What we store on your device, why, and how to switch it off
Last updated: September 2026
This page explains the cookies and similar storage technologies used on playversusai.com. It sits alongside our privacy policy, which covers personal data more broadly, and our terms of service.
A cookie is a small text file a website asks your browser to keep, which is then sent back on later visits. It is how a site remembers that you are logged in rather than asking for your password on every page. Alongside cookies we also use local storage, a related browser feature that holds data on your device but, unlike a cookie, is never transmitted to a server. We use local storage heavily because most of what this site needs to remember - your difficulty preference, a half-finished Sudoku - only matters on your own machine.
These make core functions work and cannot be turned off while you use those functions. They are set by us, not by third parties.
| Purpose | What it does | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Keeps you signed in as you move between pages, and identifies your account when saving statistics. Set only after you log in. | Until logout or expiry |
| Session security | Protects against cross-site request forgery and validates that requests come from a real session. | Session |
| Multiplayer room state | Associates your browser with an active multiplayer match so a refresh does not drop you out of the game. | Duration of the match |
If you never create an account and never use multiplayer, none of these are set.
These remember your settings so the site behaves the way you left it. Nearly all of this lives in local storage and stays on your device.
| Purpose | What it does | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Game preferences | Your chosen AI difficulty, whether sound is on, board orientation, and whether Coach mode is enabled. | Until you clear it |
| Saved progress | In-progress solo games such as Sudoku, 2048 and Solitaire, so closing the tab does not lose the board. | Until you clear it |
| Guest scores | Personal best scores for players without an account, stored only on this device. | Until you clear it |
| Daily puzzle state | Today's Word Guess attempts and your current streak, so reloading does not let you restart the day's puzzle. | Rolling |
We record aggregate, anonymous counts - how many games of each type have been played, and which pages get visited - to understand what to build next. This data is not tied to your identity and is not used to build a profile of you.
Advertising is what keeps all 20 games free, and it is the one category involving a third party. We use Google AdSense. Google and its partners may set cookies to limit how often you see the same advert, to measure whether an advert worked, to detect fraudulent clicks, and - depending on your region and choices - to show adverts relevant to your interests.
These cookies are set by Google, not by us, and we do not have access to their contents. Google's own explanation of how it uses information from sites that use its services is at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
Two specifics worth stating plainly:
Opting out of personalised advertising does not remove adverts; it means the ones you see are chosen without using your browsing history.
We deliberately restrict advertising to side rails on wide desktop screens and to clearly separated blocks between content sections. Adverts are never placed inside a game board, never overlaid on a match in progress, and never positioned where they could be mistaken for a game control or cause an accidental click. If you find an advert interfering with gameplay, report it via the contact page with a screenshot and we will move it.
Where the law requires it - most notably in the UK and the European Economic Area under the GDPR and ePrivacy rules - visitors are asked for consent before any non-essential cookie is set, and personalised advertising is only enabled if consent is given. Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent because the site cannot provide the functions you asked for without them. You may withdraw or change your choice at any time using the controls below.
You are in charge of this, and nothing here is required in order to play.
If we add a service that sets new cookies, we will update this page and change the date at the top. Material changes affecting how your data is used will also be noted on the privacy policy.
Questions about cookies, tracking, or your data? Email admin@playversusai.com or use the contact page. We reply within 48 hours.