Breakout

Breakout is the original brick-buster: a paddle, a ball, and rows of bricks that disappear one collision at a time. The whole game is about angles — where the ball hits the paddle decides where it goes next.

This JavaScript version keeps the arcade pacing and adds a level system, so the layout changes as you clear each screen. Losing all three lives sends you back to the start of the level, not the whole game.

A great warm-up game: simple to start, genuinely tense once the ball speeds up.

How to play Breakout

• Move the paddle left and right to keep the ball in play.
• The ball bounces off walls, bricks and your paddle.
• Clear every brick on the screen to advance to the next level.
• You lose a life when the ball falls past the paddle.

Tips & strategy

Breakout is angle management. The paddle does not just keep the ball alive — it decides where the ball goes next.

• Hit the ball with the edge of the paddle to change its angle sharply; the centre gives a predictable straight bounce.
• Aim for the top corners first. The ball can travel behind the brick wall and clear rows from the inside.
• Keep the paddle near the centre of the screen so you have room to react in both directions.
• Clear a vertical tunnel through the bricks early and the ball will spend more time above the wall.
• Launch deliberately with Space or Enter — use the paused moment to line up your first angle.
• Watch the ball, not the paddle. Your eyes should be where the ball is going, not where it has been.

Controls

Questions