Rollwave: a neon rolling ball game with races

What is Rollwave?

Rollwave is a free 3D rolling ball game for your browser, on phone, tablet and computer. A glowing ball rolls down a winding neon track that rises, falls and twists toward a huge striped sun, and all you do is steer it left and right.

It keeps speeding up. Narrow beams, forks, tile floors with squares missing, half-pipes, tunnels and steps change the way you roll, while red blocks, sliding walls, sweeping lasers, crushers and spinners guard the way. Ramps and launch pads throw you over gaps, and power-ups give you a shield, a gem magnet, a ghost or a few seconds of slow motion.

There is a lot to play. The campaign has 120 levels in ten themed worlds with three stars each, Endless goes on for as long as you last, and the Daily Run gives everyone the same track each day. Races put you against computer balls that steer for real, a friend on the same screen, or up to five other people online.

How to play Rollwave

1. 

   1Pick a mode

   Start the campaign from its first level, or choose Endless, the Daily Run or a race from the menu.

2. 

   2Steer left and right

   Use A and D or the arrow keys, or hold the left or right side of the screen on a phone. Miss the red blocks and stay on the glowing floor.

3. 

   3Build your flow

   Gems and near misses in a row raise your flow multiplier, up to ×5, for more points and a little more speed.

4. 

   4Take the ramps

   Ramps and launch pads throw you over gaps and walls. Line up before take-off, because you can only steer a little in the air.

5. 

   5Race your rivals

   Race computer balls at four levels, a friend on the same screen, or up to six people online. The board shows who is ahead and by how much.

6. 

   6Earn three stars

   Each level has a star for beating par, one for the gems and one for finishing without a hit. Stars unlock new balls and trails.

The rules in full

1. Steer the ball left and right: A and D or the arrow keys on a keyboard, or hold the left or right side of the screen on a phone. Settings also has drag steering and tilt steering.
2. The ball rolls forward by itself and gets faster the further you go. Your only job is where it goes across the track.
3. Stay on the glowing floor. Roll over an edge or into a hole and you fall.
4. Red blocks, lasers, spinners and crushers stop you when you hit them head on. Brushing the side of a block only knocks you sideways.
5. Ramps and launch pads throw you into the air over gaps, walls and low lasers. Line up before you take off: you can only steer a little in the air.
6. Collect gems and skim past obstacles for near misses. Every five in a row raises your flow multiplier, up to ×5, which adds points and a little speed.
7. Power-ups work the moment you roll through them: a Shield takes one hit for you, a Magnet pulls in gems, Ghost lets you pass through obstacles and Slow-mo slows the world down. In races a Surge gives a long boost.
8. In levels and races a fall puts you back at the last checkpoint and costs you time. In Endless and the Daily Run one crash ends the run.

Rollwave tips and strategy

• Look further down the track than feels natural. At speed the next gap in a wall is already on screen long before you reach it.
• Small, early moves beat big late ones, above all on narrow beams. A quick tap nudges the ball and holding a key swings it right across, so tap to line up and hold to dodge.
• Spinners sweep the circle that glows on the floor beneath them. Roll round the outside of the ring, or time the gap between the arms if you must go through.
• Gems usually mark a safe line through a section. Following them builds your flow and keeps you out of trouble.
• Bends pull the ball outwards. Steer a little into the turn, and in races take the inside line: it is shorter, and boost pads often sit there.
• Sweeping lasers always leave one side open. Watch which way the beam is moving and go to the side it is leaving.
• Crushers rise and slam in turn, and the rows of a set keep time with each other. Roll under one that is on its way up, and you meet the next row in step.
• In races, flow is speed: every step of the multiplier makes you a little faster, so a clean chain of gems is often what wins.
• Chasing your time star? Your best run comes back as a see-through ghost ball, so you can see exactly where you lose time.

A rolling ball game on a synthwave track

Rollwave is built around one simple thing done well: a ball rolling down a hill that you steer with one finger or two keys. The track is a glowing grid floating over a dark void, with neon edges, a striped retro sun on the horizon and mountains drawn in light.

In Endless the colours change every 800 metres, from sunset pink through cyan, magenta, chrome, red, gold, violet and acid green, and the music changes key with them. Each campaign world and race course has its own colour scheme too.

The physics are tight and fair. The ball answers your steering at once, bends pull it outwards, banked turns and half-pipe walls push it back, and jumps follow real arcs. Everything runs on a fixed step from a seed, so the same track always plays exactly the same way.

120 levels across ten worlds

The campaign starts gently in Neon Dawn and adds one new idea in each world: ramps and launch pads in Grid Valley, beams, forks and holes in Magenta Mesa, half-pipes and tunnels in Chrome Pipes, then lasers, crushers, spinners, tile floors and thin floors over the void, until Hyperwave throws everything at you at full speed.

Each level has a finish line, checkpoints and three stars: one for beating par time, one for collecting enough gems and one for finishing without a hit. Stars you earn on different runs all count, and every level has been driven by a computer player to make sure it can be finished cleanly and under par.

Your best run on each level is saved as a ghost. Next time, a see-through ball rolls beside you and the timer shows how far ahead or behind it you are.

Endless mode and the daily rolling ball run

Endless mode is the classic challenge: one life, a track that never ends, and a speed that keeps rising. Your best distance is saved, and the further you get the more track pieces join in.

The Daily Run is a fresh endless track each day, the same for everyone. Play it as often as you like: your best distance counts, keeps your streak going and races beside you as a ghost on your next try.

A calendar shows the days you have played. You can roll any past day’s track for practice, but only a run on the day itself counts towards your streak.

Ball races: computer, same screen and online

Races are a dash to the finish on twelve courses with boost pads on the racing line. Computer racers come at four levels: Rookies wobble, miss boosts and crash now and then, Racers and Pros pick better lines, and Legends chase every boost and chain of gems and hardly ever make a mistake. Rookies are a fair first race for anyone; beating a field of Legends takes a near-perfect run.

Same-screen races split the view in two for two players on one device, with optional computer balls. Online races put two to six people on the same track at the same moment, each on their own phone or computer, with empty lanes filled by computer racers. Share a room code or link with friends, or use Quick race to join whoever is around.

Racers are ghosts to each other, so nobody can knock you off: the only way to win is to roll cleaner and faster.

Unlock balls, trails and goals

There is no shop and nothing to buy. Eighteen ball skins and ten light trails unlock as you play: earn stars, roll further in Endless, keep a daily streak, collect gems and win races.

Thirty goals track your progress, from your first kilometre to every star in the campaign, and the stats page keeps count of your runs, gems, near misses, jumps and race wins.

Smooth on phones, tablets and computers

Rollwave runs in the browser with no download. The graphics adapt to your device to keep the frame rate smooth, and there is a battery-saver setting. Tap Full screen, or turn your phone sideways, for the biggest view.

The music is a synthwave band made live in your browser: pads, a driving bass, arpeggios and drums that build as you speed up. Calm motion turns off screen shake, speed lines and camera roll, and the menus work with a keyboard and have screen-reader labels.

Rollwave FAQ