Rollabout

Rollabout is a side-scrolling ball game about momentum. You steer a bouncy ball through 15 obstacle courses built from ramps, gaps, springs, conveyor belts, moving platforms, spikes, water, fans and switch gates. Play it free in your browser with no download or sign-up, on a keyboard or a phone.

How to play

Each level scrolls from left to right. Reach the glowing GOAL ring at the far end without touching spikes or falling off the course.

• Roll and jump. Hold left or right to roll, and press jump to leave the ground. Your ball keeps its speed, so a long downhill run carries you up the next ramp and further across the next gap.
• Use the course. Springs fire you high into the air. Conveyor belts carry you along, or slow you down if they run the other way. Moving platforms ferry you over pits, so time your jump on and off.
• Open gates. A colored switch opens the gate of the same color. Some switches sit on high ledges you have to bounce up to, and switches marked HEAVY only work under the Steel ball.
• Grab the stars. Every level hides three stars. They are optional, but your best haul is saved.
• Touch checkpoints. Rolling past a flag lights it green. If you fall or hit spikes after that, you restart at the flag. The clock keeps running, so a clean run is always the fastest.

The three balls

You start with the Rubber ball. Clearing level 5 unlocks Steel, and clearing level 10 unlocks Paper. Once a ball is unlocked you can switch to it at any moment, even in mid-air, and your speed carries over.

• Rubber bounces high off floors and walls, and a jump pressed just as it lands adds to the bounce. It floats in water and is the best all-round jumper.
• Steel is heavy. It smashes wooden crates on contact, even the ones it is standing on, and it sinks in water, so it can roll along the bottom of a pool under walls that block a floating ball. It barely bounces and jumps low.
• Paper is light. Fans blow it high into the air, it floats on water and it falls slowly enough to drift across gaps far wider than a jump.

The three worlds

• World 1, Meadow (levels 1 to 5): slopes, gaps, springs, moving platforms, belts and your first switch gate, all with the Rubber ball.
• World 2, Factory (levels 6 to 10): crate walls, deep pools, heavy switches and spike pits, where you swap between Rubber and Steel.
• World 3, Sky Isles (levels 11 to 15): fan shafts, long glides, a spiked ceiling and a final tour that needs all three balls.

Controls

• Keyboard: arrow keys or A / D to roll; Space, W or the up arrow to jump. Q switches to the next unlocked ball, and 1, 2 and 3 pick Rubber, Steel or Paper. P or Esc pauses, R restarts the level and M turns sound on or off.
• Touch: left, right, BALL and JUMP buttons sit under the game. You can hold a direction and jump at the same time.

The game pauses on its own if you switch tabs.

Tips

• Build speed first. If a ramp or gap looks too big, back up and take a longer run at it. Rolling downhill is the fastest way to gain speed.
• Bounce-jump with Rubber. Press jump just before Rubber lands from a big drop and it springs back higher than a normal jump.
• Swap in mid-air. Ride a fan up as Paper, then switch to Rubber or Steel at the top to keep your upward speed and drop where you want. Sink under a wall as Steel, then switch to Rubber to float back up.
• Mind crate bridges. Steel smashes every crate it touches, so cross a row of crates over a pit as Rubber.

FAQ

Is Rollabout free?

Yes. It’s free to play in your browser with no account and no install.

How many levels are there?

Fifteen, five in each of the three worlds. They unlock one at a time as you clear them.

How do I unlock the other balls?

Clear level 5 to unlock the Steel ball and level 10 to unlock the Paper ball. After that you can use them in any level, including earlier ones you replay.

Is my progress saved?

Yes. Unlocked levels, best times and stars are saved in your browser on this device. Clearing your browser data resets them.

Can every level be beaten?

Yes. An automated run using the same physics you play with reached the goal in all 15 levels.

Want more? Run and jump through 15 levels in Pixel Quest, or keep a ball in play on our pinball table.