About Swish
Swish is a free 3D basketball game you play in the browser on a desktop, tablet or phone. You are the kid with one ball on the Open Run Tour, an unofficial summer circuit of outdoor courts, with a retired streetball announcer called Pops Delgado riding along. At every court you shoot classic three-point contests from five racks around the arc, and each court's local legend waits for you in a one-on-one shootout. Win enough shootouts and the tour ends at Crown Plaza, a city plaza turned into a night arena, where you face the reigning champion for the Crown.
Everything in the game is a place or a person we made up: no league, team, player, shoe or brand name appears. The ball is the star of the show, so it is drawn with a pebbled leather skin, black seams and backspin, and it flies on real gravity, so a high arc looks like a high arc. The shot is simulated, not scripted: the ball can rattle off the front of the rim, kiss the backboard and drop, or catch the back iron and spin out.
How to Play Swish
- Swipe to shoot: press in the lower part of the court and drag upward, then let go. The length of the swipe sets the power and the angle of its end aims left or right. A quick tap never shoots, and a swipe that is too short is cancelled without using a ball.
- Keyboard: hold Space, the up arrow or J to fill the power meter and release it to shoot; the left and right arrows (or A and D) nudge the aim. P or Escape pauses.
- Rack Run: five racks of five balls in 60 seconds, from the left corner to the right corner. The fifth ball of each rack is a money ball worth 2.
- On fire: four makes in a row sets the ball on fire, and every make scores 1 extra point until you miss.
- The tick: a small white tick on the power bar marks where your last make from that spot ended, so you can swipe to the same length again.
Four Kinds of Contest
Rack Run is the classic three-point contest: five racks around the arc, five balls each, 60 seconds on the clock. From the second court you pick one money rack where all five balls are worth 2. Around the Arc gives you 75 seconds and seven spots from corner to corner. A make moves you to the next spot, a miss earns one chance ball, and a second miss keeps you where you are. The top spot pays 2, and every full lap along the arc adds a bonus of 5. Deep Range moves five spots a step behind the line, with three balls at each spot and 60 seconds to use them: 2 for a make and 3 for the third, deep money ball. The Shootout is the boss fight: you and the court's legend take turns on five racks each, with 13 seconds a rack, and a tie goes to sudden death on a single money ball each.
Eight Courts, Eight Conditions
The tour visits eight outdoor courts, and each one has a condition you can see and have to play. The Brickyard, a schoolyard between brick walls at golden hour, has no tricks and teaches the feel of the swipe. Sunset Beach puts the low sun behind the backboard on the two right racks, so the glare hides the rim. Old Pier is a plank court at the end of a fishing pier where a gusting crosswind, shown by the flags, pushes every shot sideways. Chain Park, an autumn court with chain nets, gives you rims that spit out lazy shots but pay a bonus point for a clean swish. Mesa Court sits in the thin desert air, so the ball carries a little long. Glacier Park is snowy and cold: the ball flies a little short and the rim is dead. Rain Roof is a rooftop at night in the rain, where a wet ball slips a little on every release. Under the Bridge shakes the backboard for a few seconds whenever a train passes, and a red lamp warns you first. Crown Plaza, the finale, has a light breeze and a roaring crowd.
The Locker, Legends and the Crown
Contests pay coins, and coins buy gear in the Locker on the tour bus. Shoes come in four tiers and widen your make window while shortening the walk between racks. Three special balls each counter a court: the Grip ball for the wet rooftop, the Heavy Core ball for the pier wind and the Thermal ball for the mesa and the glacier. The Visor perk removes the beach glare. Other perks include Money Touch, Heat Check, Quick Hands, Ice Veins and Train Eye. Every contest awards up to three stars, each court holds nine, and a court's Shootout opens once you have five of its nine. The eight legends shoot on exactly the same simulation you do, with their own aim errors and streaks, so their scores are earned, not scripted. Beat all eight, qualify in the top four of nine, win the semifinal and take the final against Vance "Rainmaker" Okoro to hold the Crown. Your rank climbs from Rookie through Regular, Local Legend and Tour Star to Crown Holder and Hall of Fame.
There is also a Daily challenge: one Rack Run on a court picked from the date, the same for every player, with its own leaderboard beside the Tour board.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I shoot in Swish?
On a touch screen or with a mouse, press in the lower part of the court view and drag upward, then let go. The length of the swipe sets the power, measured against the height of the game view, so the same shot feels the same on a phone and a laptop. The angle of the end of the swipe aims left or right, up to 8 degrees. On a keyboard, hold Space, the up arrow or J to fill the power meter and release it; the left and right arrows (or A and D) nudge the aim in half-degree steps.
What are money balls and the on-fire streak?
In a Rack Run the fifth ball of every rack is an orange-and-gold money ball worth 2 points instead of 1, and from the second court you choose one money rack where all five balls are money balls. Three makes in a row is Heating up; four is On fire, and every make scores 1 extra point until your next miss. The Heat Check perk moves both one make earlier.
What does the white tick on the power bar mean?
The tick marks the power of your last make from the rack you are standing at. It is a memory aid, not the answer: swipe to the tick again and the same shot should drop.
How do the court conditions change my shot?
Old Pier's crosswind drifts the ball sideways, so aim a little into the wind; the Heavy Core ball halves the drift. Mesa Court's thin air carries the ball about 3 percent long and Glacier Park's cold flies it about 3 percent short, and the Thermal ball halves both. Rain Roof's wet ball adds a small random slip to every release, which the Grip ball cuts by three quarters. Chain Park's chain nets pay a bonus point for a clean swish, and Under the Bridge shakes the board whenever a train passes, about every 15 seconds.
How do I unlock the next court and beat a legend?
Each court has three contests, each worth up to three stars, nine in all. Reach five of the nine and the court's Shootout opens. Win it and the next court unlocks, and for some legends a counter item appears in the Locker. In the Shootout you and the legend alternate five racks each, 13 seconds a rack, and a tie goes to sudden death. If you are stuck, the game suggests the court's counter item and the Assist setting, which adds an aim guide and a wider make window.
How does the Crown finale work?
After the eighth legend, Crown Plaza opens. Round 1 is a qualifying Rack Run while the eight legends shoot at the side hoops; finish in the top four of nine to go through. Then comes a semifinal Shootout against the best seed you did not finish ahead of, and the Final against Vance "Rainmaker" Okoro under the floodlights. Winning the Final makes you the Crown Holder.
Does Swish save my progress?
Yes. Your tour, coins, gear, best scores and stars are stored in your browser and written at every results card, every purchase and when you leave the page. Continue on the title screen returns you to the board of the court you are on. A contest in progress is never saved, so leaving mid-contest starts it again.
Does Swish work on phones and tablets?
Yes. Touch devices get a touch layout, with no keyboard cards, and the swipe is measured against the height of the game view. Graphics quality is Auto, Low, Medium or High in Settings and takes effect the next time the game loads. Swish needs WebGL and says so plainly if your browser cannot run it.
