Rift Raiders
A free retro space shooter in the fixed-shooter style. Rows of pixel raiders march back and forth across the sky, dropping closer at every edge, while you slide your ship along the ground and pick them off one shot at a time. It plays in your browser on phone, tablet and desktop, with no ads and no sign-up.
How to play
- Move your ship left and right along the bottom of the screen.
- Fire upward. Only one of your shots can be in the air at once.
- Shoot every raider to clear the wave. Each time the formation reaches an edge, it drops a step.
- Dodge the bombs. Raiders drop zig-zag sparks and fast bolts. A hit costs a ship.
- Hide behind the crystal shields. They stop shots from both sides but crumble a little with every hit.
- Don't let them land. If the raiders reach the ground, the game is over.
Scoring
| Target | Points |
|---|---|
| Drone (bottom two rows) | 10 |
| Manta (middle two rows) | 20 |
| Orb (top row) | 30 |
| Courier rocket | 50, 100, 150 or 300 |
| Extra ship | At 1,500 points, then every 5,000 |
Waves
Every wave starts the formation a little lower and the raiders drop bombs more often, up to wave seven. The march speeds up as the formation thins out, so the last raider of a wave is always the fastest.
Tips
- Clear a column at the edge. The formation then has further to travel before it drops.
- Shoot through your own shield to make a firing slot you can hide under.
- Don't spray. A missed shot has to reach the top before you can fire again.
- Watch the courier. It is worth up to 300, ten times a top-row orb.
Questions
Is Rift Raiders free?
Yes. It is free to play, with no ads, no account and no in-app purchases.
How do I play on a phone?
Put your finger anywhere on the battlefield and drag. Your ship slides with your finger, so you can see it, and it fires while your finger is down. It also works with a keyboard or a game controller.
Are my high scores saved?
Your top five scores are kept in this browser on this device.
Is this a copy of an old arcade game?
No. Rift Raiders is an original game in a classic genre: the raiders, ships, shields and sounds are all our own.