Orbit Raiders 3D
A free-flight 3D space game with dogfights, escort runs and asteroid fields, built for keyboard and mouse or a touch screen.
Not saved yet. Progress stays in this browser only; there is no account and no online leaderboard.
About Orbit Raiders 3D
Orbit Raiders 3D is an original arcade space game. You fly one of four small craft - Sprinter, Bulwark, Winglet or Skimmer - through ten missions that each add one new idea: steering and shooting, boost and brake, hostile fighters, target locks and torpedoes, escorting a cargo pod, threading asteroid gates, flying with a wingmate, sentry drones, a mid-mission repair ring, and finally Ace pilots who try to lock on to you.
The flight model is arcade, not orbital physics: the craft goes where its nose points, slows when you let go, and an auto-level assist keeps the horizon steady so you never have to fight the camera. Three asteroid fields - Drift Belt, Shard Shoal and Tumble Ring - give the missions cover to hide behind and openings to fly through.
Enemy pilots play fair on every difficulty. They need a clear line of sight to shoot (a rock in the way blocks them), their reaction time and aim are capped, and an Ace always shows a LOCK WARNING for its full wind-up before it fires a torpedo. Every campaign mission is finished by a scripted test pilot on all four difficulties before release.
How to play
- Pick a mission, a ship and a difficulty, then press Launch. The first flight teaches only steering, aiming and shooting.
- Follow the objective text at the top left and the waypoint marker in the view. The target list (Targets button, or E) shows everything worth shooting or protecting.
- Keep your shield up: it recharges a few seconds after the last hit. Coral wedges around the aim circle show where hits came from.
- Hold a target in the aim circle to build a torpedo lock, then launch. If you see LOCK WARNING, put an asteroid between you and the Ace.
Controls
- Keyboard: W and S pitch the nose, A and D turn, Space with A or D rolls, Shift boosts, X or Ctrl brakes, F fires, R launches a torpedo, E and Q cycle targets, V switches between chase and cockpit camera, Esc or P pauses.
- Mouse: click the view to capture the mouse, then move it to place the aim circle; left click fires and right click launches a torpedo. Esc releases the mouse and pauses. A setting makes the mouse steer the nose instead.
- Touch: the stick on the lower left steers, dragging on the right side moves the aim circle, and the buttons fire, launch a torpedo, cycle targets, boost and brake. Auto-level is on, so you never need to roll.
- Flight options: turn or strafe on W A S D, auto-level, nose-follow mouse and the lead marker. Settings: inverted look, sensitivity, reduced motion, left-handed touch layout, stick size, graphics quality and sound.
The rules
- A mission fails if your hull reaches zero, if an escorted cargo pod drops below 25% shield, or if a timed mission runs out of time.
- Bumping an asteroid costs shield and bounces you away; it never destroys the craft outright.
- Pulse guns heat up as they fire and lock out briefly if they overheat. Torpedoes are limited; they refill at a repair ring, and in Lock Practice whenever you run out.
- Harder difficulties add pilots and sharper tactics. Ship health, enemy health, damage and cargo pod speed are the same on every difficulty.
- Pausing stops the whole simulation, including enemy fire and timers. The game also pauses when you switch tabs.
Scoring, saving and limits
Each mission awards bronze for finishing, plus silver and gold for its own targets - time, accuracy, shield or hull left, pod shield, resource nodes or torpedoes used. Your best time and medal per mission are kept, and your best run flies beside you as a faint ghost. Medal points unlock cosmetic paint schemes; they never change how a ship handles.
Progress, medals, Daily Orbit results and settings are saved in this browser on this device only. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account. Clearing your browser data, or the Clear data button in Settings, removes them - and only this game's data.
Needs a browser with WebGL 2. There is no online leaderboard and no multiplayer; Daily Orbit results are compared only with your own runs. On older phones choose Low graphics quality.
Accessibility
Auto-level is on by default. Settings include reduced motion (no chase-camera lag or roll effects), inverted look, look sensitivity, left-handed touch layout, stick size and opacity, graphics quality and an optional lead marker. Alerts such as LOCK WARNING appear as text as well as sound, and sound is off until you turn it on. Every menu works with the keyboard.
Questions
- Is it the same as Space Defender?
- No. Space Defender is a 2D shooter on a fixed axis. Orbit Raiders 3D is free flight in three dimensions, with escort missions, asteroid fields, target locks and allied wingmates.
- What is Daily Orbit?
- A mission generated from the date (UTC). Everyone gets the same mission, ship and difficulty on the same day. You can fly practice runs first; only recorded runs are saved, and your first recorded run is kept separately from your best.
- Are the enemy pilots fair?
- Yes. They cannot shoot through asteroids, their reaction time and aim are capped on every difficulty, and they never get hidden extra health or damage. Automated tests check these caps.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes. On a touch screen the stick, aim area and buttons appear inside the game view, and auto-level keeps the flight steady. A phone with WebGL 2 is needed.