Last updated: March 2023
Are you wondering why the Poptropica map doesn’t have more islands than it does? If you’re an older player, you may recall a time when Poptropica had wayyy more islands on the map—more than 40, even! Where did they all go, and how can you play them again?
Quick background: Poptropica used to run on Flash, an old technology that was finally laid to rest in 2020. To keep Poptropica alive, the game moved a new platform called Haxe, which is how Poptropica currently exists today. However, in this Flash-to-Haxe transition, Poptropica has had to re-code what they had for a post-Flash era. While not specific on details, Poptropica has expressed plans to bring old islands back, though there seems to be a long way to go. But there are other ways!
For the oldest islands: Flashpoint curation
The hottest solution for accessing the classic islands you can try is idk’s curation on Flashpoint, the Flash game preservation project. You can find instructions for Windows computers 🪟 in this Reddit guide.
For Mac 🍎 users, follow this guide to download Flashpoint, then this guide to download the files for old Poptropica. Keep in mind that Flashpoint for Mac may take a while to download and require more troubleshooting, particularly if running on a newer MacOS or device.
The Flashpoint curation of Poptropica includes a couple of downloads and clicking around a bit to set things up. Once you have it ready, you can play through many of the classic islands from 2007–2013, from Early Poptropica to Back Lot Island, and even some mini-quests!
Update (Jan 2023): AS3 (newer) islands are now available with Flashpoint Infinity 11.1, but to use a returning player account, you must manually paste http://www.poptropica.com/base.php?room=FlashpointStart into the address bar at the top of the browser and press enter, before the game loads in, upon every launch.
It’s safe and free, so you can use it without worry. Plus, there’s a Save Data Converter that lets you import your Pop account’s data (such as island progress) as a file into Flashpoint!
The PHB’s capacity to offer tech support is limited, so if you’re having trouble, try watching the video above for a clear visual of what to do — but make sure to download Flashpoint Infinity rather than the curated version.
For the episodic and newer islands: AS3 Flashpoint
You can play several more of the classic islands with the AS3 Flashpoint curation released in May 2022 by light and Prof Robin.
This includes islands released in 2013–2015, from Virus Hunter to Reality TV: Wild Safari, which were made with AS3 (a Flash-based programming language newer than the AS2 used for pre-2013 islands).
AS3 islands are also those found in Poptropica’s paid, Windows and Mac-supported Steam bundle, which also includes the sandbox game Realms.
Previously: Poptropica mobile app
Before an update in Jan 2022 took them away, you could also access some of the AS3 islands (including full episodic islands) with the Poptropica mobile app, available as a free download on iOS and Android devices. The app now matches the Haxe desktop game.
Whether you’re playing on Haxe, the Poptropica app, or Flashpoint, there are tons of Poptropica islands to explore! And the PHB’s got Island Guides for all of them, so you can keep those handy as you play along—or simply revisit the guides for nostalgia. Enjoy! 🏝✨
~🐠
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 