A cluster of coloured bubbles hangs at the top of the screen. A launcher sits at the bottom. Three touching bubbles of one colour pop. There is nothing else to Bubbles, and it has outlived a great many games that offered more.
No story, no map, no lives. The whole game is in the angle of the shot, which is why it has survived every redesign the genre has been through.
If you arrived here looking for a game where you build words rather than pop colours, the word section is the right place, and Word Wipe is the one most people are after.
How to play Bubbles
- Move the mouse to aim the launcher, then click to fire.
- Three or more touching bubbles of the same colour pop.
- Bubbles left hanging with nothing above them fall as well.
- The ceiling drops lower every so often, and the round ends if the cluster reaches the bottom.
Bank shots
The walls bounce. That is the whole skill of the game, and it is what separates a player who clears boards from one who fills them up.
A bubble fired at the wall comes off at the same angle it went in, so a target you cannot hit directly is often two straight lines away. The bubbles hanging under an overhang can only be reached this way.
Tips and strategy
Shoot upward, not across
The bubbles that matter are the ones holding the cluster to the ceiling. Popping a group at the bottom removes three bubbles. Popping a group at the top can drop twenty, because everything hanging below them has nothing left to hang from.
Practical habits
- Look at the next bubble before you fire the current one. Both colours are shown, and planning two shots removes most bad outcomes.
- Never fire a colour into a place where it has no neighbours. That is how a board turns into a wall.
- Clear one colour out completely when you can. It stops appearing in the launcher, which makes every later shot more useful.
- Use the sides. The middle of the cluster is the hardest place to reach and the least valuable place to pop.
When the ceiling is close
- Stop trying for big drops and take the safe pops that buy you rows.
- Attack the widest column first, because it is the one that will touch the bottom.
- A bubble stuck in an awkward place is not worth three shots. Aim for the group you can actually reach.
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Frequently asked questions
How many bubbles do I need to match?
Three of the same colour, touching each other. Anything left hanging with no connection to the ceiling falls at the same time.
Can I bounce a shot off the wall?
Yes, and it is essential. A bubble rebounds off the side at the same angle it hit, which is the only way to reach bubbles tucked under an overhang.
When does the game end?
When the cluster of bubbles reaches the bottom of the play area. The ceiling drops at intervals, so slow rounds get harder on their own.
Is Bubbles a word game?
No. It is a colour matching shooter. The word games on this site are collected in the word section.
Is it free to play?
Yes. It runs in the browser, with no download and no account.