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Meteor Dodge is a free online space dodging game. Meteors stream down through a tall strip of space and you fly a little saucer between them — but it never stops on the spot: its thrusters push it, and it keeps drifting after you let go, so dodging means thinking a moment ahead of your own momentum. A meteor that touches the ship costs one of three hearts. One that passes close without touching is a graze, and grazes are the score: the closer the shave, the more it is worth. Twelve stages bring in big boulders, splitters that crack in two, fast comets, swarms flying in a rank, a moon that tugs the ship, a solar wind that pushes it and a dark stage lit only by your lamp. Every round is flown through by a careful pilot before you see it. Play with the keys, a mouse or a finger — no download, no sign-up.
How to play Meteor Dodge
- Pick a stage and press Start, Space, or tap the field. The 30-second clock starts and the first meteors come in a moment later.
- Fly the ship with its thrusters: hold the arrow keys or W A S D, move the mouse over the field and the ship flies to the spot under it and brakes there, or put a finger down anywhere and drag it like a joystick — the further you drag, the harder it pushes.
- The ship never stops dead. Its thrusters push it whichever way you ask, and when you let go it keeps drifting, slowing as it goes: from full speed it slides on about three times its own width. Push early, and push the other way to stop.
- Watch the edges. A small arrow shows where each meteor will come in and which way it is flying, almost a second before it appears — a comet’s arrow shows earlier, because comets are fast.
- A meteor that touches the ship costs one of three hearts, throws the ship off it, and you blink for a moment while nothing can hit you. Lose all three and the round is over.
- A meteor that passes close without touching — inside the faint ring round the ship — is a graze. Each graze scores 2 to 10 points, more the closer the shave. 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 boulders, splitters, comets, swarms, a moon, a solar wind and the dark. Switching to another tab pauses the round.
Tips
- Little pushes beat long ones. A ship flying flat out takes a while to stop, and a meteor can arrive while you are still sliding into it.
- Read the line a meteor flies on, not where it is now. Step off its line early and it slides past; wait and you have to dash.
- Keep to the middle and the lower half of the field. From there you can go either way, and you see every meteor coming for longer.
- A splitter glows hotter just before it cracks, and its two halves fly apart. Never wait right underneath one — go round its side.
- In a swarm the gaps are wider than the ship. Line up with one gap and keep still; chasing a different gap is how you get hit.
- On Tug Moon, keep a little push away from the moon, and do not drift past it — its pull is strongest close in, and its rock hurts like a meteor.
- Grazes are the score, but a heart is worth five perfect shaves. Go for a close pass only when nothing else is coming.
FAQ
Is Meteor Dodge free to play?
Yes. Meteor Dodge 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 fly the ship?
Hold the arrow keys or W A S D to fire the thrusters; two keys together push diagonally, no harder than straight. With a mouse, move it over the field and the ship flies to the spot under it and brakes there. On a phone or tablet, put a finger down anywhere and drag it like a joystick: the push follows the drag, so your finger never has to cover the ship. Space starts and pauses the round.
Why does the ship keep moving after I let go?
It is in space. The thrusters push it, and when they stop it drifts on, slowing as it goes — from full speed it slides about three times its own width before it stops. That is the heart of the game: you dodge by pushing early and gently, and by pushing the other way to brake.
How does scoring work?
A meteor that passes inside the faint ring round the ship without touching it is a graze, worth 2 to 10 points — the closer the shave, the more. 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.
How do I know where a meteor will come from?
A small arrow on the edge of the field shows where each meteor will come in and which way it is flying, almost a second before it appears; a comet’s arrow shows earlier, about a second and a half. On Dark Side you only see what your lamp lights round the ship.
Is every round possible without being hit?
Yes. Every round is dealt before it starts, and a careful pilot flies it first — using only 85% of the thrusters and keeping extra room round every meteor. A round is only shown if that pilot gets through all 30 seconds without a single hit. The tests fly every one of them again to make sure.
Can I just sit still somewhere, or fly about at random?
No. Meteors are aimed right across the field, corners and edges included. A ship that never moves — in the middle, in any corner, against any edge — lasts the 30 seconds in fewer than 1 round in 10 on every stage, and pushing a random way every so often without looking does no better.
How hard does it get?
Simulated players fly every stage 41 times. A casual player lasts about 9 rounds in 10 on stages 1 to 4, about 7 in 10 on stages 5 to 8 and about 6 in 10 on stages 9 to 12, while a regular player lasts at least 9 in 10 everywhere.
How are the star scores set?
They are measured, not guessed. Three simulated players — a casual, a regular and a sharp one, each taking a human reaction time to notice a meteor, misjudging its path a little and pushing a little off the way they mean — fly 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, mouse move 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 Meteor Dodge different from Asteroid Drift or Galaxy Blaster?
In Asteroid Drift you turn your ship and shoot the rocks to pieces, and Galaxy Blaster is a shooter too. Meteor Dodge has no gun at all: the ship never turns, you only push it about and let it drift, and the score comes from how close you dare to fly.
Does Meteor Dodge work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Drag with one finger like a joystick to fly. The tall field fits a phone held upright with the score and buttons under it, and it plays sideways too.