Privacy
Last updated 27 September 2026
- You can play without an account, an email address or a password. We never ask for your email, and we never sell your data or show ads.
- We keep what the game needs: a profile with the name you choose and your match stats, tied to your browser by a cookie (or to your X, Google or Steam account if you sign in).
- We count visits with a random id your browser makes, not with trackers. We don't store your IP address.
- You can delete everything we hold about you at any time, right here on this page.
Who we are
Arctic Instincts is a free multiplayer browser game at arcticinstincts.com, also available as a desktop app. "We" means the people who make and run it. For anything about your data, use the Feedback box in the game (choose Other; add an email if you want a reply).
What we collect, and why
When you play as a guest
The first time you play, we make a guest profile so your stats can count. It holds:
- a random id, and the display name you type in the menu;
- when the profile was made and when you last played;
- your match stats per mode (rounds, wins, losses, knockouts, times downed, headshots, a skill rating);
- if you arrived through someone's shared card, that player's id (so we can see how people find the game).
The profile is stored on our server and tied to your browser by a cookie (ai_session). It isn't linked to your real identity unless you put that in your name. Because a guest profile is found only through that cookie, you lose access to it if you clear your browser data, play on another device or browser, or don't play for 30 days (the cookie renews each time you play). Where sign-in is offered (X or Google on the web, Steam in the desktop app), signing in keeps your stats for good.
When you sign in with X, Google or Steam
Signing in keeps your stats on any device. We receive and keep only your account id with that service, plus your X username if you use X. From Google we ask only for your basic profile and use just your first name as a starting display name; from Steam, your Steam name as a starting display name. We never receive your password, we don't ask for your email address, and the access permission the service gives us is cancelled straight away. Your guest stats move over to your account.
What other players and the public can see
- In matches and parties: your display name, your clan and your score.
- The leaderboard and player stats: your display name, your X username if you signed in with X, and your stats. Anyone can view these.
- Party chat: your messages, to the people in your party. Chat is kept only in the server's memory and disappears when the party ends (at most 6 hours).
- Share cards: when you open Share card, the card image (your name, your best moment's frame and, if you choose, your stats) is uploaded so it can have a link. Anyone with the link can see it. We keep the newest 400 cards; older ones are removed, and all are cleared when the server is updated.
Feedback you send
The Feedback box sends your message, anything you add about how to reply to you (such as a Discord name or an email), and your profile id and name if you have one. Unless you untick it, a bug report also includes game details: mode, map, weather, graphics setting, frame rate, your graphics card's name, ping, rounds played, keyboard or controller, your window size, your browser's user-agent string and the last few error messages. We use it only to fix problems and improve the game. We keep the newest 500 messages.
Counting visits (analytics)
To see how many people visit, load the game and play, we count simple events: a visit, the game finishing loading (and how long it took), joining and leaving a match, a tutorial step, a share action, a graphics error. Each event carries a random id your browser makes and keeps in its local storage (ms-aid), so we can count unique and returning visitors. On our server that id is only used in a scrambled (hashed) form, and only for the current day's counts; after that just the totals remain. For where visitors are from, we count the country our network provider (Cloudflare) works out from your connection, or, if that isn't available, your browser's time zone (such as Europe/Berlin). We don't store your IP address, and we use no advertising or third-party tracking scripts.
Keeping the game safe
To stop abuse (spam, floods of requests, too many connections), our servers keep your IP address in memory for short periods: between one minute and one day depending on the limit, and never written to disk or to our logs. Names and chat messages that our filter refuses are kept in memory, without IP addresses, so we can review abuse; they're gone when the server restarts. We may also look at match events to deal with cheating or abuse.
Stored in your browser
Besides the cookie, the game keeps its settings in your browser's local storage: your name (as a guest), last chosen mode, map and time of day, graphics, music and controller settings, the analytics id, how many rounds you've played (so newcomers get an easier start), whether you've finished the tutorial, and the id of a shared link you arrived from. While a tab is open it also keeps your party, and your best moment's image for a share card. None of this leaves your device except as described above. Replay clips are recorded and saved only on your own device.
Cookies
ai_session: keeps you signed in or keeps your guest profile (30 days, renewed as you play). Needed for the game's profiles and stats.ai_oauth: used for up to 10 minutes while you sign in with X or Google, to keep the sign-in secure.
We set no advertising or tracking cookies. Cloudflare, which protects our servers, may set its own security cookies.
Why we're allowed to use it
If you're in the EU, UK or a similar place: we use your profile, stats, name and chat to provide the game you asked to play (performance of a contract); visit counts, safety measures and bug reports because we have a legitimate interest in running, protecting and improving the game; and sign-in, share cards and feedback details because you choose to use them (which you can stop at any time).
Who else handles it
- Render runs our game servers and database. Our servers are in the United States (Oregon).
- Cloudflare sits in front of our servers to deliver the site and protect it from attacks. It sees your IP address and requests as they pass through.
- Google Fonts: the game's pages load their lettering from Google, which receives your IP address and browser details when they do.
- X, Google and Steam handle your sign-in if you choose one of them, under their own privacy policies.
- Steam (desktop app only): if Steam is running, the app can show your Steam friends what you're playing (mode and map) and unlock Steam achievements.
We don't sell or rent your data, and we don't share it with advertisers. We'd only disclose it if the law required us to.
Because our servers are in the United States, your data is handled there. Where the law requires it, we rely on our providers' standard safeguards for international transfers.
How long we keep it
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Your profile and stats | Until you delete them. A guest profile can only be reached from its browser, through a cookie that expires after 30 days without play; we may remove guest profiles nobody has used for a long time. |
| Party chat | In memory only, until the party ends (at most 6 hours). |
| Share cards | The newest 400; cleared when the server is updated. |
| Feedback | The newest 500 messages. |
| Visit counts | Scrambled ids for the current day only; daily totals after that. |
| IP addresses for safety limits | In memory only, from 1 minute to 1 day, never stored. |
| Names and chat the filter refused | In memory only, until the server restarts. |
Your choices and rights
- Change your name at any time: in the menu as a guest, or in your account if you're signed in.
- Delete your data with the button below, or with Delete my account in your account if you're signed in. This removes your profile, your stats, the private matches you host, your share cards and your feedback.
- Clear what's stored in your browser by clearing this site's data in your browser settings.
- Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to see a copy of your data, correct it, object to how we use it, and complain to your data protection authority. To use any of these rights, use the Feedback box in the game (choose Other; add an email if you want a reply).
Delete my data
This deletes the profile tied to this browser (guest or signed in): your name, stats, private matches, share cards and feedback. Then it clears the game's settings from this browser. It can't be undone. (In the desktop app, sign in and use Delete my account instead.)
Children
Arctic Instincts is not made for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them. The game only needs a nickname, so please don't use your real name. If you think a child under 13 has created a profile, use the Feedback box in the game (choose Other; add an email if you want a reply), and we'll delete it.
Changes
If we change what we collect or how we use it, we'll update this page and the date at the top.