
- Fairy Lights pieces differ by shape as well as colour, so the game never depends on colour perception.
- Rockpool numbers are readable without relying on their colour.
- Animation stops when your system asks for reduced motion.
- Text reflows to 320px and survives 200% zoom.
Known gaps
- Sugar Stack has no announced board state yet, so a screen reader user can play but cannot easily review the grid. A text mode is in progress.
- Rockpool's marker mode is a two-step action on touch, which is more work than it should be.
Tell us
If something blocks you, write to hello@joynix.cyou with the page and what happened. Accessibility bugs jump the queue.
Error 404
That stall has closed.
The page you asked for isn't on the pier. It may have been taken down, or the link may have been mistyped.