How to play Space Match III
A free match-3 puzzle game in space, in your browser · spacematch3.com
No download, no account, no ads, no in-game purchases. It works on a computer with a mouse and on a phone held upright.
Play now Today's Daily ChallengeThe rules
- The goal: every level has one goal: clear the board — everything in the "clear all" panel — before the moves run out.
- Matches: swap two neighbouring planets to make a line of 3 or more of one color. Planets fall straight down to fill the gaps.
- Bombs: a line of 4 or more makes a bomb; bigger lines make bigger bombs. Tap a bomb (or swap it) to blast the cells around it. Swap a bomb with a bomb: each blasts its own shape, but hits every cell twice.
- The black hole: blasts charge it. Swap the black hole with a planet: it eats every planet of that color.
- Orbital strikes: points from every win add up, and cascades pay more the deeper they go. Every 80,000 points give an orbital strike: one hit on any cell, no move spent. Three strikes skip a level you lost five times.
Obstacles
- Asteroids break only in blasts.
- Comet ice lets its frozen planet go for a match of the same color next to it.
- Satellites lose an antenna for each match next to them.
- Fog hides the planets under it and thins with each match.
- Ringed planets are anchored: they lose a ring per match, and nothing falls through them.
- Red glow on a cell goes when a match is made on it.
- Cargo pods break from any match next to them.
- Spore pods break from any match next to them and burst into new red glow.
- Teleports (from level 501): a pair of gates with the same number of lit lamps. What falls into the entrance comes out of the exit and falls on. An obstacle in either cell closes the pair until it breaks; blasts and lines do not go through.
"How to play" on the home screen shows each rule with a short animation.
The Daily Challenge
One level a day, the same for everyone, like Wordle. It is deterministic: the same board and the same falling pieces for everyone, on every try — no luck, only your moves. Clear it in as few moves as you can: match or beat the par for a star, see your place on the day's leaderboard, and share your best run as a row of emoji squares. spacematch3.com/daily is always today's daily; /daily/N is daily number N.
The story
You are Roger, a junior pilot of the Lane Clearance Service: before a liner passes, the lane must be cleared of rocks, ice, wrecks and worse. Your tug, the Bucephalus, is a proud name for a rusty work machine — everybody calls it the Bucket. Orders come from Commander Przybylski, an old pilot who speaks short and from above (Roger never says his name right). The on-board computer, Mentor, gives exact and useless numbers. Space as a workplace — routine, instructions, machines with quirks — with a little humour.
Questions
Is Space Match III free?
Yes. No ads, no in-game purchases, no download.
Do I need an account?
No. Your progress is kept in your own browser. So it does not move to another device, and clearing the site's data in your browser starts the game again.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes, with the phone held upright (a phone on its side is not supported yet). Add it to your home screen and it opens like an app. On a computer, play with a mouse.
Is there an app in the App Store or Google Play?
No. The game runs in the browser; on a phone, add it to the home screen.
How many levels are there?
No end. The story campaign runs for 3,000 levels, and the levels go on after it. A level generator makes them and a bot checks each one, so every level can be won and has a fair move limit.
How does the Daily Challenge work?
One level a day, new at midnight your local time. Everyone gets the same board and the same falling pieces, on every try, so only your moves decide. Play it as many times as you like: your best run counts and goes on the day's leaderboard.
What is par?
The number of moves a good run needs: the middle result of a bot that plays the daily without seeing the next pieces. Match or beat it for a star.
Can I play past dailies?
Yes. "Previous days" on the home screen lists every past daily, and spacematch3.com/daily/N opens daily number N.
Does it work offline?
Not yet: the game needs the internet to load.
Is it safe for children?
It has no chat, no ads and no purchases, and it asks no one for a name, email or age. On the leaderboard players show only as a call sign made from the game's own words and a country flag.
Who made it?
Andrew (x.com/andrewzotov), with AI tools: Claude wrote the game, ChatGPT Images drew it, Suno made the music. Questions and bug reports: [email protected].
Credits
- Prompt engineer: Andrew — x.com/andrewzotov
- Creative producer, engine development: Claude Opus 5.5
- Graphics: ChatGPT Images 2.5 · Music: Suno v6 · Sound effects: ElevenLabs · Video and animations: Seedance 2.5
- Inspirations: Space Quest; Stanisław Lem's Pilot Pirx stories
- Contact: [email protected]