Bubble Shooter

How to play

Bubbles hang from the top of the board. The launcher at the bottom holds one bubble, and the next one waits at the right. Aim, shoot, and when your bubble joins a group of its colour so that three or more touch, the whole group pops.

Bubbles that were hanging from the popped group and are no longer connected to the top fall off the board. Falling bubbles are worth far more than popped ones, so the best shots cut a big cluster loose from underneath.

Every few shots a new row pushes in from the top and everything moves down. The dots under New row in count the shots left. When a bubble ends up below the dashed line, the game is over.

• Computer: aim with the mouse and click to shoot. Arrow keys or A D also aim (hold Shift for fine steps); Space or ↑ shoots.
• Phone and tablet: drag to aim, lift to shoot. Drag below the launcher before lifting to cancel.
• Swap: tap the launcher or the next bubble, right-click, or press X.
• Walls: shots bounce off the sides. The dotted guide shows the whole path and where the bubble stops.

Levels

• Easy: 9 columns and larger bubbles, 3 colours to start, a new row every 10 shots.
• Normal: 11 columns, 4 colours to start, a new row every 8 shots.
• Hard: 13 columns, 5 colours to start, a new row every 7 shots.
• Daily: the Normal board with the same bubbles for every player that day.

More colours join and rows come faster the longer you play.

Scoring

• Popped bubbles: 10 points each.
• Falling bubbles: 20 × n² for n bubbles in one shot: 5 is 500, 10 is 2,000, 20 is 8,000.
• Combo: shots that pop something in a row multiply their points, ×1.5 for the second, ×2 for the third, up to ×3.
• Board clear: 1,000 points, then fresh rows come in.

Strategy

1. Shoot for the drop, not the pop. Look for a small group holding up a larger cluster. Three popped bubbles are 30 points; ten more falling with them are 2,000.
2. Use the walls. A bank shot reaches gaps a straight shot can’t. The guide shows the exact bounce, so try angles before you shoot.
3. Keep the combo going. A small sure pop can beat a risky big one when it keeps the multiplier alive.
4. Check the next bubble. If the loaded colour has no good spot and the next one does, swap. Swaps are free.
5. Park bubbles where they help later. With no match available, put the bubble next to its own colour so the next one completes a group.
6. Keep the middle low. A long column hanging in the centre reaches the line long before an even ceiling does.

Origins

The bubbles come from Bubble Bobble, a 1986 arcade game by Taito in which two small dragons, Bub and Bob, trap enemies inside bubbles and pop them. In 1994 Taito turned those bubbles into a puzzle: Puzzle Bobble, released in Japanese arcades in June 1994 and known outside Japan as Bust-a-Move. You aim a launcher at a ceiling of coloured bubbles and clear it by matching three.

It was a hit. In Japan it was the second highest-earning arcade game of 1995, behind only Virtua Fighter 2, and home versions followed on many consoles. In 2002 the developer Absolutist released a browser version called Bubble Shooter, and that name is now what most people call the whole genre.

History

Why it’s fun

• Aiming is a real skill. A bank shot off the wall that lands in a tight gap feels as good as a trick shot in pool.
• Small cause, big effect. Popping three bubbles can bring down twenty. That chain reaction is the heart of the game.
• Pressure you can see. The ceiling creeps down on a clear schedule, so every shot is a choice between safe and greedy.
• Colours read instantly. No text, no numbers to add up. Anyone understands the board in a second.

What it trains

Bubble Shooter asks you to judge angles and rebounds, spot patterns of colour quickly, and plan one or two shots ahead with the next bubble in mind, all while a clock of falling rows pushes you to decide.

FAQ

What is the Daily mode?

Everyone gets the same starting board and the same bubbles on the same day. Play it as often as you like; your best score of the day goes on the daily leaderboard. A new daily board starts at midnight your time.

How does the world leaderboard work?

Easy, Normal and Hard each have a weekly board (starting again each Monday, UTC) and an all-time board; Daily games go on today’s board. Our server replays every shot to check the score and times each game from its first shot. When your first game ends you can add a name; otherwise you appear as Anonymous. No account is needed.

Is my game saved?

Yes. Each level and the Daily keep their current game on this device, so you can close the page and continue later.

Is there an undo?

No. Every shot is final, which keeps the leaderboard fair. End game stops the current game and puts its score on the board.

This version

• Three board widths (9, 11 and 13 columns) and a Daily board that is the same for every player.
• A world leaderboard for each level. The server replays every shot and times each game.
• Bank shots with a full aim guide, free swaps, combos, and shapes on bubbles for colour-blind players.
• Sound effects, and short vibrations on Android phones. One switch turns both off.
• Each level keeps its own saved game. End game puts your score on the board at any time.

Updates

1. September 30, 2026First version on Zippi: three levels, Daily board, combos, sound, and world leaderboards.

Page last reviewed September 30, 2026.

Sources

• Puzzle Bobble, Wikipedia
• Bubble Bobble, Wikipedia
• Bubble Shooter, Wikipedia