FLIGHT SYSTEMS / DESKTOP EDITION

A bigger screen.
A booster to catch.

Boostback is a free 3D rocket landing game. Fly Super Heavy back to Starbase, control the boostback and landing burns, and catch the booster with Mechazilla. Practise your return, compete on the leaderboard and share your flight replays.

Boostback is currently a desktop-only experience. Open it on a computer with a keyboard and mouse to fly.

I’ll adapt the game for mobile if there’s enough demand.

SEE YOU AT FLIGHT CONTROL.
STARBASE / FLIGHT PREPARATION

ONE BOOSTER. ONE CHANCE TO BRING IT HOME.

Your flight
starts here.

From the edge of space
to Mechazilla’s arms.

  1. CONNECT
  2. LOAD
  3. PREPARE

Preparing your flight…

While you wait: hold SPACE to burn.
Release to cut. Use ← → to steer.

SUPER HEAVY / RETURN FLIGHT
BOOSTBACK / PILOT BRIEFING

Bring the booster home.

FLIGHT MANUAL

Phases change automatically as you fly. There is no switch from boostback to coast or landing. You still steer the booster and start or stop every burn yourself. For quick attempts, choose Practice landing; Ranked keeps the complete return and coast in real time.

  1. 01 / BOOSTBACK

    Turn toward Starbase, then burn to reverse the flight. Bring the blue arrival marker onto the tower’s arms and cut the engines.

  2. 02 / COAST

    Keep the engines off and steer with the grid fins. Tilting the booster increases air resistance and bends the return trajectory. Watch the fin wakes and the blue arrival marker; small corrections matter more as AIR LOAD rises.

  3. 03 / CAPTURE

    Start braking early, then ease the thrust on the three central engines. Approach thrust runs from 40 to 100%; release to cut. Hold through ignition while staying upright and lining up with the arms.

← → / A D
Steer relative to the camera.
SPACE / BURN
Hold to fire at the selected level. Release to cut.
SHIFT / FINE
Up to 8% for boostback; minimum 40% in approach. Takes priority over the main burn.
Q / E
Adjust thrust by 1%, including while burning.
T / X
Training only: speed up the coast / return to normal time. Steering, thrust and approach restore ×1. Ranked always runs in real time.
V / WHEEL
View the return trajectory / zoom.
C / DRAG
Change camera / look around. Double-click to recenter.

Fine boostback thrust is a precision aid. In approach, engines have a minimum thrust and take time to ignite. The blue trajectory includes these limits and estimates your return after turning and braking. VIEW / PIN keeps the Starbase camera open; AUTO restores automatic opening. Advanced view adds secondary trajectories and detailed telemetry.

A catch requires less than 6 m position error, less than 10° tilt, vertical speed below 28.8 km/h, and lateral speed below 21.6 km/h. Ground, sea or tower contact: RUD.