Brick Breaker
Bounce the ball off your paddle and break every brick — clear a layout to move on to the next one.
How to play brick breaker online
- Pick a Ball speed in the toolbar: Slow, Normal (the default), or Fast. Changing this setting starts a new game.
- Press Space, tap the field, or press an arrow, A, or D key to start. The ball waits on the paddle and shows “Level 1”.
- Move the paddle. Use the mouse by moving it over the field (no click needed), drag with your finger on a touch screen, or use ← / → or A / D.
- Press Space or tap or click the field to launch the ball. It leaves at a small random angle, up to 20 degrees from straight up.
- Hit the ball with the paddle, not the edge of the field. Where the ball strikes the paddle sets its angle: the centre sends it straight up, and the edges send it out at up to 65 degrees.
- Watch the stats at the top: Score, Lives, Level, and Best.
- To pause, press P at any time, or press Space while the ball is in flight. Resume with Space, P, or a tap.
You can press N for a new game, F for fullscreen, and Esc to close a dialog or leave fullscreen. The page scrolls normally outside the playfield, but dragging on the field never scrolls the page.
How to play brick breaker: the rules
Brick Breaker is played with one ball and a paddle at the bottom of a portrait field. You win a level by hitting every brick, and you lose a life each time the ball falls past the paddle. You start with 3 lives.
Each brick you hit scores 10 points. Some bricks take two hits: they are drawn dark with a bright outline, and they turn to the normal bright colour after the first hit. A two-hit brick scores 10 on the first hit and 10 more when it breaks, so 20 in total. There are no combo or bonus points.
There are six level layouts, played in order. Level 1 has 40 bricks, level 2 has 30 in a checkerboard, level 3 has 30 in a pyramid, level 4 has 40 in rows with gaps, level 5 has 44 in a fortress frame, and level 6 has 24 in a diamond with corners. After level 6 the layouts repeat with the ball faster. Clearing a level keeps your score and lives. When you lose all 3 lives, the game ends and shows your final score and level.
Every level starts the ball a little faster than the one before, and while the ball is in flight it keeps speeding up slowly, up to a fixed top speed (about twice the level 1 speed on Normal). Losing a life returns the ball to its level’s starting speed.
Brick breaker strategy and tips
The most useful habit is to keep the paddle under the ball, because a missed ball costs a life and the game does not wait for you. Since the paddle’s angle depends on the hit point, aim the ball by hitting off-centre: an edge hit sends it out at a wider angle toward the side you struck.
Two-hit bricks are worth working on early, while the ball is slower. Level 5 has 26 two-hit bricks out of 44, so it asks for more hits than any other layout. Level 1 gives 500 points if you clear it, from 10 two-hit bricks worth 20 each and 30 one-hit bricks worth 10 each.
Choose Slow while you learn the paddle angles, then move to Normal or Fast once you can reliably keep the ball in play. Your Best score is stored separately for each speed setting, so a Fast score does not replace a Slow one.
Pause with P when you need a moment. The game also pauses when you switch tabs, but it does not resume by itself.
Breakout game meaning
“Breakout game” is the general name for this kind of arcade game: a ball bounces off a paddle to break a wall of bricks, and you clear one layout after another. Brick breaker is another name for the same idea, and this page is one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brick Breaker free, and do I need to sign up?
Yes, it is free, and you do not need to sign up. The game runs entirely in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.
Can I play brick breaker on a phone?
Yes. The playfield fits 375 px and 320 px phone screens without sideways scrolling. On a touch screen, drag your finger across the field to move the paddle, and tap the field to launch the ball.
Is my game saved?
A game in progress is not saved, so reloading the page starts a new game. The Ball speed setting is remembered on your device, and so is your Best score for each speed setting.
Where is my Best score kept?
Your Best score is stored in your browser on this device only. “Best” on the stats bar shows the score for the speed setting you currently have selected.
Does the ball get faster during a game?
Yes. While the ball is in flight it gains speed every second, up to a fixed top speed. Each new level also starts the ball faster, and losing a life resets it to the starting speed for that level.
Are there power-ups or sound in this breakout game?
No. The game has no power-ups, such as a wider paddle or extra balls, and it has no sound. Bricks cannot be unbreakable, and there is no level select.
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