Orbit Hop · Player guide
How to play Orbit Hop
Read the path, choose your moment, and make the next landing. You control when to launch; the explorer keeps moving around the planet.
By Small Hours · Updated
Your first landing
Press Play and watch the explorer circle the first planet. The dotted line shows the direction of a launch from its current position. Wait until that line points at the next planet and turns gold, then tap the game or press Space.
The launch follows the tangent to the orbit: the direction the explorer is travelling at that instant. Aiming the explorer itself at the next planet is different from aiming its flight path. Follow the dotted line.
A useful rhythm
Take a moment to watch one full circuit before launching. Notice where the gold window appears. If you miss it, wait for the next circuit rather than rushing a late tap.
After landing, read the new path again. The next planet can be on the opposite side, and later planets become smaller while orbital motion speeds up. A timing pattern that worked earlier may need adjusting.
Scores and the daily course
Each successful hop adds one planet to your score. On the daily rankings, more planets wins; a shorter time to the last successful landing breaks a tie. The course changes at midnight UTC, and players share that day’s planet sequence.
A run with a rescue has its own ranking category. One rescue may be offered when you match or beat your clean best. The current life packs are free demos, and you can always restart without buying anything.
Phone and keyboard controls
On a phone or tablet, tap inside the game to launch. On a computer, click the game or press Space. Use the Pause button, P or Escape to pause; paused time is excluded from the run clock. Opening a game dialog also pauses an active run.
If you rotate your device, the view adapts to keep the current and next planet in frame. Your launch timing and course stay the same.
When a hop misses
If the dotted path passes beside the planet, change the launch moment on your next attempt. Waiting slightly longer changes both the starting position and the direction of travel. Try making one small timing adjustment at a time.
Your personal best is kept when a later run scores lower. Guest bests are saved in the browser and backed up through an essential save cookie. Keep site data to return to that save; another browser or device has a separate guest save.