How Google Cloud Arcade Points Are Calculated (2026)
Updated 11 October 2026 · by Vedant Domadiya, Arcade facilitator
Short answer: in Google Cloud Arcade 2026, every Arcade Game badge is worth 1 point, every Trivia badge is worth 1 point, and Skill Badges count in pairs: every 2 skill badges make 1 point. Only badges earned between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2026 count.
Points per badge type
| Badge type | Arcade points | How to recognise it |
|---|---|---|
| Arcade Game | 1 per badge | Games listed on the official Arcade page, played with an access code |
| Trivia | 1 per badge | Arcade Trivia games (a kind of Arcade game) |
| Skill Badge | 1 per 2 badges | Skill badges from the Google Cloud Skills Boost catalogue |
Why skill badges only count in pairs
Skill badges are rounded down, never up. 15 skill badges give 7 points, not 7.5, and the 15th badge waits for a partner. That is the most common reason people say “I earned a badge and my points didn’t change”. Earn one more skill badge and both count.
Worked example
Say your profile shows 6 Arcade Game badges, 1 Trivia badge and 21 skill badges earned this season:
- Games: 6 × 1 = 6
- Trivia: 1 × 1 = 1
- Skill badges: 21 ÷ 2 = 10.5, rounded down to 10 (one badge left unpaired)
Total: 17 Arcade points. The first swag tier, Arcade Trooper, needs 50, so this player is 33 points away. See the swag tiers guide for every tier.
Which badges count, and which don’t
- Only this season. A badge must be earned between 1 January 2026 and 31 December 2026. Badges from earlier seasons stay on your profile but add nothing to your 2026 total.
- Only completed badges. Labs you started but didn’t finish don’t appear on your public profile, so they can’t count.
- Badge type comes from what it links to, not its name. Some Arcade games have names that sound like skill badges. A game badge links to a game on Skills Boost; a skill badge links to a course. The calculator classifies every badge this way, so the totals match what the Arcade team counts.
Facilitator bonus points
If you were enrolled in the Arcade Facilitator Program, you can earn milestone bonus points on top of the points above. Those have their own date window and rules: see facilitator milestones and bonus points.
How to check your own points
- Open your Google Cloud Skills Boost profile and make it public: Profile → Edit, then turn on the public profile.
- Copy your public profile link. It looks like
https://www.skills.google/public_profiles/your-id(older links oncloudskillsboost.googlework too). - Paste it into the Arcade calculator. It reads only what your public profile shows, needs no login, and gives your points, tier and the badges still worth earning.