NOVA SQUADRON · 3D Space Dogfights with Friends

What is it?

Dogfight in a sleek 3D starfighter. Lead your shots, lock on for missiles and torpedoes, and roll or drop decoys to shake off fire across six missions, from an asteroid patrol to a fleet showdown. Friends join your wing with one link for co-op up to four, or split into teams for dogfights up to 4v4.

NOVA SQUADRON is a 3D space combat game in your browser. You fly a starfighter of the Nova Squadron against the drone fleet of a runaway machine legion, across six missions: Asteroid Patrol, Convoy Escort, Nebula Ambush, Dreadnought Assault, Trench Run and Fleet Showdown.

Three fighters fly very differently — the balanced Lancer, the fast Stinger and the heavy Bulwark. Lasers need leading, missiles and torpedoes need a lock, and an evasive roll or a decoy gets you out of trouble.

Friends join your wing with a link or a four-character room code, even in the middle of a mission, for co-op up to four. Or split into Nova and Red teams for dogfights from 1v1 to 4v4.

How to play

1. Turn the nose to bring enemies into the centre reticle. Aim at the small yellow lead circle in front of a target and your lasers connect.
2. Keep a target near the reticle and the lock ring fills. Once LOCKED, fire a missile — big targets like turrets, generators and cores get a torpedo.
3. Under heavy fire, EVADE — lasers and missiles slip past while you roll. When the missile alarm sounds, drop a DECOY.
4. Shields recharge when you avoid hits for a moment. Fly through glowing supplies (weapons, missiles, repairs) to collect them.

Modes

Solo campaign

Six missions in order, each unlocking the next and earning up to three stars. Two AI wingmen fly with you. Solo play can be paused.

Co-op with friends

Up to four pilots on the same mission. The host can launch first; friends join mid-mission. More pilots bring more enemies and fewer AI wingmen. Co-op does not pause.

Team dogfight

Nova team against Red team, 1v1 to 4v4, in the asteroid belt, a dreadnought wreck or an ion nebula. Bots can fill empty seats. First to four kills per seat plus two, or the most kills after 5 minutes.

Controls

Good to know

• Lasers overheat if you hold the trigger too long — fire in bursts.
• Red diamonds mark mission targets. Bombers hunt freighters and flagships — down them first.
• In the trench, climbing out draws heavy flak. Fly energy barriers through the glowing gap.
• Friends join your wing — even mid-mission — with the lobby’s Invite link.

Strategy tips

Aim at the yellow circle

Bolts fly at 900 m/s (820 on the Bulwark), so aim at the small yellow lead circle in front of the target, not at the ship. When an enemy's lead point is within a narrow cone of your nose, your bolts bend toward it — about 2° with a mouse, 6° on touch.

Hold the lock

Keep a target within about 15° of the nose and 1,700 m for 0.9 s to lock a missile (60 damage). On a big target with a torpedo left, the same button fires a torpedo after 1.2 s from up to 2,200 m: 420 damage, but only 30% of it on fighters.

Roll through fire

EVADE makes lasers and missiles pass through you from 0.04 to 0.48 s after you press. It recharges in 2.4 s on the Lancer, 1.7 s on the Stinger and 2.9 s on the Bulwark.

Drop decoys early

A missile more than 260 m away always chases the decoy; between 120 and 260 m about two times in three; closer than 120 m about one time in three. A decoy also breaks enemies that are locking onto you.

Break off to recharge

Shields start to recharge 3.2 s after the last hit, at 16% of their maximum per second. A few seconds away from the fight often saves the hull.

Generators first

A dreadnought's reactor core (1,100) ignores damage while any shield generator stands. Generators have 360, so a single torpedo breaks one when you fly alone. The hangar sends two drones every 24 s until you destroy it.

Stay low in the trench

You get two torpedoes when you cross the rim. More than 24 m above the rim for over 1.2 s and surface flak hits you; fly through the moving gap of each energy barrier or lose your shield and 34 hull.

At a glance

Genre

Action & multiplayer

Players

1–8

Price

Free

Available languages

Korean · English · Japanese · Chinese · Spanish

Platform

Web browser (no install)

Developer notes

Arcade flight on purpose

The fighters do not drift with real inertia. Velocity follows the nose with a slight slide, and when you release the roll the wings level back to the bank your turn needs, so a phone player never loses which way is up.

Your hits are your hits

In co-op and team dogfights the server runs the rules at 30 Hz, but each browser flies its own fighter, sends its position 20 times a second and judges its own laser hits. In a fast dogfight the hit you see should count.

Help that depends on the hand

Aim assist and lock cones are widest on touch, narrower on a gamepad and narrowest with a mouse. Touch also gets auto-fire by default, so a phone player can concentrate on flying.

Update history

• 2026-10-23NOVA SQUADRON launches with three fighters, six missions, co-op for up to four pilots, team dogfights from 1v1 to 4v4 in three arenas, five languages, touch, mouse, keyboard and gamepad controls.

Questions and answers

Further reading

• NOVA SQUADRON: Lead the Shot, Hold the Lock, Roll Through Fire