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Snowball Fight is a free online snowball fight game about timing a throw that takes half a second to arrive. Three snow forts face three more across the yard, and the kids over there hide, pop up, wind up and throw at the fort you are standing at. Duck to hide and to pack new snowballs; stand up to throw straight ahead. Throw while a kid is only looking and it ducks your snowball — wait for the arm to go back and it is committed, so the snowball lands. Theirs is aimed at where you stood when it left the hand, so you can duck behind your fort, which crumbles a little with every hit it stops, or step to the next fort and let it sail past. Eight yards run from one kid in a back garden to three at a snow castle, adding feints, kids who crawl between forts and faster throws. Stars are for time, measured with test players of different reaction speeds. No download, no sign-up — play with a keyboard, a mouse or a phone.
How to play Snowball Fight
- Press any control to start. You stand at the middle of your three snow forts; the kids hide behind the three forts across the yard.
- Hold Duck — S, the down arrow or the Duck pad — to crouch behind your fort. Crouching is the only way to pack snow: one snowball every 0.7 seconds, up to three.
- Press Throw — Space, the up arrow, the Throw pad, or a tap on your own fort — to stand and throw straight at the fort in front of you. Standing to throw leaves you up for a quarter of a second.
- Watch the kid in front of you. A head that pops up is only looking, and ducks any snowball that is on its way; when the arm goes back with a snowball in it, the kid is committed — throw then.
- When a kid throws, a red ring shows which of your forts it is heading for. Duck behind the fort, or step to the next one with A and D, the arrow keys, the side pads or a tap on another fort. A fort stops four snowballs before it is flat.
- Every kid takes three hits to knock out, and you have three hearts. Knock them all out to win the yard: winning at all is one star, and the two faster times on the bar are two and three.
Tips
- Wait for the arm, not the head. Your snowball takes almost half a second to cross, and a kid who is only looking will see it coming and drop.
- Do not throw at a hidden fort either — a kid who hears a snowball coming stays down until it has landed, so a speculative throw only buys it time.
- From the School yard on, some pop-ups are feints: a quick look and back down. Another reason to hold your snowball for the arm.
- Step aside when you can. Ducking always works while the fort stands, but every snowball it stops knocks a chunk off; stepping to the next fort keeps it for later.
- Crouch while you wait. You pack snow only while ducked, so the time between pop-ups is the time to fill up to three.
- If your reactions are slow, throw to a count: a head usually stays up about half a second before the arm goes back. It will not earn three stars, but it wins fights.
- When the kid in front of you is out, move to a fort with someone behind it — nobody comes to you.
FAQ
Is this snowball fight game free to play?
Yes. Snowball Fight runs free in your browser with no download, no install and no account, on a computer, tablet or phone.
Why do my snowballs keep missing?
Because a kid who is only looking ducks. Your snowball takes almost half a second to cross the yard, and if the kid’s head is up but the arm is not back yet, it sees the throw and drops behind the fort. Wait for the arm to go back with a snowball in it: then the kid is committed and your snowball lands.
How do I dodge their snowballs?
A red ring shows which of your forts a snowball is heading for. It is aimed at where you stood when it left the kid’s hand, so either duck behind that fort or step to the next one before it lands. Ducking always works while the fort stands, but a fort only stops four snowballs before it is flattened.
How do I get three stars?
Win fast, which means reacting to the arm quickly. Star times were measured with test players over 30 fights a yard: throwing about 0.15 seconds after the arm goes back earns three stars in seven fights out of ten on every yard, an ordinary reaction of about a quarter of a second earns two, and nobody who throws to a count instead of watching gets three that reliably.
Can I just keep throwing snowballs?
No. A kid never puts its head up while one of your snowballs is on its way to its fort, so throwing whenever you have snow mostly keeps the kids hidden. Measured over 30 fights on every yard, it is too slow for two stars in at least seven fights out of ten, and from the third yard on it loses at least half its fights.
How many yards are there, and do they get harder?
Eight, from one kid in a back garden to three at a snow castle. Later yards bring two and then three kids, feints from the School yard on, kids who crawl between forts, shorter wind-ups and faster snowballs. A quick test player won all 30 of its fights on each of the eight, and a slow one, at about four tenths of a second, still won most of its fights on every yard — from the third on, by throwing to a count.
Can I play snowball fight on my phone?
Yes. Four pads sit under the yard — left fort, Duck, Throw, right fort — and you can tap your own fort to throw or another fort to walk to it. Hold Duck with one thumb and tap Throw with the other.
Is it the same fight every time?
The yard is: each one has the same kids, the same number of hearts and the same habits every time. The timing is not — every rematch draws fresh pop-ups, feints and moves, so you have to watch rather than memorise.