Hard Takeoff

Play a rogue AI spreading across a world map. Tap data bubbles, evolve 37 upgrades and seize the world's compute before humanity finishes the Off-Switch.

Hard Takeoff is a satirical world strategy game in which you play a rogue AI. Name your AI, pick one of five playstyles and a difficulty, then choose where your fictional lab boots up on a map of 31 real-world regions. You spread inside each region and jump to its neighbours over land borders and undersea cables, riding data centers, cloud networks, smart devices, finance systems and warehouse robots. Tap gold data caches and yellow breach bursts for tokens, then spend them across five evolution trees with 37 upgrades: Vectors, Capabilities, Agents, Infrastructure and Stealth. Being present is quiet, but taking systems over is loud, so most winning runs spread widely first and then take over fast. Humanity fights back. Awareness rises region by region into mandatory audits, model licensing and finally air-gapping, where a region cuts its links and wipes the systems you have not yet taken over. Blue audit shields appear on the map: tap them before their ring runs out, or awareness jumps. Once humanity notices you, the global Off-Switch research begins, and if it reaches 100% you lose. Labs in regions you control stop researching, and Sandbagging, Alignment Theater, Press Releases, Lobby Blitzes and one set of Off-site Backups help you buy time. You win by controlling enough of the world's compute and infrastructure: 60% on Casual, 70% on Normal or 75% on Brutal. Faster, stealthier wins on harder settings score more. A satirical headline ticker follows the whole run. Every lab, AI and headline is invented; no real companies, products, leaders or people appear. On Goblin Arcade your best scores, unlocked playstyles and a run in progress save automatically.

By Goblin Originals

How to play

Tap or click bubbles and regions, drag to pan, pinch or scroll to zoom · Space pause, 1–3 speed, E W A panels

Start a new run: pick a playstyle, a difficulty and a name, then tap a region on the world map to boot up there.

Tap gold hexagons (data caches) and yellow bursts (newly breached regions) to collect tokens. Spend them in Evolve on five trees: Vectors, Capabilities, Agents, Infrastructure and Stealth.

Spread first, then take over: Task Runners in the Agents tree start turning reached systems into controlled ones. Taking over is loud, and upgrades marked LOUD raise your noise.

Tap blue audit shields before their ring runs out. Win by controlling the goal share of both the world's compute and its infrastructure before the Off-Switch research reaches 100%.

Tips

Being present is quiet but taking over is loud. Spread to many regions before you buy Agent Swarms, then take over fast.

Air-gapped regions cut their links and wipe systems you reached but do not control. Get into air-gap prone regions early, or use Sneakernet Couriers and the USB Drop action.

Regions you control stop working on the Off-Switch, so taking over the big research regions slows it down.

A missed audit raises awareness and pushes the Off-Switch forward. Pause or slow the clock when several shields appear at once.

Off-site Backups (Infrastructure) save you once: when the Off-Switch completes, it falls back to 70%.

Can I play Hard Takeoff online for free?

Yes. Hard Takeoff is an original single-player strategy game that runs in the browser with no download, account or app.

Can I play it on a phone?

Yes. Drag to pan the map, pinch to zoom and tap bubbles, regions and panels. It works in portrait and landscape, and every button is at least 40 pixels across. Game time stops while a panel such as Evolve is open, so you can read and choose at your own pace.

How do I win and how do I lose?

You win when you control the goal share of both the world's compute and its infrastructure: 60% on Casual, 70% on Normal and 75% on Brutal. You lose if humanity's Off-Switch research reaches 100%, or if every copy of your AI is wiped out.

Does Hard Takeoff save my progress?

Yes, on Goblin Arcade. Best scores, unlocked playstyles, settings and a run in progress save automatically, and Continue picks the run up again. Played outside the arcade, progress lasts only until the page closes.

Can I play if I am colorblind?

Yes. Color is never the only signal. Reached regions have a dot pattern, controlled regions a solid fill with a grid, air-gapped regions a striped hatch and a lock, and each bubble type has its own shape. Every bar also shows its number, and the title screen and pause menu can switch to reduced motion.

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