Archery

Archery is a target archery game where you draw a recurve bow, settle your aim and send arrows down the range at a 10-ring target. Your sight sways while you draw, the wind pushes arrows sideways and every arrow drops on its way to the boss, so a good score means reading the conditions and picking the right moment to let go. You can play Archery online free in your browser with no download, using a mouse, a keyboard or a phone’s touch screen.

How to play

• Draw: press on the range and drag down to pull the string back. The DRAW bar fills as you pull. On a keyboard, hold Space and the bow draws by itself. If you let go before 30 percent draw, you let the bow down safely and no arrow is shot.
• Settle and hold: once you reach full draw, the HOLD meter takes over. For the first moment your aim settles (SETTLE), then you get a few seconds of very steady sight (STEADY). Hold too long and your arm starts to shake (SHAKY), and the sight wanders much further.
• Aim: after you reach full draw, keep moving your finger or mouse to steer the sight. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys or WASD at any time, and hold Shift for fine aim.
• Release: lift your finger, let go of the mouse button or release Space to shoot. A partial draw makes the arrow slower, so it drops lower and drifts further in the wind.

Wind, drop and scoring

The orange flag beside the target and the WIND box in the top-left corner show the wind for the next arrow. A stronger wind stretches the flag out, and the arrow in the box points the way it blows. It shifts a little between arrows, so check it before every shot.

Arrows also fall on the way to the target, and the drop grows with distance. At 18 m you only need to aim a little above the center, while at 50 m and 70 m you need to hold well above the gold.

The target uses standard 10-ring scoring. The two gold rings score 10 and 9, then red scores 8 and 7, blue 6 and 5, black 4 and 3, and white 2 and 1. An arrow that touches a dividing line scores the higher ring, and the small inner circle of the 10 is the X. Missing the face scores M, which is zero.

Game modes

• Classic round: three ends of three arrows at each of three distances: 18 m on a 40 cm face, then 30 m and 50 m on an 80 cm face. That is 27 arrows and a maximum of 270. Your best total is saved.
• Moving Targets: a 60-second time attack at 25 m. Balloons drift up through the range and are worth 5 points each. Gold balloons are smaller and faster, worth 10 points and 3 extra seconds. Small targets slide along two rails and score their ring value, so lead them to allow for the arrow’s flight time.
• Duel vs CPU: a match at 70 m on a 122 cm face against an Easy, Medium or Hard computer archer. You and the CPU take turns, three arrows each per set. The higher set total earns 2 set points, a tied set gives 1 point each, and the first to 6 set points wins. If it is 5-5 after five sets, a one-arrow shoot-off decides it, and if both arrows score the same, the one closest to the center wins.

Tips

• Shoot in the steady window. Release while the HOLD bar is green. If it turns red, it is usually better to let the bow down and start again than to force a shaky shot.
• Learn your holds. Note where your first arrow lands at each distance and correct from there.
• Always come to full draw. Underdrawn arrows are slow and land low, especially at 50 m and 70 m.

FAQ

Is Archery free?

Yes. It is free to play with no account and nothing to install.

Does it work on phones and tablets?

Yes. Drag down on the range to draw, slide your finger to aim, and lift to shoot. The game area won’t scroll the page while you play.

Where are my best scores saved?

Your best Classic total, best Moving Targets score and your Duel wins and losses at each CPU level are saved in your browser on this device.

Can I pause?

Press P or Esc, or use the Pause button. The game also pauses if you switch tabs. Pausing lets the bow down, so you draw again when you resume.

Want more aiming games? Throw three-dart turns in Darts, or line up a strike in Bowling.