Sky Glide A free paper plane game with upgrades
Launch a paper glider from a ramp, ride the updrafts, chain thermals for gust bonuses and upgrade your way across four zones.
About Sky Glide
Sky Glide is a free paper plane game you can play in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. You launch a folded paper glider from a wooden ramp, steer it through the air with your thumbs and try to fly further than you did the last time. Every flight earns coins, and the coins buy upgrades, so the next launch always goes a little bit longer.
Ride the rising air
A paper glider only sinks, unless it finds updrafts. They are glowing columns of warm air that stand in the sky ahead of you. Fly into one and it lifts you; thread the ring at its core for a kick and a coin bonus. Hold the left half of the screen to lift the nose and slow down, hold the right half to dive and pick up speed, and let go to glide. A pull that is too hard stalls the wings, so you learn to read the air the way a real glider pilot does. A round rocket button gives you a burst of thrust when the ground is coming up fast.
The thermal chain
Skill matters as much as upgrades. Ride three updrafts in a row and a gust carries you forward, with a coin bonus on top. Keep the chain alive and every further updraft tops the gust up again. Skip one and the chain breaks, so every column is a small decision: climb for the ring, or save your height and play it safe.
Four zones, one long flight
Every 1,000 metres the scenery changes. You start in the sunny Meadow Valley, glide out over the sea of the Breezy Coast, climb over the ridges of the Granite Peaks and finally reach the Sky Islands, where the clouds are soft and the islands float. The updrafts get further apart and weaker the further you go, so even a fully upgraded glider runs out of sky in the end.
Upgrade your glider
Spend your coins in the garage on five upgrades: a taller launch ramp for height and speed, bigger wings that glide further, a trimmed nose that cuts drag, boosters with more rocket charges and a wind-up prop that pushes you for longer. The glider on the garage screen grows bigger wings and a brass nose as you buy. A new player can take a first flight with no upgrades at all, and most players need around an hour of play to reach the Sky Islands.
Tips
Aim for the ring, not just the column. Dive before an updraft to arrive fast, then pull up inside it to stay in the lift longer. Save your rocket for when you are low over the ground, and pick up the red pellets in the air for extra charges. Phones work with touch, computers with the mouse or the keyboard, and your coins, upgrades and best distance are saved on your device and to your account when you are signed in.
How to play
Tap to release the glider. Hold the left half of the screen (or Left / A / Up / W) to pull the nose up, and the right half (or Right / D / Down / S) to dive. Fly through glowing updraft columns to climb, thread the ring for a kick, and ride three in a row for a gust. Tap the round button (or Space) to fire a rocket. Land, collect your coins and spend them in the garage.
Controls and devices
- Controls: Touch, Mouse, Keyboard
- Works on: phones, tablets and computers
- Screen: any orientation
- Price: free, no download or sign-up
FAQ
- Is Sky Glide free, and does it work on my phone?
- Yes. It is free and runs in the browser on Android phones, iPhones, tablets and computers, with nothing to download.
- How do I steer the glider?
- Hold the left half of the screen (or Left, A, Up or W) to lift the nose, and the right half (or Right, D, Down or S) to dive. Dragging a finger up or down also pitches the glider. The round button, or Space, fires a rocket.
- What is a thermal chain?
- Ride three updrafts in a row and a gust carries you forward and pays a coin bonus. Every further updraft you ride keeps the chain going and tops the gust up. Skipping an updraft breaks the chain.
- What do the upgrades do?
- The launch ramp gives more height and a faster start, the wings glide further, the nose weight cuts drag, the boosters add rocket charges and the wind-up prop pushes you for longer. Every level makes the glider better, and nothing you buy can make it worse.
- How far can I fly?
- The zones change every 1,000 metres: Meadow Valley, Breezy Coast, Granite Peaks and the Sky Islands from 3,000 metres. The updrafts thin out the further you go, so the flights end by about 7,000 metres even with every upgrade.
- Does my progress save?
- Yes. Your coins, upgrades and best distance are saved on this device, and to your account when you are signed in.
Credits
- Game design, code, art and sound: Playora Games