Seasons and playoffs in PixelPuck
A full regular season has 16 games. Qualify for the playoffs, then win four single-game rounds to lift the Pixel Cup. Here is how the schedule, standings and bracket fit together.
8 home · 8 away
8 from each conference
One game per round
01 · Regular season
16 games, 16 different opponents
You play all seven other clubs in your division once. The game draws three opponents from each of the other three divisions. That gives you 16 games, split evenly between home and away.
Opponents and game order can change each season. Reloading a save keeps the same schedule.
Sample season
Vancouver Walruses
12 wins · 3 losses · 1 tie25 points
This schedule comes from a fresh development save. Vancouver’s scores were set for this example. Other regular-season results were simulated by the game. Your season will differ.
- Game 1
GPGHomeWin 3-1 - Game 2
SWFAwayLoss 2-4 - Game 3
CHSAwayWin 5-2 - Game 4
SNCHomeWin 2-1 - Game 5
HSTAwayTie 3-3 - Game 6
DEPHomeWin 4-2 - Game 7
OCTAwayLoss 1-3 - Game 8
KWLHomeWin 3-0 - Game 9
FCTAwayWin 4-1 - Game 10
PGLHomeWin 2-0 - Game 11
MOTAwayWin 3-2 - Game 12
PRKHomeLoss 1-2 - Game 13
SYRAwayWin 5-3 - Game 14
ATMHomeWin 3-1 - Game 15
OUTHomeWin 4-0 - Game 16
WLRAwayWin 2-1
Read the schedule with full club names
- Game 1: Home against Columbus Guinea Pigs. Win 3-1.
- Game 2: Away at Seattle Swordfish. Loss 2-4.
- Game 3: Away at Calgary Chess. Win 5-2.
- Game 4: Home against Colorado Snowcats. Win 2-1.
- Game 5: Away at Vegas High Stakes. Tie 3-3.
- Game 6: Home against Chicago Deep. Win 4-2.
- Game 7: Away at Detroit Octopus. Loss 1-3.
- Game 8: Home against San Jose Killer Whales. Win 3-0.
- Game 9: Away at New York Fat Cats. Win 4-1.
- Game 10: Home against Pittsburgh Pangolins. Win 2-0.
- Game 11: Away at Los Angeles Motion. Win 3-2.
- Game 12: Home against Edmonton Parkas. Loss 1-2.
- Game 13: Away at Toronto Syrup. Win 5-3.
- Game 14: Home against Anaheim Atoms. Win 3-1.
- Game 15: Home against Ottawa Outlaws. Win 4-0.
- Game 16: Away at Utah Woolly Rhinos. Win 2-1.
Why does a new career start at game 16?
The opening story puts you in charge of a struggling club with one regular-season game left. You inherit the first 15 results and play the final game against the promised rival. That short opening leads into the rookie draft and your first full season.
Returning to an older save? A saved 31-game season keeps its schedule until it ends. The next season uses the current 16-game format.
02 · Standings and qualification
Your division gets you in. Your conference has two more places.
The league has 32 clubs in four divisions. Atlantic and Metropolitan make up the Eastern Conference. Central and Pacific make up the Western Conference. Vancouver Walruses, for example, play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.
16 clubs · 8 playoff places
Eastern Conference
Atlantic
8 clubs
Top 3 qualify
Metropolitan
8 clubs
Top 3 qualify
Plus 2 wildcards from either division
16 clubs · 8 playoff places
Western Conference
Central
8 clubs
Top 3 qualify
Pacific
8 clubs
Top 3 qualify
Plus 2 wildcards from either division
See all 32 clubs and their sample standings
These are the same sample results as the schedule and captures. W, L and T mean wins, losses and ties. Pts means points. The entry labels show the game’s final playoff selections. Rows follow the standings screen order.
| Club | W–L–T | Pts |
|---|---|---|
 Tampa Bay Rex1st in division | 10–4–2 | 22 |
| Ottawa Outlaws2nd in division | 10–6–0 | 20 |
 Montreal Monarchs3rd in division | 7–6–3 | 17 |
| Toronto SyrupWildcard 2 | 7–8–1 | 15 |
 Buffalo Brain FreezeDid not qualify | 6–8–2 | 14 |
| Detroit OctopusDid not qualify | 6–8–2 | 14 |
 Boston DogsDid not qualify | 6–9–1 | 13 |
 Florida FlamingosDid not qualify | 5–11–0 | 10 |
| Club | W–L–T | Pts |
|---|---|---|
 Carolina Bad Weather1st in division | 9–3–4 | 22 |
 New Jersey Mob2nd in division | 10–6–0 | 20 |
| Pittsburgh Pangolins3rd in division | 9–7–0 | 18 |
| Columbus Guinea PigsWildcard 1 | 8–7–1 | 17 |
| New York Fat CatsDid not qualify | 7–8–1 | 15 |
 Washington Bald BirdsDid not qualify | 6–7–3 | 15 |
 New York PigeonsDid not qualify | 5–7–4 | 14 |
 Philly SteaksDid not qualify | 6–9–1 | 13 |
| Club | W–L–T | Pts |
|---|---|---|
 Winnipeg Ice Giants1st in division | 11–3–2 | 24 |
| Chicago Deep2nd in division | 9–6–1 | 19 |
 Dallas Bulls3rd in division | 8–6–2 | 18 |
 Minnesota LumbermenWildcard 2 | 7–5–4 | 18 |
 St. Louis ToastDid not qualify | 5–10–1 | 11 |
 Nashville HipposDid not qualify | 5–11–0 | 10 |
| Colorado SnowcatsDid not qualify | 4–11–1 | 9 |
| Utah Woolly RhinosDid not qualify | 4–11–1 | 9 |
| Club | W–L–T | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Walruses1st in division | 12–3–1 | 25 |
| Anaheim Atoms2nd in division | 10–6–0 | 20 |
| Edmonton Parkas3rd in division | 9–6–1 | 19 |
| Seattle SwordfishWildcard 1 | 8–5–3 | 19 |
| Calgary ChessDid not qualify | 7–7–2 | 16 |
| Vegas High StakesDid not qualify | 6–7–3 | 15 |
| Los Angeles MotionDid not qualify | 5–9–2 | 12 |
| San Jose Killer WhalesDid not qualify | 4–11–1 | 9 |
Finish in the top three, or take a wildcard
The top three clubs in each division qualify. The two best remaining clubs in each conference take the wildcard places. Both wildcards can come from the same division. That makes eight playoff clubs per conference and 16 across the league.
In the sample season, Vancouver, Anaheim and Edmonton qualify from the Pacific. Seattle takes the first Western wildcard. Minnesota, from the Central, takes the second.
Read points first
A win earns two points, a tie earns one and a loss earns none. An overtime loss also earns no points. Vancouver’s 12 wins and one tie give it 25 points in this example.
What happens when clubs are tied on points?
The playoff selection checks these in order, stopping when a tie is broken:
- Fewer games played.
- More wins in regulation.
- More wins in regulation or overtime.
- More total wins.
- Head-to-head points percentage, when eligible results are available.
- Better goal difference, then more goals scored.
Everyone has played 16 games when a normal season ends. Clubs meet only once, and that single meeting is excluded from the head-to-head check by the game’s venue rule. Wins and goals are the useful comparisons in this format.
The standings screen sorts by points, then wins, then club name. It does not show every playoff tiebreak, so the final bracket can order tied clubs differently. If all playoff checks remain equal, a fixed club order settles the tie.
Older saves without a complete set of league results use points and wins, followed by that fixed club order.
03 · Playoffs
Four rounds. One game decides each.
Win and you advance. Lose and your playoff run ends. The Pixel Cup final is the fourth round. You do not play a best-of-seven series. A tied playoff game continues into overtime until there is a winner.
How the first round is set
- The better division winner in each conference faces the second wildcard.
- The other division winner faces the first wildcard.
- The second and third clubs in each division play each other.
The bracket stays fixed. An upset changes who advances, but it does not rearrange the next matchups. There is no reseeding between rounds.
Sample bracket
Vancouver’s four wins
Follow the Walruses from the same sample season. These are example results in a development save, not live standings. The game chose the other clubs that advanced.
