Play INKWAVE in Your Browser
INKWAVE runs directly in your browser. No download, no install, no account. Two teams of four paint the arena for three minutes; the team holding more turf wins. You can play against bots, open a private online room for up to eight players, or fight HULLBREAKER in a co-op Boss Battle.
Quick match starts a three-minute match with your saved settings and skips the menus; both buttons open the game in the full browser window. The frame below runs the full game inside this page, where you can pick a weapon, a stage and a difficulty.
The game also runs on its own at /play/game/ if the frame does not load.
Modes
- Turf War — 4v4 for three minutes against bots, or in a private online room with up to eight players.
- Boss Battle — a squad of up to eight against HULLBREAKER, a giant armoured crab. Public beta. Plays offline with bots or online with friends.
- Online rooms — create a room, share the five-character code, and everyone picks a team, weapon and look. Bots fill the empty slots, and a player who drops is replaced by a bot.
- Cargo Terminal — the online-only stage. It needs at least two players and never fills with bots.
How to play in 30 seconds
- Move with W A S D, aim with the mouse and fire with the left click.
- Your shots paint the ground. Fresh ink is your colour; the score bar compares the two teams.
- Hold Shift to dive into your own ink: swim fast, refill and climb inked walls.
- Throw a Splat Bomb with E and fire your special with F when it is charged.
- Pick Turf War or Boss Battle in the Play menu; pick Online to create or join a room.
- When the clock runs out, the team with more turf wins. In a Boss Battle, drop HULLBREAKER first.
The full guide covers ink mechanics, specials, online rooms and the Boss Battle.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard / mouse | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|
| Move | W A S D | Left stick |
| Aim | Mouse | Right stick |
| Fire | Left click | RT |
| Squid form | Shift | LT |
| Jump / dodge roll | Space | A |
| Sub weapon (bomb) | Right click / E | RB |
| Special | F | Y |
| Map + Super Jump | Hold Tab or M, then 1–4 or click a pin | View |
| Pause | Esc | Start |
Requirements
- Chrome and Edge are the target browsers; Firefox works, and Safari runs but is slower.
- A discrete or recent integrated GPU is recommended for the High quality preset; the settings menu has lower tiers.
- Gamepads work on the hosted HTTPS version of the game.
- Online rooms need an internet connection and hold up to eight players; there is no account.
Tips for your first match
- Paint on your way to the fight. Turf, not splats, decides the match.
- Fight on your own ink: enemy ink slows you and deals damage.
- Dive into ink when your health is low; swimming regenerates it.
- Use the map to super-jump to a teammate instead of walking back.
- Try the Chill bots first, then climb to Fresh and Fierce.
- In a Boss Battle, watch the telegraph before each attack and aim for the glowing weak points.