Orb Rush Elo
Elo is the Arcade's skill rating. Every ranked Orb Rush racer has one. It decides your league, which ranked lobbies you sit in, and where you sit on the Top Elo board.
Everyone starts at 1,000 (Silver). The floor is 100.
What moves Elo
Ranked races only. Practice, Today's Top 5, and Weekly Survival do not move Elo.
Each ranked heat scores you against the other people in that lobby — their ratings and how many of them showed up both matter. Finishing ahead of more racers, or ahead of higher-rated ones, is worth more.
A win (1st place) always gains at least +4, except past 2,500 Elo against a much weaker lobby (see below). Winning a close 4–8 person heat (the lobby within about 300 Elo) pays at least +16 — beating people near your rating is supposed to move you.
Lower ratings climb faster. A new racer who places well (not just 1st) gains more per heat than a high-Elo racer in the same spot. That's on purpose — you should be able to rise quickly when you're beating the field.
Losses are capped. A single heat can take at most 8 Elo, so a mixed lobby can't dump a favorite in one race.
This is a race, not chess. Even the best racer wins a 4–8 person heat only about half the time. Being the highest-rated seat does not mean you have to finish 1st to hold your rating.
Place still matters
- 1st always gains (at least +4), except a 2,500+ racer farming a much weaker lobby. A close 4–8 person heat (lobby within about 300 Elo) is at least +16.
- 2nd / 3rd usually hold or gain — including when you're the highest in a close lobby. You are scored on how much of the field you beat, not winner-take-all.
- Last / near-last still lose, but never more than the cap.
Win streaks
A win is 1st place only — for streaks, nightly draws, and "races won." Anything else (2nd, DNF, draw) resets the streak. Streaks only grow in 3+ player heats; a leftover 2-player win holds the streak without adding to it.
A live streak also adds a little extra Elo on top of the placement result:
| Consecutive win | Extra Elo |
|---|---|
| 1st in a row | none (just the usual placement gain) |
| 2nd | +3 |
| 3rd | +6 |
| 4th | +9 |
| 5th and after | +12 (cap) |
The cap is the same for everyone. Longer streaks still count for Orb Rush quests — they just don't keep adding rating.
Past 2,500 Elo, winning a lobby whose strongest racer is still 400+ below you is a token (+1). No stacked-heat floor. A live streak still pays a slower bonus: +1 extra Elo for every 2 wins, up to +12 extra (a 6-streak is +4, a 24-streak is +13). Close races against people near you still pay the usual way.
Field size and DNFs
Elo uses everyone who started the race, not only the people who finished. A 7-person lobby stays a 7-person race even if two people DNF — beating more racers is worth more.
If you don't finish, your Elo does not move. Finishers are still scored against the full lobby (beating a DNF is worth something). Your entry still settles — no refund just for a DNF. After the first racer crosses the line, anyone still under 60% of the course is cut shortly after (enough time for a finish that's already in flight to land). Everyone else has 45 seconds to finish — a countdown shows on your HUD; if it hits zero you're out of time.
A walkover — you finished and nobody else did — does not move Elo. Same if the race is a draw.
After the race
The results screen always shows your Elo change on a ranked race — win, loss, or DNF — including +0 if nothing moved (a DNF, walkover, or draw). Each racer's delta is listed next to their time.
Who you race
Paid ranked matchmaking stays within one league of yours. Beta is one shared lobby — everyone in that pool can sit together.
| Your league | Default lobbies |
|---|---|
| Bronze | Bronze + Silver |
| Silver | Bronze + Silver + Gold |
| Gold | Silver + Gold + Platinum |
| Platinum | Gold + Platinum + Diamond |
| Diamond | Platinum + Diamond |
Bronze, Silver, and Gold can turn on Enter higher-Elo races for quicker matchmaking — that lets you sit in any higher league when your band is thin. You agreed to the tougher field. Platinum and Diamond already reach the top, so they don't get that toggle.
Practice and time trials ignore leagues.
Leagues
Your league is your Elo band. Cross the next floor and you're promoted on the spot; drop below it and you move down.
| League | Rating |
|---|---|
| Bronze | Below 900 |
| Silver | 900+ (everyone starts here at 1,000) |
| Gold | 1,100+ |
| Platinum | 1,300+ |
| Diamond | 1,500+ |
Nightly league draws and prize pools are separate from Elo. See Orb Rush Leagues.