Asteroid Game Tips: How to Get a High Score
To get a high score in an asteroid game, stay near the middle and let the rocks come to you, use short taps of thrust instead of holding it, aim where a rock is going rather than where it is, and break one big rock at a time so the sky never fills with fast little pieces. Shoot saucers first: they fire back and the small one is worth 1,000 points.
1. Stay near the middle, and don't fly fast
The safest place in the sky is wherever you have the most time to react, and that's usually somewhere near the middle with open space all around. Rocks drift in from every side and wrap across the edges, so a ship parked close to an edge can be hit by something it hasn't seen yet.
The ship keeps its speed after you let go of thrust, and a fast ship has less time to dodge than a slow one. Most lost ships come from flying quickly into a group of rocks. Use short taps to nudge into a better spot, then turn and shoot from there. If you're drifting too fast, turn around and give one tap in the other direction.
2. Aim where the rock will be
Your shots are fast but not instant. A shot covers about a third of the sky in half a second, and in that time a rock keeps moving. Against a rock that's drifting sideways, point a little ahead of it, along its path, so the shot and the rock arrive at the same spot. Small rocks move fastest, so they need the most lead.
Close rocks need almost no lead; far ones need more. If you aren't sure, fire a short burst that sweeps across the rock's path: with up to four shots in the air at once, one of them usually connects. On GameLake, Teach me draws exactly this dashed line for you, from the ship to the meeting point, which is a quick way to get a feel for it.
3. Break one big rock at a time
Each big rock turns into two medium rocks and then four small ones, and every step makes the pieces faster and harder to hit. If you shoot every big rock right away, you'll soon have a sky full of quick little rocks heading in all directions.
Instead, pick one big rock, break it and chase down its pieces before you touch the next one. You keep the sky readable, and the slow big rocks drifting around the edges are easy to keep an eye on. It's also good for your score: the small pieces are worth 100 each, five times a big rock.
When only one or two small rocks are left, don't rush them. Saucers turn up sooner at the end of a wave, so make sure you can see the whole sky before you finish the wave.
4. Shoot saucers first
A saucer is the only thing in the sky that shoots back. The big one fires in random directions, which is dangerous in a crowded sky. The small one aims at you, only a little off, and is worth 1,000 points, as much as ten small rocks. When either kind slides in from the side, turn and deal with it before going back to the rocks.
Saucer shots and saucer crashes break rocks too, but you don't get points for those. If a saucer flies into a rock, it's gone and so is your chance at its points.
5. Use the edges to your advantage
Because the sky wraps, your shots do too. A rock just past the left edge can be hit by firing off the right edge, often a shorter shot than turning all the way round. The same trick saves you when you're in trouble: drifting off one edge takes you to the opposite side, away from a crowd.
Just remember that rocks wrap as well. Before you settle near an edge, glance at the opposite edge for anything about to come through.
6. Make every ship count
- After a crash, the next ship waits until the middle is clear, then can't be hit for a couple of seconds. Use that time to turn toward the nearest rock, not to fly off.
- Extra ships come every 10,000 points (5,000 on Easy). Saucers and small rocks are the fast way there.
- Watch your shot count. Only four shots can be in the air (five on Easy). If you spray at a far rock you may have none left for a close one.
- Bumping a rock breaks it and gives you its points, but costs a ship. It's never worth it.
Practise with the Daily and race a friend
The Daily gives everyone the same rocks in every wave, so it's a fair way to compare scores with friends and to practise the same opening a few times. In a Race, you and another player fly the same Medium game for three minutes and the best score wins. A careful player who keeps their ships usually beats one who scores fast and crashes early.
Space Rocks follows the rules of the 1979 arcade game Asteroids, so these tips work in most games of this kind. New to it? Start with how to play the asteroid game, then play Space Rocks on Easy with Teach me on.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best strategy in an asteroid game?
Stay near the middle, move with short taps of thrust, aim where rocks are going, break one big rock at a time and shoot saucers as soon as they appear.
Should I keep moving or stay still?
Mostly stay still and turn. Moving fast is the most common way to crash. Move only to get out of a rock's path or into open space, using short taps.
Why do I keep getting hit from behind?
Rocks and saucer shots wrap around the edges. Something leaving one side comes back on the other, so keep away from the edges and glance across before you settle.
Which targets are worth the most?
The small saucer (1,000 points), then the big saucer (200) and small rocks (100). Medium rocks are worth 50 and big rocks 20.
How do I get more lives?
Score 10,000 points for each extra ship (5,000 on Easy). You can hold up to 9 ships.