Here’s Why Starbucks' Star Days Arcade Might Not Be Working For You

Starbucks stans were excited to see Star Days return for another year on Oct. 17, but the updated version of the promo looks a lot different than it has in years prior. This time around, the weeklong affair features a game option called Star Days Arcade, and with the unexpected changes there have been a few reported glitches. Fans are apparently having trouble getting the new game to work, so you might not be alone if you’ve been wondering why the Star Days Arcade is not working. Unfortunately, it might not be an easy fix, depending on what kind of problem you’re having.

If you haven’t checked out what Star Days has to offer for 2022 yet, let me bring you up to speed. The weeklong event, which ends Oct. 23, features a Million Star Giveaway (1,000 Rewards members win 1,000 stars per day during the event) and new Arcade Games. With the Arcade, you can play one of three Star Days Arcade games for your chance to win even more prizes. You have a chance at earning coupons for a free fall drink or a free bakery item, as well as up to 150 Bonus Stars. Starbucks stacked the games with more than 2 million prizes, so it’s no surprise fans were stoked to try out the Star Arcade. But after experiencing a range of different glitches, fans quickly realized the free game option might not be all it’s cracked up to be.

Users Reported Star Days Arcade Not Working

If you’ve been frustrated by the game, there may not be an easy fix, as many users have reported some issues. Some users have taken issue with the games’ reported slow reaction times, while other can’t even get the games to load. Elite Daily reached out to Starbucks about the reported glitches, but didn’t hear back at the time of publication. FWIW, my editor and I also had a hard time getting the Star Arcade games to play smoothly on our devices — with the pieces not moving where you wanted them to, even if your finger was directly on them.

Swapping the device you play with doesn’t seem to help, either. Desktop users have encountered issues with loading the games, while mobile players are struggling to get the game pieces to move swiftly and effectively. With no official word from Starbucks confirming glitches or offering any possible fixes, you may be destined to trying to restart or delete and reload the app to see if it might help. (There’s no guarantee it will fix it, but I’m always pro “have you tried turning it off and turning it back on?”) The reported Star Arcade issues definitely put a downer on what was supposed to be a fun way to earn freebies, but if I have to play a glitchy game to win a free cup of coffee, then so be it.

Does My Star Arcade Score Earn Prizes?

Another aspect of the game fans seemed to take issue with is the scoring system. So, if your issue was that your high scores weren’t resulting hella prizes, there actually is an explanation for that. Your score doesn’t determine whether or not you walk away with a prize. According to the instructions for the game on the app, it’s all left to chance: “Play the game for fun — winners are chosen at random.”

Yes, it’s nice that you don’t have to tap into your gamer skills to snag a prize. But there’s a downside to that as well, because there’s a good chance you could crush the game and still walk away empty-handed.

If the glitches have been getting in the way of your game play, just remember that you don’t need to play well to take home the Bonus Stars. Plus, you can always enter without playing by filling out the form right below the instructions that reads, “To enter without playing, click here.” And if you randomly win there, your prize will be waiting for you right in your inbox.