Start with the clue you remember
The library search checks titles, platforms, genres and developers. Try a short distinctive part of the title first. If that produces no results, try the developer or a genre such as puzzle. The search matches text rather than interpreting a description of a scene, so a sentence such as “a character climbing a tower” may miss a game that is actually in the catalogue.
Search also recognises selected aliases, such as MegaMan and KOF, and platform names such as NES for Famicom. Punctuation and accents are normalised. Exact title matches appear first. If a short spelling error produces no matches, suggested titles may appear; choose one to search again. Selected platform, genre and availability filters still apply.
Use the library’s platform and genre filters together to narrow the current results. The Platforms navigation menu opens a separate system collection. Clear filters when you want to start a new search.
Use the platform to distinguish editions
Open a result and check the platform before following its guide. The library has separate Arcade, Famicom and DOS collections. A shared title across those collections is not evidence that the levels, controls or multiplayer options are identical.
For example, searching for Contra returns records on different systems. If your copy is a Famicom edition, start with that record and the Famicom guide. Do not assume an arcade walkthrough or code applies to it. When a record does not specify region or revision, treat that detail as unknown; a release year alone cannot establish it.
Compare facts without overstating them
Read the platform, year, developer and player count together. A different year may identify another edition, but it may also be an imported-data error. A player count is a catalogue fact, not a promise of simultaneous co-operative play. Check the manual for your edition when a decision depends on those distinctions.
Related-game links can cross platforms. They help you discover a series or similar genre; they are not a compatibility list. Keep the platform visible in both tabs when comparing records. The URL of the detail page is the useful link to bookmark or send to someone helping identify your game.
Match a guide to a specific question
A guide's title and platform describe its intended scope. Read the introduction to check whether it covers an opening route, beginner strategy or another limited topic. A short route guide should not be treated as a complete level-by-level reference. Source-based guides are research summaries; they are not evidence that we have personally completed the game on your device.
Before using advice, compare the named level, menu or mechanic with your copy. If they do not match, stop and verify the edition rather than applying a procedure to the wrong game. Follow the source references when you need the original context.
Use the player controls
Favorites bookmark a game page, not its progress. Favorites and recently played lists are kept on this browser. Reopening an entry does not automatically restore a saved scene.
On a game page, read the keyboard panel before choosing Start Game. Click inside the game area to give it keyboard focus. Arcade titles may need the coin input before Start. DOS games can also have their own setup menu or mouse controls.
For saving, open the player menu and check which options that emulator provides. An in-game save and an emulator save state are different: the first uses the game’s own system, while the second records the running emulator. Support varies by player and edition. Keep any save file you export if you want a separate copy.
On supported console and arcade players, expand Save or load game progress and choose Save progress. The homepage’s Continue a saved game shelf reopens that game; launch its player to restore the saved snapshot. Saves stay in the browser where you made them.
Choose Download backup to keep an OLDGAMES .oldgames-save file. To restore it after clearing site data or on another browser, open the same game page and choose Import backup. The site checks the game, game-file version and file integrity before asking you to confirm replacement of the existing browser save. Launch the game and choose Resume saved game after importing. Older native .state files still use the player’s Load State menu.
DOS games use a separate workflow. Save through the game’s own menu first, then use the JS-DOS sidebar’s disk / Save option to keep changed files on this browser. Reopen the same game and use its in-game Load menu. Check the game page for tested instructions; games without their own save feature cannot use this workflow to preserve an arbitrary scene.
Understand availability
Open a game page and use Start Game when available. Check the controls before playing; availability and save support vary by edition and emulator. A record's presence does not establish that a game is freeware or that anyone can redistribute it. To purchase a game, check its rights holder or an authorised store for the exact edition.
When the catalogue appears wrong
Use Contact & corrections and include the detail-page URL, the field that looks wrong and a source supporting the correction. A manual, publisher page or developer release note is more useful than another unsourced listing. For a broken link, include the page you started on and the destination. Please do not attach game files or personal account information.
This handbook describes the library's search and navigation implementation. It does not claim gameplay testing. See the editorial policy for how reference material and test evidence are distinguished.