Egg Catch is a free online egg catching game in the style of the old pocket LCD handhelds. Four hens sit at the top of four ramps — two on the left, two on the right — and lay eggs that roll down one step at a time on a ticking beat. Your farmer holds a basket at the end of one ramp at a time and moves between the four places in an instant; catch each egg as it rolls off the end, or it breaks on the ground. The beat speeds up with every egg you catch, so each round is a climb until three eggs break. Twelve stages bring in golden eggs worth five, rotten eggs you must let drop, runaway eggs that roll two steps a beat, and dusk, when only the bottom of each ramp can be seen. Every round is played through by a simulated player before you get it, and only one egg ever drops on a beat, so there is always a way to catch them all. Play with Q, A, P and L, the arrow keys, a mouse or a finger — no download, no sign-up.
How to play Egg Catch
- Pick a stage and press Start, Space, or tap the screen. A beat starts ticking and the hens begin to lay.
- Each egg rolls down its ramp one step a beat — five steps from the hen to the end — sits on the last step for a whole beat, then rolls off.
- Move the basket to the end of that ramp before it rolls off: Q is top left, A bottom left, P top right and L bottom right. The arrow keys work too — left and right change side, up and down change ramp — or tap the corner of the screen nearest the ramp. The farmer moves at once.
- Stay under an egg until it drops, then move on. Only one egg ever drops on a beat, so there is always time to get to the next one — but the beat quickens with every egg you catch.
- An egg that rolls off with no basket under it breaks, and a chick runs off. Three broken eggs end the round.
- Every egg is a point and a golden egg is five. Reach the stage’s goal to clear it and unlock the next; going on to higher scores earns the second and third stars. Later stages add golden eggs, rotten eggs, runaway eggs and dusk.
- Rotten eggs are grey with green spots. Let them drop — catching one costs a heart, just like a broken egg. Switching to another tab pauses the round.
Tips
- Listen to the tick. Moves come on the beat, so move just after the egg you are under drops — too early and that one breaks, too late and the next one does.
- Look at the last step of every ramp first: the egg sitting there is always the next to drop.
- Two eggs in a row on the same ramp need no move at all — stay put and catch both.
- When a rotten egg is next, go straight to where the good egg after it will drop, rather than to a random place.
- Runaway eggs, with a red band, roll two steps a beat. They appear later and arrive sooner, so watch the top of the ramps.
- At dusk you only see the last two steps of each ramp. Keep your eyes on the bottom of the screen and react to what lights up.
FAQ
Is Egg Catch free to play?
Yes. Egg Catch 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 the basket?
Press Q for the top left ramp, A for bottom left, P for top right and L for bottom right. The arrow keys work too: left and right change side, up and down change ramp. With a mouse or a finger, tap the corner of the screen nearest the ramp. The farmer moves at once, and Space starts and pauses the round.
How do I win at Egg Catch?
Each stage has a goal score. Catch eggs until you reach it to clear the stage and unlock the next one — then keep going, because the round only ends when three eggs have broken, and the second and third stars are for higher scores.
Why does the game get faster?
Like the old handhelds, the beat speeds up as you catch: it starts at 0.8 seconds a beat (0.62 on the quicker stages), and every egg you catch makes it 1.5% shorter, down to 0.12 seconds. That is what makes each round a climb.
What happens if I catch a rotten egg?
It costs a heart, the same as a broken egg. Rotten eggs are grey with green spots and a whiff rising off them; let them roll off the ramp with the basket somewhere else and nothing happens.
What are golden eggs and runaway eggs?
Golden eggs, with a star on the shell, are worth five points instead of one. Runaway eggs, with a red band round the middle, roll two steps a beat instead of one, so they reach the end of the ramp three beats after they are laid instead of five.
Is it always possible to catch every egg?
Yes. Only one egg ever drops on any beat, and no two eggs share a step of a ramp. Every round is also played through before you get it by a simulated player who moves just after each beat and only sees what the screen shows, and a round it cannot catch every good egg of is never dealt.
Can I just stay in one place, or press keys at random?
No. Holding the basket at any one ramp never reaches the goal on any stage, and neither does jumping to a random place at a steady pace, anywhere from every fifth of a second to every second and a half.
How are the goal and the star scores set?
They are measured, not guessed. Three simulated players — casual, regular and sharp, each with its own reaction time, its own spread round the beat and its own small mistakes — play every stage 41 times. The goal is set so most casual players reach it, fewer on later stages; 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 hen house runs on a fixed clock of 120 steps a second, and every key press and tap 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 Egg Catch different from Fruit Basket?
Fruit Basket is a free-moving catch: you walk a basket along the grass and carry the fruit to a cart. Egg Catch is the classic four-place timing game — the eggs come down fixed ramps on a beat and the farmer jumps between four places, so it is all about rhythm and reading which ramp is next.
Does Egg Catch work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Tap the corner of the screen nearest the ramp to move the basket there. The game fits a phone held upright, and it plays sideways too.