Prop Aces: Dogfight Survival

About the Game

Prop Aces: Dogfight Survival is a free top-down airplane shooter set in a bright, cartoon World War II-inspired sky. You fly a chubby propeller fighter for the Kestrel Union over a wide ocean battlefield dotted with islands, and the Iron Dominion's fighters, aces, kamikaze rocket planes and four-engine bombers are out to shoot you down. Your plane always flies forward, so every fight is about turning, positioning and getting on the enemy's tail before they get on yours. Each run is a chain of missions that keeps changing: pop barrage balloons, sink a supply freighter and its gunboat escort, silence flak batteries on the islands, escort a friendly bomber across the map, bring down an armoured zeppelin, defend a harbour from raiders and survive a timed onslaught. Every fifth mission the enemy ace Baron Krell takes to the sky himself, with bursts of gunfire, rings of bullets and wingmen to call on. Quick kills build a combo multiplier up to x4, and power-ups such as shields, homing rockets, spread shot, rapid fire and a lightning strike turn the tide of a battle. Coins earned in every run unlock new aircraft in the hangar — the fast Hornet interceptor and the heavy twin-engine Bulldog — and buy armour, gun and engine upgrades that apply to every plane. A short training flight teaches the controls on your first launch. Prop Aces plays with the keyboard on desktop and with a floating joystick and fire button on phones and tablets, saves your progress automatically and runs right in your browser on PixelsMaya with no download or account.

How to Play Prop Aces: Dogfight Survival

1. Pick a plane in the hangar and press Fly. On your first flight a short training mission walks you through the controls.
2. Your fighter always flies forward. Turn with the Left and Right arrow keys, or drag your thumb on the left half of the screen to point the plane where you want to go.
3. Hold Space, or the round fire button on touch screens, to fire your guns. Tracers show where your rounds are going, and an X marks every hit.
4. Hold Shift while turning, or the turn button on touch screens, for a sharp turn. It swings you around much faster but bleeds speed, so use it to get behind an enemy or dodge a kamikaze.
5. Follow the mission line at the top of the screen. Gold markers and minimap diamonds point to targets, green ones to the bomber or harbour you must protect, and red arrows to nearby enemies.
6. Shoot down enemies quickly one after another to build a combo multiplier, and fly through the power-ups they drop for shields, homing rockets, spread shot, rapid fire, repairs or a lightning strike.
7. When you are shot down the run ends; spend the coins you earned in the hangar on new planes and upgrades, then fly again to beat your best score.

Tips & Strategy

• Never fly in a straight line for long. Enemy fighters only shoot when you are in front of their guns, so a steady turn keeps you out of most of their fire.
• Use the sharp turn to reverse direction when a fighter is on your tail, then let go as soon as you are pointing at it so you get your speed back.
• Kamikaze rocket planes flash red and beep when they start their dive. Turn sideways across their path rather than running away from them — they are faster than you.
• Kill enemies within three seconds of each other to keep your combo alive. A single x4 streak is worth more than several careful kills.
• On escort and harbour missions, stay close to what you are protecting and shoot the bombers first; they do the most damage.
• Against Baron Krell, circle at medium range. When he fires a ring of bullets, turn through a gap instead of trying to outrun it, and clear his wingmen quickly when he calls them in.
• Spend your first coins on Armour and Guns upgrades — they help every plane — then save up for the Hornet if you like speed or the Bulldog if you want to tank hits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Prop Aces free to play?

Yes. Prop Aces is completely free and runs in your browser, with no download, no account and no purchases.

Can I play Prop Aces on my phone?

Yes. It works on phones and tablets as well as desktop. Hold your device in landscape, drag on the left side of the screen to steer and use the buttons on the right to fire and make sharp turns.

Does the game save my progress?

Yes. Your coins, unlocked planes, upgrades, best score and settings are saved automatically in your browser on the device you play on.

What are the controls on a keyboard?

Left and Right arrows turn, Up and Down change speed, Space fires, Shift plus an arrow makes a sharp turn, P or Esc pauses and M mutes the sound. In the hangar, use the arrows to choose a plane and 1, 2 and 3 to buy upgrades.

What kinds of missions are there?

Missions rotate between shooting down barrage balloons, sinking a supply convoy, destroying flak batteries, escorting a bomber, bringing down a zeppelin, defending a harbour and surviving a timed onslaught. Every fifth mission is a boss fight against the ace Baron Krell, and each full cycle gets harder.

How do I unlock new planes?

Every run earns coins based on your score. Spend them in the hangar to unlock the Hornet, a fast and agile interceptor, and the Bulldog, a slow twin-engine heavy fighter, or to buy Armour, Guns and Engine upgrades that improve every plane.

Can I pause the game?

Yes. Press P or Esc, or tap the pause button in the top-right corner, to pause and change the sound, music, vibration, aim assist and reduce-motion settings. The game also pauses itself when you leave fullscreen on mobile.