Fill a cell, burst it, and steal the board. Orb Burst is a free chain reaction strategy game for 2 to 6 players on one phone. Load cells with orbs, set off explosions and take over every colour.
How to play
Orb Burst is played on a grid, with everyone sharing one phone, tablet or computer. Players take turns, and the grid lines change to the colour of whoever is up next, so you always know whose go it is.
On your turn, tap an empty cell or one of your own cells to drop in one orb. You can’t tap a cell that belongs to someone else. On a computer, move the highlight with the arrow keys and press Space or Enter to place.
Every cell can only hold so many orbs. Its limit is the number of cells right next to it, so a corner bursts at 2 orbs, an edge at 3 and a middle cell at 4. Cells wobble when they are one orb away from bursting, which makes them easy to spot.
When a cell bursts, its orbs fly out, one into each neighbouring cell. Every cell they land in becomes yours, keeping all the orbs it already had. If that pushes a neighbour to its own limit, it bursts too, and so on. One tap can set off a long chain that sweeps across the board.
Rules
- A player with no orbs left is out, but only after everyone has placed at least once, so nobody is knocked out before their first turn.
- Players who are out are skipped and shown greyed out in the top bar, where everyone’s orb count is shown.
- The last player with orbs on the board wins.
- Any seat except the first can be switched to a CPU opponent on the setup screen, so you can also play solo.
- Choose the 6 × 9 board for quick games, or 8 × 12 for bigger groups and longer battles.
Tips
- Corners are strong early. They burst with only two orbs, so they are quick to load and hard for anyone to attack.
- Watch the wobble. Don’t build next to an opponent’s cell that is about to burst unless your own cell will go first. Otherwise you are just feeding them.
- Load up, then strike. A row of cells that are each one orb from bursting can be set off with a single tap and flip a whole area at once.
- Captured orbs count. Bursting into a crowded enemy cell takes every orb inside it, which often starts a second chain you didn’t plan for.
Why it’s fun
Orb Burst is easy to learn in one turn, and games swing wildly: a player who looks beaten can wipe out the leader with one well-timed chain. It’s great for passing a phone around the table, and the CPU players give you a decent fight when you’re on your own.