16 clubs
Round 1
AgainstMinnesota Lumbermen
Vancouver wins 4-2
Division winners face wildcards. The second and third clubs in each division face each other.
8 clubs
Round 2
AgainstAnaheim Atoms
Vancouver wins 3-2
The two winners in each division bracket meet. A wildcard stays in the bracket it entered.
4 clubs
Conference finals
AgainstDallas Bulls
Vancouver wins 5-3
The two remaining clubs in each conference play for a place in the final.
2 clubs
Pixel Cup final
AgainstMontreal Monarchs
Vancouver wins 2-1
The Eastern and Western champions meet. One more win takes the Pixel Cup.
Sample Pixel Cup winner: Vancouver Walruses
Read the complete sample bracket, all 16 clubs
Each row is one matchup. Follow the game numbers to see where each winner goes. Game numbers below are labels for this website example.
| Game | Matchup and result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern · AtlanticTampa Bay Rex1st in divisionvsToronto SyrupWildcard 2 Winner: Tampa Bay RexGoes to game 9 |
| 2 | Eastern · AtlanticOttawa Outlaws2nd in divisionvsMontreal Monarchs3rd in division Winner: Montreal MonarchsGoes to game 9 |
| 3 | Eastern · MetropolitanCarolina Bad Weather1st in divisionvsColumbus Guinea PigsWildcard 1 Winner: Carolina Bad WeatherGoes to game 10 |
| 4 | Eastern · MetropolitanNew Jersey Mob2nd in divisionvsPittsburgh Pangolins3rd in division Winner: New Jersey MobGoes to game 10 |
| 5 | Western · PacificVancouver Walruses1st in divisionvsMinnesota LumbermenWildcard 2 Winner: Vancouver WalrusesGoes to game 11 |
| 6 | Western · PacificAnaheim Atoms2nd in divisionvsEdmonton Parkas3rd in division Winner: Anaheim AtomsGoes to game 11 |
| 7 | Western · CentralWinnipeg Ice Giants1st in divisionvsSeattle SwordfishWildcard 1 Winner: Seattle SwordfishGoes to game 12 |
| 8 | Western · CentralChicago Deep2nd in divisionvsDallas Bulls3rd in division Winner: Dallas BullsGoes to game 12 |
| Game | Matchup and result |
|---|---|
| 9 | Eastern · AtlanticTampa Bay RexvsMontreal MonarchsWinners of games 1 and 2 Winner: Montreal MonarchsGoes to game 13 |
| 10 | Eastern · MetropolitanCarolina Bad WeathervsNew Jersey MobWinners of games 3 and 4 Winner: Carolina Bad WeatherGoes to game 13 |
| 11 | Western · PacificVancouver WalrusesvsAnaheim AtomsWinners of games 5 and 6 Winner: Vancouver WalrusesGoes to game 14 |
| 12 | Western · CentralSeattle SwordfishvsDallas BullsWinners of games 7 and 8 Winner: Dallas BullsGoes to game 14 |
| Game | Matchup and result |
|---|---|
| 13 | EasternMontreal MonarchsvsCarolina Bad WeatherWinners of games 9 and 10 Winner: Montreal MonarchsGoes to game 15 |
| 14 | WesternVancouver WalrusesvsDallas BullsWinners of games 11 and 12 Winner: Vancouver WalrusesGoes to game 15 |
| Game | Matchup and result |
|---|---|
| 15 | Eastern vs WesternMontreal MonarchsvsVancouver WalrusesWinners of games 13 and 14 Winner: Vancouver WalrusesWins the Pixel Cup |
04 · Next season
Finish the season, then start a fresh schedule
Your offseason begins when you miss the playoffs, lose a playoff game or win the Pixel Cup. Review contracts and draft your next rookies. Completing the draft starts a new season.
The game draws a fresh 16-game schedule and resets the standings and player season stats. The finished season is saved in your club history.
Release and testing
PixelPuck is in development for iPhone. There is no public App Store release date yet. You can email the developer about future testing opportunities. Android is planned, with no release date announced.
Email about testingOpens your email app.