Jump Rope is a free online jump rope game set in a school playground. Two friends turn a long rope and you jump it: tap Space, the up arrow or the screen just before the rope sweeps under your feet, and hold the jump when the turners call “Double!” to hang in the air while the rope goes round twice. The turners speed up a little with every jump you clear, so each round is a climb until three trips end it or the bell rings. Twelve stages bring in wobbly turners, double-unders, sudden tempo swings, double dutch with two ropes and a swinging beat, a friend who joins with the second rope part way through, and a low evening sun that hides the bottom of the sweep. Every round is jumped clean by a simulated player before you get it, and each turn’s speed is set before it starts and never changes mid-sweep, so the rope coming over the top always shows when it will reach your feet. Works on a phone, a tablet or a computer — no download, no sign-up.
How to play Jump Rope
- Pick a stage and press Start, Space, or tap the screen. The turners count you in — three, two, one — and start the rope from over your head.
- Watch the rope come over the top and down in front of you. Press Space or the up arrow, or tap anywhere on the playground, just before it reaches your feet. A tap is a quick hop, 0.4 seconds in the air; your feet have to be off the ground at the moment the rope passes under them.
- When the turners call “Double!”, the next turn whips the rope round twice. Keep holding the jump past its first eighth of a second and you hang in the air long enough for the rope to pass under you twice. A high jump lands deeper, so it takes a moment longer before you can jump again.
- If the rope catches your feet you trip: the turners stop, untangle and start again. Three trips end the round — and so does the bell, after 100 turns (80 on the first stage).
- Every jump is a point. Ten in a row makes each jump worth two, twenty in a row worth three, and a double-under cleared in one high jump adds two more times that.
- Reach the stage’s goal to clear it and unlock the next; keep jumping for the second and third stars. The turners get a little faster with every jump you clear, so each round is a climb.
- Later stages bring wobbly turners, tempo swings, double dutch (a second rope turning half a turn behind the first), a friend who joins with that second rope part way through, and a low sun that puts the bottom of the sweep in shadow. Switching to another tab pauses the round.
Tips
- Jump on what you see, not on a count: aim for your jump to peak just as the rope reaches your feet, which means pressing a fifth of a second before it gets there.
- Tap, don’t hold, for ordinary jumps. A held jump hangs and lands deep, and at a fast tempo that can leave you on the ground for the next turn.
- When you hear “Double!”, press as the rope comes down and keep holding until you have felt it pass twice.
- In double dutch the two ropes are not evenly spaced — the second one comes a little early. Watch each rope’s colour and jump each one on its own.
- In the low sun you cannot see the rope reach your feet. Time the jump from the moment it comes over the top: the turn always takes as long as the last one showed.
- A streak is worth more than speed: after ten clean jumps every jump counts double, so one trip costs far more than it looks.
FAQ
Is Jump Rope free to play?
Yes. Jump Rope 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 jump?
Press Space or the up arrow, or tap anywhere on the playground. A tap is a quick hop; keep holding past the first eighth of a second and the jump hangs in the air instead, for double-unders. P pauses the round.
When exactly should I jump?
Your feet have to be off the ground at the moment the rope passes under them. A hop is in the air for 0.4 seconds and is high enough from about 0.07 to 0.33 seconds after you press, so pressing about a fifth of a second before the rope reaches your feet puts the top of your jump right over it.
What is a double-under?
A turn where the rope goes round twice while you are in the air. The turners call “Double!” a turn ahead; hold the jump and you hang long enough for both passes. Cleared in one jump it is worth two points more than the two passes, times your streak.
What is double dutch?
Two ropes turning in turn, so one passes under you about every half turn. In this game the second rope sits a little off the half-way point, so the beat swings: short gap, long gap. On the Friends Join and Championship stages a friend brings the second rope in part way through the round.
Why does it keep getting faster?
The turners speed up a little with every jump you clear — 1 to 2 percent a jump depending on the stage — up to about 109 jumps a minute (100 on the first stage). That is what makes each round a climb.
Is every round possible to jump without tripping?
Yes. No two passes are ever less than about 0.55 seconds apart, apart from a double-under’s pair, and every round is jumped to the bell by a simulated player before you get it — one that only knows what the screen shows. A round it trips on is never dealt. Each turn’s speed is set before it starts and never changes mid-sweep, so the rope coming over the top always shows when it will reach your feet.
Can I just keep jumping without looking?
No. Standing still trips three times and scores nothing, and jumping blindly at a steady pace — anywhere from every quarter of a second to every second and a half, hopping or holding — reaches the goal in fewer than 1 round in 10 on every stage.
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 timing spread, its own reaction time, a lean early or late and the odd lapse — 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 playground runs on a fixed clock of 120 steps a second, and every press and release 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.
Can I play with the sound off?
Yes. The rope’s swish and slap help, but everything you need is on screen: the rope itself, the turners’ call for a double-under and the count-in.
Does Jump Rope work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Tap anywhere on the playground to jump and keep your finger down to hold a jump. The game fits a phone held upright, and it plays sideways too.