How to play Brick Breaker
Brick Breaker is an arcade game where you bounce a ball with a paddle to knock out a wall of bricks. Each brick you hit disappears and scores points. Clear every brick to finish the level, but do not let the ball fall past your paddle.
Step by step
See the wall
Rows of bricks fill the top of the screen. Your paddle sits at the bottom.
Launch the ball
Tap or press to send the ball up towards the bricks.
Move the paddle
Slide the paddle left and right to keep the ball in play.
Break the bricks
When the ball hits a brick, the brick breaks and you score points. Some bricks need more than one hit.
Aim with the paddle
Where the ball hits the paddle changes its angle. Use the edges to send it sideways.
Clear the level
Break every brick to move on. Miss the ball and you lose a life. You start with three.
The full rules
What you need
Brick Breaker can be played on a phone, tablet or computer. On a touch screen, drag your finger left and right anywhere on the board to move the paddle (your finger does not need to touch the paddle), or hold the big left and right buttons below the board. On a computer, the paddle follows the mouse, or you can use the arrow keys (or A and D).
The aim
Break every brick on the screen by bouncing the ball into them. Keep the ball in play with your paddle, and clear each level with as few lost lives as you can.
How to play
At the start of each level, and after each missed ball, the ball sits on your paddle. Tap the board, press the Launch button or press the space bar to send it up. Take your time: nothing moves until you launch.
The ball flies upwards and bounces off the bricks, the walls and the ceiling. When it hits a brick, the brick breaks and you score points. The ball then bounces back down towards you.
Move your paddle so the ball bounces off it and back up again. If the ball falls past your paddle and off the bottom of the screen, you lose a life.
Aiming the ball
You have more control than it first appears. Where the ball lands on your paddle decides its new direction:
- Middle of the paddle: the ball goes up more steeply.
- Towards the ends: the ball goes off at a wider angle, towards the side.
With practice, you can steer the ball towards the bricks you want to hit.
Bricks
Most bricks break with a single hit. Some are stronger and need two or three hits. In some versions, a few bricks cannot be broken at all, and you do not need to clear them to finish the level.
In our version, tough bricks have a bold white frame and need two hits. After the first hit the frame goes and a dark crack appears, so you can always see which bricks are nearly done.
Lives and levels
You usually start with three lives. You lose one each time you miss the ball. When all the bricks are gone, you move on to the next level, which often has a new pattern of bricks. Our first five levels each have their own pattern; after that, every level has a fresh one. The game ends when you run out of lives.
Scoring
Each brick scores points. Bricks in higher rows, and tougher bricks, often score more. In our version the top row scores 50, then 40, 30 and 20, and lower rows 10 each; tough bricks score double. Your best score is saved so you can try to beat it.
Speed and pausing
The ball can be set to a gentle speed for relaxed play. Ours starts on Slow, with Normal and Fast in Settings, and gets only a little quicker on later levels. A Big paddle setting makes the paddle half as wide again. You can pause at any time (the P key or the Pause button), and the ball freezes until you are ready. The game also pauses by itself if you switch to another tab.
Common variants
Many versions add power-ups that drop from broken bricks. A wider paddle, a slower ball and extra balls are common. Some add bricks that move, or levels shaped like pictures.
Tips for beginners
- Watch the ball, not the bricks. Keeping the ball in play is the most important thing.
- Get under the ball early. Move to where the ball will land, rather than chasing it at the last moment.
- Break through to the top. If you can get the ball above the bricks, it will bounce around and break many of them by itself.
- Aim for the gaps. Use the edges of the paddle to send the ball into the corners where bricks remain.
- Be patient with the last bricks. The final few can be hard to hit. Small paddle movements give small changes in angle.
Common questions
How do I control where the ball goes?
Hit the ball with the middle of the paddle to send it fairly straight up. Hit it with the ends to send it off at a sharper angle.
Why do some bricks not break?
Some bricks are tougher and need two or more hits. In many versions, a few metal bricks cannot be broken at all and do not need to be cleared.
What are power-ups?
In many versions, breaking certain bricks drops a bonus, such as a wider paddle, a slower ball or extra balls. Catch it with your paddle to use it.
Does the ball get faster?
Often, yes. The ball may speed up as you play or after it hits the top rows. Slow settings keep it calm.
Where it comes from
Bat-and-ball games were among the very first video games of the 1970s. The idea of using the ball to break through a wall of bricks followed soon after and became an arcade classic. It has been remade many times since and remains popular on phones and computers.
