Zero Claw (ゼロクレ) is a new web-based service that allows users to remotely operate real claw machines from their smartphones, PCs, and tablets completely free of charge. Unlike traditional online crane game services, Zero Claw isn’t about winning prizes and having them delivered to your home. Instead, it focuses on the experience of playing itself, giving beginners and crane game fans a place to practice, experiment, and enjoy controlling a real machine without worrying about the cost.
On this page
How to play on Zero Claw
There is no dedicated app to download, and players can access the website from a smartphone, computer, or tablet. You do, however, have to create an account. The service is also currently only available in Japanese.
Every play costs ¥0. There are no points to purchase and no charges for playing. However, there is also no prize-winning or delivery system. Zero Claw was developed primarily as a way to let people enjoy and practice crane games without the financial pressure.
That makes it particularly appealing for:
- Beginners who want to practice crane game techniques
- Players curious about trying online crane games
- Fans who simply enjoy controlling the claw
More than 43,000 plays during the Beta test
Before its official release in September 2026, Zero Claw underwent a beta test to evaluate the service and improve the overall player experience. During the testing period, users recorded more than 43,000 plays in total.
The beta allowed the team to test everything from the responsiveness of the controls to the overall experience of remotely operating a real crane game machine online. Feedback from users and observations of how the service was being used helped shape improvements ahead of the official launch. The developers say they plan to continue improving the platform after launch, adding new features and incorporating user feedback rather than treating the service as a finished product.
Created by a crane gamer
Zero Claw was conceived by Cocoaore (ココアオレ), a crane gamer that runs a YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers. The idea came directly from comments left on his videos, including: “I want to practice crane games more,” “I want to play without worrying about spending money,” “I want to try operating the actual crane machines used in your videos.”
Those comments led to a simple question: instead of merely letting viewers watch crane games, could they be given the opportunity to operate the machines themselves? That idea eventually became Zero Claw.
Watch, participate and play
Zero Claw is seeking to make crane game entertainment more interactive by incorporating YouTube livestreams, including features that allow viewers to participate through the comments. The goal is not simply to offer a free way to play real crane machines online, but to create a broader online playground built around crane game culture.
For example, comments posted during a livestream could trigger different on-screen effects and interactions, giving viewers a way to participate even if they aren’t currently operating a machine.
In addition to the machines themselves, the project includes crane game-themed content such as:
- Online crane game quizzes and diagnostics
- Personality and type tests
- Fortune-telling games
- Mini-games
My honest review of Zero Claw
I created an account via LINE to try out Zero Claw myself a few days after its official launch. There are only two free play booths: a ping pong ball slider and a dice catcher.
While it is fun to move the claw remotely, both setups do not resemble ones commonly used in arcade or paid online crane game apps, which I feel kind of defeats the purpose of practicing. Maybe more booths and realistic setups will be added in the future, but for now it is kind of boring.
The other features like a quiz and online crane game assessment are completed once and that’s it. Not much reason to return to the site for that.
The concept has potential, but for now it appears to lack steam and the free play booths do not scale to improving for setups in real life. For that, I find playing on the practice booths in paid online crane games much more helpful.
Source: Grabbit via PR Times. For more on Japan’s claw machines, check out The Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Crane Games or the archives.