Whack-a-Mole

Smash the critters before they duck back down

Whack-a-Mole is a 30-second reaction game on a 3x3 grid of nine holes. Critters pop up at random from the holes, and you tap or click one before it ducks back down to score. Each stays visible for about 0.95 seconds, and a fresh one appears every 0.6 seconds with the rhythm jittered so the pace never becomes predictable.

This build runs in your browser with no download and no account. Scoring uses a live combo multiplier: each consecutive critter you smash raises the bonus from x1 up to x4, capped after six chained hits. Some spawns are bombs, and hitting one costs 15 points and snaps your combo to zero; a critter that retreats unhit resets it too.

The challenge self-balances within the 30-second round: the spawn timer tightens as the clock winds down, so the pace accelerates. Control everything with a finger or mouse, just tap the hole. On desktop, keys 1 to 9 whack the matching hole and Space restarts. Your best score is saved locally, so you can chase a record across sessions without signing in.

Whack-a-Mole is a single self-contained HTML file with every graphic drawn on a canvas. There are no external images, no tracking, no cookies, and no server calls. It works on phones in portrait or landscape and on desktop, and it never asks for an account. Open it, play instantly, and close it; nothing about your session leaves the page.

How to play

Tap or click a critter the moment it pops up from one of the nine holes.
Chain hits without missing to grow your combo multiplier from x1 up to x4.
Avoid the bombs, striking one costs 15 points and resets your streak.
Score as much as you can before the 30-second timer runs out.

Controls

Mouse or touch: tap any hole to whack it
Keyboard 1-9: whack the hole in that grid position
Space or Enter: start or replay the round

Tips

Wait for the critter to fully rise before tapping, early taps on an empty hole do nothing.
Prioritise keeping your combo alive, a six-hit streak doubles every later point.
Let bombs retreat untouched rather than risk a mistap that breaks your run.