White papers

Read the white papers

Two papers describe ARCADE: one for everyone, one for the people who build on it and run it. Both can be printed or saved as PDF from their pages.

For everyone

ARCADE White Paper

ARCADE in one page, why it exists, how it works, exchanging, running your own arcade, staying safe, limits today, where it's headed, and a glossary.

Read it For builders and operators

ARCADE Technical White Paper

Design principles, system architecture, chains and borrowing, identity and accounts, the mesh, games and inscriptions, exchange mechanisms, fees, the security model, operating a node, and open problems.

Read it

Both papers describe the software as of 31 October 2026, updated 2 November 2026. ARCADE changes week to week; where the code and a paper differ, the code wins.