Asteroids

About the game

Asteroids is a space shooter you can play in the browser, in the style of the arcade classics. You pilot a ship that rotates and thrusts through space, and you must destroy the asteroids drifting across the screen before they hit you.

The screen wraps around: anything that leaves one side reappears on the opposite one, including your ship, the shots and the rocks. Large asteroids split into two smaller ones when hit, and the smaller ones are worth more points. You start with 3 lives and when you lose the last one the run ends with your score. Prefer to just dodge? Try Meteor Dodge.

How to play

1. Rotate the ship with the left and right arrow keys (or A and D).
2. Thrust in the direction the ship is pointing with the up arrow (or W). The ship keeps its momentum and slows down gradually.
3. Shoot with the space bar. Shots have limited range and fade after a short while.
4. Destroy asteroids to score. Large ones split into two small ones, and small ones disappear when hit.
5. A collision costs a life, and the ship respawns in the center of the screen with brief protection. When all 3 lives are gone, the run ends.

Game modes

• 1 player. One player, with 3 lives. There are no stages: the run goes on until you lose your last life, and the goal is to score as many points as possible.

Tips

• Each large asteroid is worth 20 points and becomes two small ones worth 50 each. Clear the small pieces to score more.
• Do not hold the thrust all the time: the ship keeps its speed, so it is easy to build up too much momentum and crash.
• Use the wrap-around screen to your advantage: leaving one side and coming back through the other is a good escape route.
• After losing a life, use the brief protection when the ship respawns to get out of the center of the screen.

Frequently asked questions