Lighthouse Game

Lighthouse Game puts you in the lamp room of a lighthouse on a dark, rocky coast. Boats come in from the open sea at night, and they steer toward the light. Aim the beam to lead each fishing boat, sailboat and ferry past the reefs and through the fog into the harbor before dawn. You can play this lighthouse game online free in your browser, with no download, on a computer or a phone.

How to play

The sea is shown from above. The lighthouse stands on a rocky point at the bottom right, and the harbor is the gap in the shore between two dock lights. Your beam runs from the lamp to a bright pool of light on the water.

• Aim the beam. Drag on the sea to put the bright spot where you want it, or just move the mouse. The arrow keys (or WASD) turn the beam and push the spot farther out or closer in.
• Lead the boats. A boat that can see your light turns toward the spot, and a ring appears around it. Boats near the spot or inside the beam can see it. Keep the spot a short way ahead of a boat and it follows. Boats left in the dark drift slowly toward the coast.
• Bring them in. Once a boat reaches the harbor mouth it sails in and ties up by itself.
• Mind the rocks. A boat that runs into a rock, a reef or the shore bumps off and drifts back out for a moment. Nothing sinks, but every bump costs time.

Lamp oil, focus, fog and the foghorn

• Focus. Hold the Focus button, Space or Shift for a narrower, brighter beam that boats can see from much farther away. It burns oil several times faster than the normal beam.
• Fog. From night 3, fog banks drift across the water. A boat inside fog can’t see the normal beam unless the spot is almost on top of it, but it can see a focused beam.
• Foghorn. Press the Foghorn button or F, and every boat inside fog slows down for six seconds. The horn then needs ten seconds to sound again.
• Out of oil. The lamp turns dim, boats only see it from half as far, and you can’t focus.

Climbing the stairs

From night 5, boats arrive in waves. When a wave is safe in the harbor, the keeper climbs the tower stairs to refill the lamp. Tap Left foot and Right foot in turn, or press the left and right arrow keys. Each step adds oil, and pressing the same foot twice makes the keeper stumble. The climb lasts nine seconds or 30 steps.

Nights and stars

There are ten nights, each with a clock counting down to dawn and a number of boats you must bring home to pass. Night 1 has two fishing boats and a few rocks. Later nights add a reef above the harbor, fog, the slow, wide-turning ferry, reef walls with narrow gaps and up to seven boats in three waves. Passing earns one star and unlocks the next night, saving every boat earns two, and saving every boat with at least 30% oil left earns three. Stars are saved in your browser.

Watch the sea is a calm endless mode with no clock. The reefs are laid out differently each time, and oil only drains while you focus. Your best number of boats brought home is saved.

Tips

• Lead, don’t chase. Put the spot two or three boat lengths ahead. If it sits on a reef, the boat will steer into the rocks.
• Give the ferry room. It is the biggest, slowest boat and turns in wide curves.
• Focus in short bursts. Oil left at dawn counts toward the third star.

FAQ

Is Lighthouse Game free?

Yes. There is no account and nothing to install.

Does it work on phones?

Yes. Drag on the sea to aim and use the buttons under the game. The game area won’t scroll the page while you play.

Can I pause?

Press P or Esc, or use the Pause button. The game also pauses when you switch tabs.

What does a real lighthouse do?

Lighthouses warn ships away from hazards like rocks and reefs and help mark the way into harbors. Many use a rotating light behind a large glass lens, so sailors see it flash as it turns. In this game the boats follow your light, but real ships use a lighthouse as a warning and a landmark.

Like games on the water? Try Boat Game to steer a speedboat into tight harbor berths, or Island Game to survive on a desert island and signal a passing ship.