Game acceptance rules quick reference table. Reflects movie rules active prior to the tier revamp that started happening mid-August 2021.
- Any game eligible for the Vault is automatically eligible for the Alternative.
- Alternative acceptability standards imply extra entertainment requirements that don't exist for the Vault. Consequently, they can override most of the game genre restrictions present in the Vault rules as long as these requirements are met.
- Alternative permit goals other than lowest completion time (i.e. playarounds, score attacks).
- Stars inherit the Alternative rules by default and have no specific acceptance rules of their own.
| Game Type/Genre | Vault | Alternative | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Fighting | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Shooter | ✅ | ✅ | Autoscrolling shooters are judged based on completion time for the Vault but other goals are acceptable for the Alternative |
| Adventure | ✅ | ✅ | |
| RPG | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Storybook | Limited | ✅ | Triviality rules filter a significant subset of these out of the Vault |
| Platformer | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Puzzle | Limited | ✅ | Triviality rules filter a significant subset of these out of the Vault |
| Sports | Limited | ✅ | No fixed-time games in the Vault, a further subset of sports is filtered out by triviality rules |
| Racing | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Strategy | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Board games | ❌ | ✅ | |
| Sandbox/ambiance games | ❌ | Limited | Playaround-only game genre; ineligible for the Vault |
| Game shows/quizzes | ❌ | Limited | Playaround-only game genre; ineligible for the Vault |
| Game hacks | ❌ | Limited | Games have extra requirements to pass to be eligible for either |
| Homebrew/unofficial games | Limited | Limited | Games have extra requirements to pass to be eligible for either |
| Prototypes/Bootlegs | Limited | Limited | Only acceptable as long as gameplay differs significantly from the full/official release |