highscore

A high score is the best score achieved by a player in a game or activity and is typically recorded on a high score table or leaderboard. It serves as a metric of achievement, competition, and replayability, encouraging players to improve and to compare performance with others.

In video games, scores are earned by performing actions that yield points, such as defeating enemies, collecting items, or completing objectives. Scoring systems vary widely and may include multipliers, combos, time bonuses, or special objectives. Some games emphasize accuracy or efficiency rather than raw point totals. Scores can unlock content, reveal a player’s progress, or simply provide a numerical record of achievement.

Scores are stored in different ways depending on the platform. Local scores are saved on the device within game data files, allowing persistence across sessions. Online scores are submitted to remote servers and linked to user accounts, enabling cross-device leaderboards and social comparison. To maintain fairness, many games implement anti-cheat measures to detect tampering with score data.

Historically, high scores originated with arcade machines and early video games, where displaying the top scores created a competition among players and helped attract coin-operated play. The practice fostered a culture of challenge and repetition, as players attempted to surpass known records.

Modern games commonly offer global and regional leaderboards, as well as friend-only rankings or skill-based ratings. In addition to numeric scores, some systems use ranks, medals, or badges to indicate performance. The concept of a high score remains a simple yet enduring way to measure and motivate progression in games.