Last updated: March 2024
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.
With the official game’s migration to Coolmath Games in early 2024, it’s been made clear that there is no official plan to restore the old islands, reneging on Poptropica’s previous expressions of interest to do so. But there are other ways to play!
How to play the old Poptropica islands with Flashpoint
The hottest solution for accessing the classic islands is with Flashpoint, the Flash game preservation project. You can find instructions for Windows computers 🪟 in this guide by Light and Prof Robin.
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 all the classic islands, and even some mini-quests!
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.
You may encounter the following terms that refer to different island eras by the name of the Flash-based programming language they were built with: AS2 refers to islands from 2007–2013, from Early Poptropica to Back Lot Island, while AS3 islands were released in 2013–2019, from Virus Hunter to Reality TV: Wild Safari.
AS3 islands are also those found in Poptropica’s paid, Windows and Mac-supported Steam bundle, which also includes the sandbox game Realms.
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. Be sure to download Flashpoint Infinity rather than Ultimate.
You may also seek help in the Poptropica Club Discord server, which is not affiliated with the PHB and is only for ages 13+.
Whether you’re playing on Haxe, Steam, 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! 🏝✨
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