You pick the game now: a twelve-game pad on the home screen
Derby Duel · September 29, 2026
Since the first day of Derby Duel the rule was simple: you tap play, an opponent is found and the match itself decides which board opens. That rule made sure both devices opened the same board at the same moment, but it had a cost. Playing your favourite game meant trusting your luck; someone who loves XOX could go five matches without seeing it.
The middle of the home screen now holds a game pad: four rows, three columns, twelve tiles. Each tile shows the game's icon and name. Tap one and an opponent is searched for that game, and the match opens on that board. The pad fills the free space on the screen, so the tiles read comfortably on a small phone and on a large display, and the game names are written in full.
The tiles are not in random order. Games that ask for the same kind of skill sit next to each other: the boards where you type a name are together, and the fast one-tap boards are together. You find the kind of game you are after at a glance.
The old path has not gone away. The play-random button below the pad still leaves the choice to the match: an opponent is found, the match picks the board and both devices open it. If you enjoy not knowing what comes next, that button is for you.
Three of the fifteen games are not on the pad: Over Under, Common Ground and True or False. They have not been removed; they are still played in random matches, friend invites, rematches and tournaments. The pad only decides what is shown on the screen, not which games exist.
Matchmaking works as before. The system looks for an opponent close to your rating and, when it can, does not give you the same opponent twice in a row: if someone else is near your rating, the player you just faced goes to the back of the line. Being left without a match is worse than facing a familiar opponent, so this is an ordering, not a ban.
When you come back to the home screen after a match, the pad is waiting in the same place. If a game is going well, tap the same tile again; if you want something new, try the one next to it.