Section 01
What is Light A Cig?
Light A Cig is a free browser game about the small ritual of lighting a cigarette on a quiet, snowy street at night. It runs entirely in your browser with no install and no download. Everything around you - the cigarette, the lighter, the breath, the city - is fictional and built purely for atmosphere.
- Free to play, no download.
- Runs in any modern browser on desktop, tablet, and phone.
- Play instantly as a guest, or make an account to save progress.
Section 02
Getting started
- Guest: tap "Play as guest" on the entry screen to drop straight into the street. Guests still earn XP and cash and keep them for the session.
- Account: register with an email to save your level, inventory, home, and wallet across devices. You can upgrade a guest session to a full account at any time.
- Your progress syncs in the background, so you can close the tab and pick up where you left off.
Section 03
Controls - desktop
- Move with W A S D, jump with Space.
- Click the scene to lock the mouse, then look around freely. Press Esc to release.
- Use the on-screen prompts and mouse buttons to light, draw, inhale, and exhale.
- Press the interact key shown in the prompt to open doors, shops, and kiosks.
- Open the pause menu for settings, audio, key bindings, and the tutorial.
Section 04
Controls - mobile and tablet
- Drag the left side of the screen to walk.
- Drag the right side to look around.
- Tap the action buttons on the lower right to light up, smoke, jump, and interact.
- The launcher buttons open chat, the music Walkman, and the games lobby.
Section 05
The cigarette ritual
- Open a pack and draw a fresh cigarette to your lips.
- Flip open the lighter and spark it. Hold the flame to the tip until it catches.
- Wind and snow can blow the flame out, so shield it and try again - just like the real thing.
- Inhale and exhale through a realistic breath loop. Lung capacity governs how long and how deep each draw is.
- As it burns the cigarette builds ash. Flick it before the ember reaches the filter.
- When it burns down, drop the butt. Spent butts collect on the street around you.
Section 06
The street and the city
- The street is generated procedurally, so it keeps unfolding as you walk - there is always more block ahead.
- Doorways lead into points of interest: clubs, shops, lofts, and other interiors with their own atmosphere.
- Kiosks along the sidewalk are the quickest place to restock cigarettes and lighters.
- Weather - snow, rain, wind, and time of day - is set by the city and shapes the mood as you explore.
Section 07
Cash and the economy
- You hold a wallet of in-game cash. Smoking, exploring, and playing all feed your balance over time.
- Spend cash at kiosks and shops on packs of cigarettes and lighters to keep the ritual going.
- Prices are set by the city economy, so what a pack or lighter costs can shift between visits.
- Guests earn and spend cash too; only real money is never involved - the entire economy is play money.
Section 08
Run a shop
- Lease a storefront on the street to become a shopkeeper with your own address.
- A factory lets you produce stock, which you can price and put on your shelves.
- Other players can walk into your shop and buy from you, and you can buy from theirs.
- Take earnings out of the shop into your wallet, or close the shop when you are done.
Section 09
Your home (crib)
- Every player gets a home, or "crib", that you can lay out and decorate with furniture.
- Your crib sits at a fixed street address, so you and your friends can always find it again.
- Visit other citizens at their own addresses to see how they built their place.
Section 10
The Walkman
- A pocket Walkman plays in-world radio stations as you walk the street.
- Switch to the music library to browse, search, and play individual tracks.
- Build playlists and mark favorites so your soundtrack follows you everywhere.
Section 11
Levels and progression
- Actions in the world earn XP - the more you do, the more you gain.
- XP fills toward the next level, and your current level shows on the HUD.
- New levels unlock fresh content and rewards as you climb.
Section 12
Achievements
Milestones - first light, exploring, collecting, playing - quietly unlock achievements as you hit them. There is no checklist to grind; they pop as you play naturally.
Section 14
Wager mini-games
From the games lobby you can challenge another player to a head-to-head match for a cash stake.
- Backgammon: the classic two-player board, dice and doubles included.
- Checkers: international draughts with flying kings and forced captures.
- Matches are settled on the server so the result is fair, and the stake is only ever in-game cash.
Section 15
Tips for a good first session
- Shield your lighter from the wind before the snow puts it out.
- Restock at a kiosk early so you never run out mid-walk.
- Turn on the Walkman, pick a station, and just wander - the game is about the mood.
Section 16
A note on the theme
Light A Cig is a fictional game built around atmosphere and ritual. It is not a real product, it does not sell or advertise tobacco, and it is not an endorsement of smoking. Real cigarettes cause real harm; this one is only pixels and snow.
Play now
Section 13
People and chat