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Dodge the Blocks is a free online dodging game: blocks rain down a well ten blocks wide, more and more of them as the 30-second clock runs, and you are the little blue block on the floor sliding left and right to stay out from under them. Every block throws a shadow that darkens as it falls, so you can read where and when it lands. A hit costs one of three hearts. Twelve stages bring in wide slabs, grey stones that land and stay as walls, drifters that slide sideways, gates with one gap, fast darts, splitters that break in two and a low cloud that hides the sky. Every round is checked before you play it: there is always a way through without a single hit. Play with the keys, a mouse or a finger — no download, no sign-up.
How to play Dodge the Blocks
- Pick a stage and press Start, Space, or tap the well. The 30-second clock starts and the first block drops a moment later.
- Slide left and right along the floor: hold the arrow keys or A and D, move the mouse over the well, or put a finger down and drag. You slide at one speed, fast enough to cross the whole well in about a second and a third.
- Watch the shadows on the floor. Each block’s shadow shows where it will land and darkens as it comes down, so you know where and how soon.
- A block that lands on you costs one of your three hearts, and you blink for a moment while nothing can hit you. Lose all three and the round is over.
- Grab the gems that appear on the floor before they fade: each is worth 10 points. Last the 30 seconds and every heart you still have adds 50.
- Lasting the round clears the stage and unlocks the next one. A higher score earns the second and third stars.
- Later stages bring in new blocks one at a time: wide slabs, grey stones that stay as a wall, drifting blocks, gates with one gap, fast darts, splitters and a low cloud. Switching to another tab pauses the round.
Tips
- Move early, not far. Most blocks are only a block or so wide — step just clear of the shadow and stay near the middle, where you have room both ways.
- A dark, tight shadow means a block is about to land. A pale, wide one is still high up; you have time.
- Do not let stones box you in. A grey stone stays on the floor for a moment as a wall you cannot walk through, so keep away from the space between two of them.
- Under a gate, head for the gap the moment you see it. Gates fall slower than anything else, so there is always time — but not if you wait.
- Drifters bounce off the walls of the well. Follow the shadow, not the block.
- When a green splitter breaks, the halves fly apart. The middle, where it split, is the safest place to be.
- Gems are the score, but a heart is worth five of them. Only go for a gem when its path is clear.
FAQ
Is Dodge the Blocks free to play?
Yes. Dodge the Blocks is free to play online in your browser, with no download, no account and nothing to buy. All twelve stages are here and unlock in order.
How do I move?
Hold the left and right arrow keys, or A and D. With a mouse, just move it over the well and your block slides to follow it. On a phone or tablet, put a finger down anywhere on the well and drag. Space starts and pauses the round.
How does scoring work?
Each gem you pick up is worth 10 points. If you last the 30 seconds, every heart you still have adds 50 more. Run out of hearts and the round is lost. Lasting the round earns one star; the second and third stars need a higher score.
Is every round possible without being hit?
Yes. Every round is dealt before it starts and checked step by step against every place you could be: a round is only shown if there is a way to last all 30 seconds without a single hit. The tests then play that very route through the game to make sure.
Can I just hide in a corner?
No. The blocks are spread so the edges of the well are hit about as often as the middle. A player who never moves — in the middle, against either wall or anywhere between — lasts the 30 seconds in fewer than 1 round in 10 on every stage, and never from the middle.
What do the different blocks do?
Red blocks just fall. Orange slabs are two or three blocks wide. Grey stones land and stay as a wall for a moment, and never so close to another wall or the side that they leave a gap narrower than 2.4 blocks. Blue drifters slide sideways and bounce. Purple gates fill a whole row except for one gap. Yellow darts fall twice as fast. Green splitters break in two half-way down.
How are the star scores set?
They are measured, not guessed. Three simulated players — a casual, a regular and a sharp one, each with a human reaction time and a habit of misjudging speeds a little — play every stage 41 times. Two stars is the regular player’s middle score and three stars the sharp player’s.
Is the game the same whatever my screen’s frame rate?
Yes. The round runs on a fixed clock of 120 steps a second, and every key press and drag counts from the moment it happened, not from the next frame drawn. A 60 Hz phone and a 144 Hz monitor play exactly the same round.
How is Dodge the Blocks different from Galaxy Blaster or Sled Dash?
Galaxy Blaster lets you shoot back, and Sled Dash is an endless run down a slope. In Dodge the Blocks you only slide along one floor, so it is all about reading what is coming down — the shadows, the stones that stay, the gates and the splitters.
Does Dodge the Blocks work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Drag with one finger to slide. The tall well fits a phone held upright, and it plays sideways too.