Gravity Orbit
Aim, charge and launch a probe so planetary gravity bends its path into the wormhole.
Planet Hopper
Your pod circles a planet. Press once to fly off in a straight line, and time it so you pass through the next planet's gravity ring. Miss, and you drift into space.
Controls
| Space | Launch from orbit |
|---|---|
| P or Esc | Pause / resume |
| R | Restart |
| Tap the game | Launch from orbit |
|---|---|
| LAUNCH button | Launch from orbit |
| Click the game | Launch from orbit |
|---|
On touch screens a control pad appears below the game. You can show or hide it with the Touch pad button above the game.
How to Play
- Press Start Game. Your pod is already orbiting the first planet near the bottom of the screen.
- Watch the short dashed yellow line in front of the pod. It shows the direction you will fly if you launch right now.
- Press Space, click or tap when that line points into the dashed gravity ring of a planet higher up. The pod flies in a straight line.
- Enter any part of a gravity ring and the pod is captured into orbit around that planet. The screen scrolls up as you climb.
- Fly through stars on the way for bonus points. If the pod leaves the screen you lose one of 3 lives and restart on the last planet you orbited.
Objective
Reach as many new planets as you can before your 3 lives run out. Every planet you reach for the first time and every star you collect adds to your score.
Difficulty progression
The level rises after every 5 new planets. Each level spaces the planets further apart (up to a limit), shrinks their gravity rings, speeds up the orbits and lets planets sit further to the sides. From level 2 some planets drift sideways and bounce between the screen edges, and the share of drifting planets grows with each level up to about six in ten.
Scoring
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| New planet reached | +100 |
| Star collected | +25 |
| Returning to a planet you already visited | No points, but it is a safe place to regroup |
Your personal best is stored only in this browser. Scores are for fun and are not official records.
Tips
- Launch when the yellow direction line points at the middle of the target ring, not its edge. The pod flies perfectly straight, so the line tells you everything.
- You can wait as long as you like in orbit. There is no timer, so let the pod go around again rather than forcing a bad launch.
- Each capture keeps the pod circling in the direction it was travelling, so check which way you are orbiting before you aim at the next planet.
- Drifting planets show a small arrow on the side they are moving toward. Aim slightly ahead of them, and prefer a still planet if one is in reach.
- Stars are worth a quarter of a planet. Only take a star when it sits on or near a line that still ends inside a gravity ring.
- If the next planet is hard to reach, hopping to a nearby planet you already visited is allowed and costs nothing.
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Related Guides
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About Planet Hopper
Planet Hopper is a timing game built around a single input. Your pod circles a planet on its own, and the only decision you make is when to let go. Because the launch follows the orbit's direction in a straight line, every press is a question of angle: a fraction of a second early or late sends the pod past the target instead of into it.
Each planet is surrounded by a dashed gravity ring that shows exactly where capture happens, so misses are always readable. As you climb, the rings get smaller, the gaps get wider, orbits spin faster and some planets start sliding sideways. The gravity here is a simple arcade rule, not a simulation: cross the ring and you are in orbit. Your best score is saved locally in your browser.
Categories: Planet Games, Space Exploration Games. Planet Hopper is an original game made for Space Arcade Games. Its gameplay is arcade-style and fictional, not a scientific simulation (see our disclaimer).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I launch the pod in Planet Hopper?
Press Space, click the game, tap the game or use the LAUNCH button. The pod leaves orbit and travels in a straight line in the direction it was moving at that moment.
What counts as landing on a planet?
You do not need to touch the planet. Entering its dashed gravity ring anywhere captures the pod into orbit around it.
What happens when I miss?
If the pod flies off the screen you lose one of your 3 lives and the pod respawns in orbit around the last planet you were orbiting. When the last life is gone the run ends.
Why do some planets move?
From level 2 onward some planets drift sideways and bounce between the screen edges. A small arrow next to the planet shows which way it is currently moving.
Is my best score saved?
Yes. Your personal best is stored in your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is uploaded and there are no online leaderboards.