How to play Flappy Spikes
One tap, one flap. Here is everything in a Flappy Spikes run: the rules, perfects and fire, the special rings, the power-ups, the portal rides and the tips that beat your best.
The three rules
- Tap to fly. Every tap is one flap. Let go and gravity takes over. A run waits for your first tap, so take your time at the start.
- Fly through the hoops. Every hoop you pass scores. Touching a rim doesn't end the run: the bird bounces off, but your streak is gone.
- Stay clear of the spikes. Spikes line the top and the bottom of the screen. One touch, or a missed hoop, ends the run unless something saves you.
Every 10 hoops the colours change to a new stage, from soft grey through teal, green and blue to gold. The hoops slowly get smaller and the game gets faster the further you fly. The first hoop always stands at the same easy spot.
Perfects and catching fire
Fly through a hoop without touching the rim and it's a perfect. A normal pass scores 1 point; a perfect scores at least 2, and a streak of perfects scores its length: the 5th perfect in a row is worth 5, the 12th is worth 12. There is no cap.
Three perfects in a row and your bird catches fire. The fire burns until the streak breaks: a rim touch, a save or a crash. Long streaks get their own banners, from GREAT and ON FIRE up to MIGHTY ROC.
A normal pass pays 1 coin, a perfect pays 2.
Special rings
New ring types appear as you play more runs. Each one has its own trick:
Bullseye
A target ring. Cross close to its centre for bonus coins.
Ring Train
Three rings in a row. Pass all three for a bonus.
Spring
Launches the bird hard up or down. BOING! Your taps don't count for a moment, so get ready to catch it.
Switch
Starts closed. Touch its switch to open it before you get there; reaching it closed counts as a miss.
Saw
A deadly rim: a live wire, a frost ring or a black hole that pulls you toward it. Go through the middle.
Pair
Two rings, each with a gift box. Pick one: a shield, a comet, coins, points or FEVER.
FEVER
The red ring. A perfect pass sets your streak to at least ×5 and lights the fire.
Lucky Spin
A wheel spins after you pass and pays a few coins.
Portal
Fly in and a ride begins. See the portal rides below.
Some rings also move: on a rail, swinging, sliding, orbiting or rocking. And watch for the spike squeeze, when both spike walls close in for a moment.
Power-ups
Shield
Absorbs one mistake: a spike touch or a missed hoop. The bird blinks and is safe for 2 seconds.
Hearts
Collect 3 hearts for an extra life. The extra life saves you once, like a shield.
Comet
A 10 second boost. The bird flies itself at high speed and every hoop counts as a perfect.
Capsules
The Hourglass slows the world down, the Mini Bird shrinks you for 8 seconds, and Coin Frenzy adds coins to every ring.
Saved!
With a shield or an extra life, a mistake doesn't end the run: it breaks with a burst and you fly on, but your streak starts again. On the Home screen you can also take a shield or Big Hoops into your next run.
Portal rides
Fly into a portal and you're off on a ride: a cannon shot, a space trip, a volcano eruption, a deep sea dive, a pinball machine or a storm and tornado. The ride is picked at random and is never the same twice in a row.
Rides fly themselves and are completely safe. Every ring on the way counts as a perfect, so a ride is a great way to build a streak. The comet works the same way: sit back and count the points.
Collectibles
Egg
Carry it through 5 clean rings and it hatches into a chick that adds a point to every hoop. A rim touch breaks the egg or scares the chick away.
Piggy Bank
A shower of coins appears. Catch them and the piggy bank pays out.
Firefly Jar
Catch 20 fireflies for a bonus. Let three escape and the jar breaks.
Star Trail
Eight stars in a line. Collect all eight for coins.
Golden feather
Kept between runs. Three feathers open the balloon bonus: pop balloons for prizes.
Puzzle piece
Kept between runs. The fourth piece completes the puzzle and pays a coin prize.
Coins and revives
Coins come from every hoop (1, or 2 for a perfect), from the bonuses above, from a versus win (10) or draw (5), from the free coins in the Shop and from reaching a new rank. Spend them on birds, hats, gear, hoops and trails; see every bird and skin.
Crashed after the 6th hoop? You can revive and fly on from where you were. The first revive of a run is a short video (free with NO ADS); after that a revive costs coins, doubling each time from 250, up to six paid revives per run.
Tips to beat your best
- Tap in a rhythm. Short, even taps keep the bird level. Panic tapping sends it into the top spikes.
- Aim for the middle. The rim doesn't kill you, but every touch breaks your streak, and streaks are where the points are.
- Look one hoop ahead. Start climbing or dropping before you pass the current hoop.
- Save your shield for later. Take one from the Home screen when you're chasing a best.
- Race someone. A rival's score climbing at the top of the screen is the best motivation there is. Read how Versus works.
- Learn the story. The game has been flying since 2014: the Flappy Spikes story.
Ready to fly?
Free to play on Android. Coming to iPhone.