Basics
What is GoatLab?
A family of free browser sports games. You spin a reel of real athletes, lock one player into each attribute slot of your own custom player, then simulate that player's whole career and see if they make the Hall of Fame. There are 12 career sims across basketball, baseball, football, soccer, hockey, UFC, wrestling, golf and college sports, plus GOAT Squad (a roguelike), Franchise modes and live 1v1. See every game.
Is GoatLab free?
Yes. Every game is free to play in full. Nothing in the games is locked behind payment. Optional extras exist (cosmetics with Goat Coins, a seasonal GOAT Pass, and GoatLab Pro for no ads), and none of them change how your player performs.
Do I need to download anything or make an account?
No download and no account. You can build, simulate, post scores, play the daily challenge and play 1v1 as a guest. An optional Google sign-in saves your builds to a personal Hall of Fame and carries your XP between devices. There is also an iOS app if you prefer an icon on your phone.
Does it work on a school Chromebook or a phone?
Yes. It runs in any modern browser: Chrome on Chromebooks, Safari on iPhone and iPad, Chrome on Android, and any desktop browser. There is no install, so nothing to block or approve.
Is GoatLab safe?
Yes. It is a website, not a download. It never asks for a password (Google sign-in happens on Google's own page), never asks for payment details itself (purchases go through Stripe and Apple), and player names on leaderboards are filtered. If a page ever asks you to "allow notifications to continue" or claims your computer has a virus, that is not GoatLab; close it.
The games
Are the players real?
Yes. Each sport uses real athletes with ratings derived from real data (NBA 2K-style ratings for basketball, Madden-style ratings for football, stats-derived ratings for hockey and UFC, and so on), refreshed regularly, plus retired legends and each player's peak-season Prime card.
What is a Prime card?
A player's best-ever special edition, with higher ratings than their current card, sometimes above 99. The Boost power-up upgrades the landed player to their Prime.
What are legends?
Retired greats who are not in the live pool, marked with a purple star. They can land on the reel like anyone else. Some quests reward using them (Touch of Greatness, Double Vision, Trinity).
Why is the career the same every time I sim the same build?
By design. The sim is seeded from your build, so the same player always lives the same career. It keeps the leaderboards honest: there is nothing to re-roll. To get a different career, change the build.
How do the leaderboards work?
Every game has a daily board (resets at midnight UTC), an all-time board (ranked by OVR) and a daily-challenge board. The top 200 are shown and your own exact rank is pinned below even if you are outside it. The Ranks page shows today's champion in every game with their full build expanded.
What is the GOAT ranking?
The all-time board for a game, sorted by OVR. "Platz #6 im GOAT-Ranking," as one German forum put it, means the sixth-highest OVR ever posted in that game. Career stats and awards get their own sort options on the same board.
What is the daily challenge?
One attempt per day where everyone in the world gets the same cards. Full explanation on the daily challenge page.
Can I export my player to NBA 2K?
Build a Baller has an Import to 2K option that turns a finished build into a set of attribute targets you can recreate in NBA 2K's MyPLAYER builder. Details in the Import to 2K guide.
Money
What do Goat Coins buy?
Cosmetics only: avatars, name effects and colors, jersey looks, career celebration effects, and the seasonal GOAT Pass. Coins are earned from your first valid daily run each day (signed in), 1v1 wins, and a one-time Discord claim, or bought in packs from $1.99.
What is GoatLab Pro?
A subscription ($4.99 a month or $39.99 a year) that removes ads across every game, includes every season's full GOAT Pass, and adds Pro-only cosmetics. It does not change gameplay or ratings.
Is there a way to remove ads without subscribing?
Yes, a 30-day ad-free option is sold separately in the store.
Help
My build or career disappeared from the board.
Boards only keep builds that pass validation. If a build was made with a modified page or an impossible combination, it is removed. Normal play never triggers this.
Where do I report a bug or suggest a sport?
The GoatLab Discord. Bug reports and ideas posted there are reviewed every day.
Who makes GoatLab?
Wolff Labs LLC, an independent developer. GoatLab is not affiliated with the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, UFC, WWE, FIFA, Formula 1, or the video game publishers whose rating scales it references.
Questions people ask
Is GoatLab free?
Yes. Every game is free in the browser with no download and no account. Optional cosmetics and an ad-free subscription exist and do not affect gameplay.
Does GoatLab work on a school Chromebook?
Yes. It runs in Chrome on Chromebooks with no install, and on iPhone, iPad, Android and desktop browsers.
Is GoatLab safe?
Yes. It is a website, never a download. It never asks for your password or card details itself; sign-in is through Google and purchases go through Stripe or Apple.
What is the GOAT ranking in GoatLab?
The all-time leaderboard for a game, ranked by OVR. Being #6 in the GOAT ranking means the sixth-highest overall ever posted in that game.
Can I export a GoatLab build to NBA 2K?
Yes. Build a Baller includes Import to 2K, which converts your finished build into attribute targets for the NBA 2K MyPLAYER builder.
Why is my career identical every time?
Careers are seeded from the build, so the same build always produces the same career. Change the build to change the outcome.
Is there a GoatLab app?
Yes, for iPhone and iPad: search GoatLab on the App Store or open apps.apple.com/app/id6789856552. It is the same games and the same account as the website. Android and desktop play in the browser at goat-lab.app.
Is there a GoatLab Discord?
Yes: discord.gg/bMVX2zJp49. Build sharing, bug reports, creator news and the daily chatter; the people who make the game read it every day.
Does GoatLab send notifications?
Only the iOS app, and only if you allow them when it asks: a reminder before your streak breaks, a morning ping when the daily resets, and a nudge if you have been away a while. The website never sends notifications and never asks to. Turn them off any time in iOS Settings, Notifications, GoatLab.
Play GoatLab →Free in the browser. No download, no sign-up.