How do you play Riot Line?

Switch lanes by dragging or with the arrow keys, punch with PUNCH or Space, and kick with KICK or K. Meet attackers at the line before their blow lands or they shove through an empty lane.

Why did my punch not knock him down?

Either he was out of reach, he was carrying a riot shield (kick it away first), or he was a heavy, who takes three punches or a kick and a punch.

Why did I lose a heart when nobody hit me?

An attacker who reaches the line in a lane you are not in leans on it, and when the amber bar over his head fills he shoves through and costs a heart. Get to his lane before it fills.

Each wave is bigger and faster than the last, so eventually yes. The score is how far you pushed the line.

Play Riot Line: free wave-defense brawler game

warming up Riot Line…

💡 click the game once so it hears your keyboard

←

Sliding Wave

Turf Rush→

Hold the line: punch the quick ones, kick the shields, never let them shove through.

A defender jogs down a floodlit checkpoint while the crowd comes at them in three lanes. Whoever reaches the line squares up and winds up a blow, and anyone who reaches an empty lane shoves straight through. Two blows to answer with: a quick punch, and a slower kick that reaches further, knocks a man back and breaks a riot shield. Runners, shields and heavies join in wave by wave, and a heart is gone for every blow and every breach.

Free to play, no download, no sign-up. Hosted with ❤ by GamerX.

How to play Riot Line

You jog down a night checkpoint as one defender, and attackers run at you in three lanes. Drag left or right, or use the arrow keys, to dash to another lane. An attacker who reaches the line stops and fights: in your lane he winds up a punch, and a ring at his feet and a bar over his head fill red until it lands and costs you a heart. In a lane you are not in, the bar fills amber while he leans on the line, and when it is full he shoves through and costs you a heart too. Tap PUNCH for a quick jab that reaches about a body length, or KICK for a slower blow that reaches further, hits twice as hard and knocks him back. A blow lands only when your fist or boot is out and he is within its reach. Runners come fast, riot shields shrug off punches until a kick knocks the shield away, and heavies take three punches, or a kick and a punch. Each wave opens with a banner and a bell saying what it brings, and the line holds still while anyone is fighting on it, so the distance only grows while you keep it clear.

Tips

Watch the bars over their heads. Red means a blow is coming at you; amber means someone is about to shove through an empty lane.
Kick shields, punch everyone else. A punch into a shield just bounces off, and the kick is too slow to waste on a runner.
Dash into a lane early. Arriving before he squares up gives you the whole wind-up to land the blow.
A heavy takes three punches, or a kick and one punch. Kick first, then finish him while he is still rocked back.

About Riot Line

Riot Line is a lane brawler built around a single question asked over and over: which lane do I go to, and which blow do I throw when I get there? Every attacker telegraphs what they are about to do, a blow if you stand in front of them or a breach if you do not, so the game is triage rather than reflex mashing, and the two attacks make the triage richer: the punch is quick but short and useless against a riot shield, the kick is slow but reaches further and opens shields and heavies up. Blows land only when the fist or the boot is actually out and the man is actually within reach, measured off the characters themselves, so a hit looks like a hit. The waves add a new kind of attacker each time until all four are mixed together and the gaps between them shrink, so every run eventually breaks; the score is how far you pushed the line before it did.

What you need

Graphics: WebGL, which every browser from the last decade has switched on already
Controls: Keyboard or touchscreen
On a phone: Yes
Install: Nothing. It runs in this tab.

Questions

How do you play Riot Line?: Switch lanes by dragging or with the arrow keys, punch with PUNCH or Space, and kick with KICK or K. Meet attackers at the line before their blow lands or they shove through an empty lane.
Why did my punch not knock him down?: Either he was out of reach, he was carrying a riot shield (kick it away first), or he was a heavy, who takes three punches or a kick and a punch.
Why did I lose a heart when nobody hit me?: An attacker who reaches the line in a lane you are not in leans on it, and when the amber bar over his head fills he shoves through and costs a heart. Get to his lane before it fills.
Does it ever end?: Each wave is bigger and faster than the last, so eventually yes. The score is how far you pushed the line.