How to play SHIP40
SHIP40 is a free rocket landing game that runs in your browser. A reusable rocket is coming home from a mission and is already falling toward the ground. You have 40 seconds and a limited tank of fuel to bring it down gently, upright, on the landing pad.
Controls
- Space or Up arrow: fire the main engine.
- Left / Right arrows: tilt the rocket.
- P or Esc: pause and resume. M: sound on/off.
- R: fly again after a mission ends.
- On phones and tablets, use the on-screen Left, Right and Thrust buttons. You can hold Thrust and tilt at the same time.
Difficulty levels
Pick a level on the start screen or after any flight. The rocket handles the same on every level; easier levels give you lighter gravity, a slower fuel burn and wider touchdown limits. Each level keeps its own personal best.
- Easy (default): gravity 6.5 m/s², land under 8 m/s down, 4 m/s sideways and 15° of tilt.
- Medium: gravity 8 m/s², land under 6.5 m/s down, 3 m/s sideways and 12° of tilt.
- Hard: real gravity of 9.81 m/s², land under 5 m/s down, 2 m/s sideways and 8° of tilt, with the thirstiest engine.
The physics
Gravity pulls the rocket down (9.81 m/s² on Hard, lighter on easier levels). The engine pushes along the direction the rocket's nose points, so tilting while thrusting moves you sideways. Momentum carries over: turning the rocket does not change where it is already heading. Fuel only burns while the engine fires.
What counts as a landing
- Both landing legs touch down on the pad.
- Vertical speed, sideways speed and tilt within your level's limits (see above).
- All before the 40-second clock runs out.
Scoring
A successful landing earns 4,000 points, plus up to 2,000 for precision (landing near the centre, perfectly upright), 1,500 for fuel left in the tank, 1,500 for a soft touchdown and 1,000 for time to spare. The maximum is 10,000. Scores are measured against your level's limits, and your best score on each level is saved on this device only.
Tips
- Fix sideways drift early, while you are high up, then descend straight down.
- Tap the rotate keys for small corrections; hold them for big turns.
- Short bursts of thrust near the ground give you finer control than holding it down.
Also on SHIP40: The Catch
No landing pad this time. Fly the rocket in beside the launch tower, hold it steady while the tower's two arms swing shut, then set it down gently on them. Play The Catch.
Follow SHIP40
Clips, updates and new challenges: