Foldwing is a paper plane game played over a desk and the pages of a notebook. Hold to lift the nose, let go and the plane sinks in a long, smooth glide. Fly as many pages as you can past pencil cups, stacks of books and lamp cords. The twist is the fold: paper creases appear now and then, and flying through one refolds your plane into a dart, a glider or a stunt plane for a few seconds, so knowing when to take a crease is the real skill.
How to play the paper plane game
- Hold your finger or mouse on the board, or hold Space, W or the up arrow, and the nose lifts and the plane climbs.
- Let go and it sinks in a smooth glide. It never drops suddenly, so you always have a moment to react.
- A quick tap counts as a small lift, so you can fly with short taps instead of holding.
- Press P or Escape, or the Pause button, to stop for a moment. The game also pauses by itself when you switch tabs, and a flight in progress survives a reload.
Rules
- Touching the desk, or flying into anything on it, ends the flight. The ceiling of the page only stops you; it does not end the flight.
- Your score is how far you flew, in notebook pages, and the stars you collected. Best distance and best stars are kept for each mode.
- The course starts gently and ramps up slowly. Speed rises, and gaps narrow, but every gap can be flown through.
- A desk fan’s stream lifts the plane, and the steam from a coffee cup makes it wobble.
The fold: dart, glider and stunt plane
Paper creases appear now and then, each marked with the shape it folds you into. Fly through a crease and your plane refolds for 8 seconds. Flying past one, above or below, leaves your plane as it is, so a fold is always your choice.
- The dart is fast and sinks quickly. It suits a long clear stretch where you want distance.
- The glider is slow and floats. It suits a tight run of gaps where you want time to line up.
- The stunt plane flies like the plain one, but a double tap sends it round one loop, up and over whatever is in front of it, and it comes out of the loop higher than it went in. Nothing can hit it while it loops. It has one loop per fold, so start it just before the thing you want to clear.
Modes
- Classic is the full game: fly as far as you can, and a crash ends the flight.
- Daily flight is a course that is the same for everyone that day. Reach page 8 to finish it, and keep your streak going.
- Calm has nothing that can end the flight: no desk to crash into and nothing in the way, only star trails to follow, in shapes like rings, hills and zigzags, and creases to try out. It is made for small children and for relaxing, and it lands by itself after 12 pages, in under two minutes.
Tips for flying further
- Do not hold for too long. Short lifts keep the plane level, and long climbs are hard to stop in time.
- Look ahead, not at the plane. By the time a pencil cup reaches you it is too late to start climbing.
- Read the shape on a crease before you take it. A dart just before a row of tight gaps is a bad deal; a glider there is a gift.
- Save the stunt plane’s loop for a real mistake, not for the first gap you meet.
- Stars come in lines through the safest paths, so following them is usually a good idea.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this paper plane game free?
- Yes. Foldwing is free to play in your browser, with no download and no account needed.
- Can I play on my phone?
- Yes. Hold or tap the board to lift the nose, and let go to glide. It works in both portrait and landscape.
- How does the fold work?
- Fly through a paper crease and your plane refolds into a dart, a glider or a stunt plane for 8 seconds. Each crease shows which one it gives you, and taking a new crease replaces the fold you have.
- How do I do a loop?
- Take a crease marked with the stunt plane, then double tap the board or press Space twice quickly, just before the thing you want to clear. The plane loops up and over it and comes out higher than it went in. Nothing can hit it during the loop, and it has one loop per fold.
- Is it suitable for young children?
- Calm mode is made for them. Nothing can end a calm flight: there is no crashing, only star trails to follow and folds to try, and the flight lands by itself after 12 pages.
- Will I lose my flight if I close the page?
- No. Your flight in progress and your best scores are kept in this browser. When you come back, the flight is paused right where you left it.
- How does the daily flight work?
- Everyone flies the same course each day. Reach page 8 to finish it. Your time and streak are kept in this browser, and a new course arrives at midnight UTC.