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Container Crane is a free online crane operating game that runs in the browser with no download and no account. A container hanging from a trolley is a pendulum, and that single fact is the whole game: every time you accelerate the trolley the load starts swinging, and the crane will not let you release while it is still moving. Real operators call the answer anti-sway — move smoothly, stop early, let the cable settle. What turns waiting into a decision is the manifest: each container has a weight class and a heavier box may never sit on a lighter one, so where you put a light container decides whether the heavy one behind it has anywhere to go. Get that wrong and the yard is blocked, which is a mistake made several boxes earlier rather than bad luck. Eight berths run from three bays stacked two high to seven bays stacked four high with a landing box seventy centimetres wide.
How to play Container Crane
- Hold the arrows to run the trolley along the rail. Every change of speed sets the hanging container swinging.
- The green band on the gauge at the bottom is the release window. Outside it, pressing RELEASE drops the container instead of landing it.
- The dashed plumb line under the load shows where the box will actually come down — not where the trolley is. On a swinging load those are different places.
- Aim for the yellow box painted on the ground at each bay. Landing inside a third of it counts as dead centre.
- Bands on the end of each container show its weight class: one band light, two medium, three heavy. A heavier box may never go on top of a lighter one.
- The NEXT column at the top left shows the three containers coming after this one, so you can keep a bay floor free for a heavy box you can see arriving.
- Land every container in the manifest to clear the berth. Dropping any of them means the berth does not count.
- If no bay can legally take the container on the hook, the shift ends as blocked — so the stacking plan matters more than the last landing did.
Tips
- Stop before you get there. The trolley takes about half a metre to stop, and stopping is what starts the biggest swing — brake early and coast the last stretch.
- A constant trolley speed adds nothing to the swing. It is acceleration that drives the pendulum, so long smooth runs are free and the last stop is what costs you.
- You can also release on the pass. A swinging load crosses through vertical twice a cycle, and if the plumb line is over the bay at that moment the release is legal — faster than waiting, and much riskier.
- Heavy boxes need bare floors. If the NEXT column shows a three-band container, leave a bay empty for it even if that means stacking two light ones together.
- Equal weights stack fine. Two mediums on top of each other is legal and is usually the best way to save floor space.
- Dead centre is worth chasing only when the swing is already dead. Sixty per cent of landings dead centre earns three stars, and the cheapest place to get them is the boxes you were patient with anyway.
- New Manifest gives a different queue at the same difficulty; Restart Shift replays the identical one, which is what you want when a blocked yard has just taught you something.
FAQ
Is Container Crane free to play?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no download, no sign-up and nothing to buy. All eight berths are here and unlock as you clear their manifests.
Why will the crane not release the container?
Because the load is still swinging past the safe angle, or the plumb line is not over a bay, or the bay under it cannot take that weight. The message on screen names which one it was.
How do I stop the load swinging?
Accelerate and brake gently, arrive early, and wait. The swing dies on its own — that is what the damping is for — and a long run at a steady speed does not add to it at all. It is only the changes of speed that drive the pendulum.
What do the bands on the containers mean?
Weight class: one band is light, two medium, three heavy. A heavier container may never be stacked on a lighter one, though equal weights stack freely.
What does "yard blocked" mean?
A heavy container came off the ship and every bay had something lighter on top. It is always a consequence of an earlier stacking choice, which is why the NEXT column shows you three boxes ahead.
Is there a time limit?
No. Waiting for the swing to die is a legitimate strategy and a clock would punish exactly the technique the game is teaching. Your time is reported at the end, but nothing depends on it.
Can I release while the load is still swinging?
Only if the swing is inside the green band. Experienced players time the release for the instant the load passes through vertical, which is quick but leaves no margin at all.
Does Container Crane work on a phone?
Yes. The two trolley pads and RELEASE sit across the bottom of the screen under your thumbs, and every bay is always drawn on screen so the stacking plan stays visible.