Yes. You play right in your browser with no download, and there is nothing to buy.

Do I need an account?

No. As a guest you play without limits. With a free PanicLines account your kills go on the leaderboard and your nickname shows above your tank.

Do I play against real people?

Yes, everybody in a round plays live together, and new players join the round with the most people. With fewer than ten players the computer fills the free places. Computer tanks carry an “AI” after their name.

Can I play on my phone?

Yes. You play with the phone held sideways: to drive, pull your thumb anywhere across the screen – the stick appears where you put it down. To aim, tap an opponent briefly.

PanicTank – Online Tank Arena for 10 Players

Play PanicTank online for free

PanicTank is a top-down tank arena in the style of the old overhead classics. Up to ten tanks share a map full of hills. Whatever lies behind a hill disappears in the fog: you cannot see it, and nobody sees you there either. Two hits and a tank is destroyed; a moment later it rolls out again somewhere else.

You play for free in your browser, with no download, on phone (held sideways), tablet and computer. One tap on “Play” and you are in a round in progress: players and computer tanks fight together, the computer fills free places, and you can join and leave at any time.

How it works

Driving: put your thumb down anywhere and pull – the stick appears right there. The tank turns the way you pull and drives, the further, the faster.
Aiming: tap an opponent's tank. Your barrel turns to it and follows it – whichever way you drive. The aim line shows where it points and turns red when a tank is on it. Tap a spot without a tank and the barrel turns that way and keeps the direction while you drive, without firing.
Firing: happens by itself as soon as the barrel is on the tank you picked and loaded. With a hill in between, it waits. Then it reloads for a moment; the bar at the bottom shows when it is ready again.
Hits: every tank takes one hit, the second destroys it. A kill mends one hit on your tank, and so do five seconds without being hit. A red arrow next to your tank shows where a hit came from. Tanks that just arrived are protected for two seconds.
Fog: hills block sight and shots. Hide behind them, lie in wait or change sides unseen.
On a computer: W A S D or the arrow keys drive, the mouse aims, click or Space fires, Tab shows the scores.

Rounds, maps and leaderboard

Every round lasts 5 minutes for up to ten tanks. Then the ranking shows who destroyed the most, and the next round starts on a new map: Rolling Hills with many hills, Rock Valley with long ridges or the wide Steppe – made anew every time.
The computer takes the places of missing players. It plays by the same rules and only sees what a tank in its place would see – it cannot look through hills either.
The leaderboard counts destroyed tanks, computer tanks included. There is a weekly list that starts again every Monday and an all-time list.
All tanks drive and shoot the same. Every round you get one of 20 designs at random.

Tips

Turn the barrel early: half a turn takes a second, so point it where an opponent will appear before you drive round the hill.
Keep moving: a shell needs a moment to arrive. Driving across the line of fire makes you harder to hit.
Wait for the reload: after a shot you are defenceless for a moment. Pull back behind a hill until the ring is full again.
Damaged? A tank with one hit smokes. Look for cover instead of a fight: after five seconds without a hit it is whole again. When you see a smoking opponent, take your chance before it recovers.

Frequently asked questions

Is PanicTank free?: Yes. You play right in your browser with no download, and there is nothing to buy.
Do I need an account?: No. As a guest you play without limits. With a free PanicLines account your kills go on the leaderboard and your nickname shows above your tank.
Do I play against real people?: Yes, everybody in a round plays live together, and new players join the round with the most people. With fewer than ten players the computer fills the free places. Computer tanks carry an “AI” after their name.
Can I play on my phone?: Yes. You play with the phone held sideways: to drive, pull your thumb anywhere across the screen – the stick appears where you put it down. To aim, tap an opponent briefly.