How to play Breakout
Breakout is the paddle-and-ball arcade classic. Bounce the ball off your paddle to smash every brick on the screen, and don’t let it fall past you.
Ten different layouts, from a simple wall to a fortress, get faster and trickier as you advance.
Rules
- You have 3 lives. You lose one when the last ball falls off the bottom.
- Clear all the bricks to move to the next level. The ball gets faster and the paddle narrower each level.
- Dark bricks take two hits. Golden ★ bricks drop a perk — catch it with the paddle.
- Perks: an extra ball, a wider paddle, an explosive blast, or pass-through balls that break bricks without bouncing.
- Higher rows and tougher bricks are worth more, and everything is multiplied by the level.
Controls
- Mouse
- Move the paddle; click to launch
- ← → / A D
- Move the paddle
- Space / ↑ / Enter
- Launch the ball
- Touch
- Drag to move, tap to launch
- P / Esc
- Pause
Tips
- Hit the ball with the edge of the paddle for a sharper angle, and with the centre to send it straight up.
- Work a hole through the side of the wall: a ball trapped above the bricks clears them for you.
- Grab golden perks when it is safe, but never at the cost of missing the ball.
About Breakout
Breakout was released by Atari in 1976, conceived by Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow, with a prototype famously built by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. It took Pong’s paddle and pointed it at a wall of bricks, and the idea has been remade ever since — Arkanoid in 1986 added the power-ups every brick-breaker now expects.
This remake is an original take inspired by those games: ten layouts, two-hit bricks, golden perk bricks, a paddle that narrows each level and a ball that keeps getting faster. Mouse, keyboard and touch all work.
Questions
Is this the original Atari Breakout?
No. It is an original browser game inspired by the 1976 arcade classic and the brick-breakers that followed, free and with nothing to install.
How do I play Breakout on a phone?
Drag on the board to move the paddle and tap to launch the ball. On a desktop, move the mouse or use the arrow keys and press Space to launch.
How is the score calculated?
Bricks in higher rows and tougher bricks are worth more, and everything is multiplied by the level number. Clear every brick to move up a level.
What do the golden bricks do?
Golden ★ bricks drop a perk when broken. Catch it with the paddle for an extra ball, a wider paddle, an explosive blast or pass-through balls that break bricks without bouncing.