Vault Smash
Aim Sir Wagsworth's tennis-ball cannon and knock Magpie's prize collection off its plinths. 30 physics levels, free in your browser.
Drag back and release to fire · arrow keys aim, space fires · clear every piece of loot below the gold rail · R restarts
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How to play Vault Smash
Vault Smash is a free cannon physics game that runs in this page. The crew has broken into the private gallery of Magpie, our mysterious collector, and every gold bar, vase and marble bust is on display: on plinths, on shelves, behind glass and hanging from the ceiling. Sir Wagsworth has brought a cannon built for tennis balls. It is not subtle.
Drag back anywhere and let go to fire. The shot leaves in the opposite direction to your pull, like a catapult, and a longer pull fires harder. A short dotted line shows the start of the arc; the rest is up to you. A faint trail of your last shot stays on screen, so you can adjust rather than start again from nothing.
A level is cleared when every piece of loot has dropped below the gold rail running along the wall. Wooden blocks can snap, glass panes shatter if they are hit hard enough, stone blocks are heavy and steel girders do not move at all. Those are all in the way, not part of the score. Each level gives you a handful of balls, and the fewer you use, the more stars you earn.
Tips
- Hit stacks low. A ball into the bottom third of a tower takes everything above it along, while a ball into the top piece tends to knock off just that one.
- Break the glass first. A display case needs a solid hit to shatter. A fast, flat shot does it in one go; a lob usually just bounces off the lid.
- Aim for the rope, not the chandelier. From level 16 some loot hangs from the ceiling. Any ball that crosses a rope cuts it, and the whole thing drops.
- Use the seesaws. A bowling ball dropped on the empty end of a seesaw flings whatever is on the other end, often further than a direct hit would.
- Wait for the trolley. On levels with moving display trolleys, fire when the trolley is heading into your shot rather than away from it.
- Go over or round the steel. Girders never move, so loot behind them needs a high lob or, with the rubber ball, a bounce off a wall.
Vault Smash FAQ
Is Vault Smash free to play?
Yes. Vault Smash is free in your browser with no download, no install and no signup. Open the page and start firing.
How do I play Vault Smash?
Press anywhere on the gallery, drag back and let go. The cannon fires the opposite way to your drag, and a longer pull means a faster shot. Knock every piece of loot below the gold rail that runs along the wall before you run out of balls.
How do stars work?
Clearing a level earns at least one star. Each level sets how few shots earn the second and third, and the three stars in the bar above the gallery drop away as you use shots. The win card tells you what three stars takes.
What do the different balls do?
The tennis ball is light and bouncy. The bowling ball is heavy, flies a shorter arc for the same pull and shoves stone blocks that a tennis ball only taps. The rubber ball bounces off almost everything, which is what you want for shots off a steel wall. The bar above the gallery shows which ball is loaded next.
How many levels are there?
30 hand-built levels. They start with single stacks on plinths, then add towers, glass display cases, heavy stone lids, hanging chandeliers on ropes, seesaws, moving trolleys and steel walls you have to lob over or bounce round.
Is every level possible?
Yes. Before release, a script plays all 30 levels with the same physics code as the game, checks that every display stands still before the first shot, and finds a way to clear each one within the shots for three stars.
Does my progress save?
Yes. Unlocked levels and your best stars are stored in your browser, so you can close the tab and carry on later. Progress is per browser and per device, so clearing your browser data resets it.
Does Vault Smash work on phones?
Yes. It runs in modern browsers on phones, tablets and desktops, and you can aim one-handed by dragging anywhere on the scene. On a computer the arrow keys aim, space fires and R restarts the level.
Is there a mobile app?
Vault Smash itself is a browser game. It comes from Brightpoint Studios, the makers of Match Heist, our 3D car match puzzle for iOS and Android, which has the same crew and a lot more levels.
More free games
Two more physics games use the same engine. Loot Drop has you cut ropes and pop balloons to drop a diamond into the getaway van, and Van Stacker is a crane game where every drop has to land in the van and stay there. If you like throwing things, Smash & Grab is the 3D one: tap and the ball goes where you tapped. And Bath Time swaps rigid bodies for water you dig a path for. All of them are on the physics games page.
For something calmer, Car Parking asks you to slide parked cars aside and drive the gold one out, and Getaway Garage moves the whole yard with every swipe. Car Match clears cars three of a colour at a time, and Travel Tiles is our untimed triple-match tile game. We also compared free car puzzle games you can play online.