Last updated on January 16th, 2026 at 11:36 am
Orbital – Puzzle Game Review
Orbital is a Puzzle/Strategy/Entertainment game from bitforge Ltd., first launched in 13th August 2009.
It’s rated 4+ and currently has 42+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Orbital Stand Out
Get the Game of the Year** now! ORBITAL is a 1-thumb experience with a simple goal: score points by destroying orbs. A simple puzzle game for all with beautiful visual effects, it can be played in short sessions and is highly addictive.
HOW FAR CAN YOU GO?
Awards and Prizes:
*Game of the Year denki.co.uk
Winner DiscoveryBeats Apps Contest
*Silver Award pocketGamer.co.uk
VIDEO TRAILER
1) www.tinyurl.com/orbitaliphone
AWARDS
TOP RATED
- jayisgames.com
SILVER AWARD
- pocketgamer.co.uk
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY
«ORBITAL is a game of skill, it's a game of strategy, it's a game of reflexes, and it's a game you will keep front and center of your iPhone for weeks on end.»
- John Bardinelli (jayisgames.com)
«A picnic to understand, but a marathon to get beyond the first few minutes, Orbital's simple style is perfect for those looking for fill the odd spare moment.» 8/10
- Keith Andrew (pocketgamer.co.uk)
«Orbital is the most visually appealing brick breaker type game that I have ever laid eyes on and had the chance to play.» 5/5
- Mike (iphoneincanada.ca)
«While there are already a few iPhone games that share the same gameplay mechanics as Orbital, none of them look anywhere near as cool.»
- Eli Hodapp (toucharcade.com)
«BitForge has managed to combine the addictive gameplay of Peggle and the beauty of Geometry Wars, two digital forms of crack, into one easy to use package.»
- Chad George (thatvideogameblog.com)
«Orbital takes simple gameplay and dresses it up with a unique “gravity” feature and enhanced graphics. The game can be very frustrating at times, but that won’t keep you from coming back for another try.» 4/5
- Will Raskin (148apps.com)
«Orbital has got fantastic graphics and unfussy features. Come to think of it, there are really no negative points about the game. Good going, Bitforge!» 5/5
- Yoyo (iphonefootprint.com)
GAMEPLAY
You must shoot orbs into a grid with your cannon. The orb you fired will expand until it touches a wall or another orb. Each orb contains the number ‘3’, which decreases by one every time it is hit. After 3 hits they explode and you earn a point. The game could be endless… There is just one condition: a shot orb must not touch the death line above the cannon! If it does, the game is over.
A simple concept to rack your brains and nerves.
FEATURES
- Single & Two player mode
- 3 game modes: Gravity, Pure & Supernova
- Beautiful particle effects
- All-time & 24 Hours online Leader board
- Facebook connection: Compare with your friends on Facebook
ORBITAL is based on Gimme Friction Baby by Wouter Visser.
This Puzzle game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Orbital is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 23rd September 2020
Recent improvements include:
ORBITAL has been refreshed for the latest iOS update – the Game now works properly on iOS 14 and now also supports Devices with 120hz Displays (e.g. iPad Pro 2020).
Download & Availability
Orbital is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
Ive been playing this game for 16 years and in that time its been a perfect little device to get us out of our own head and find calm. (we do play in silent or very low volume) Unlike some of our original games on our first iPhone, this has remained a classic. Thank you.
We remember playing this game in the waiting room to pass the time while our son was being born. Hes 15 now and Im still enjoying this challenging, yet simple, colorful game.
We think Ive had this game more than 13 years. Its still great, we still play it. Thanks to the developers for keeping it going; it even runs on Macs now. We do miss the original music, though.
It just created the best zone for playing.
Very much a casual game. Auto resumes when you close and reopen. The soundtrack is brilliant too.
Love love love this game and have for years. One of our exes introduced us to it and we have since introduced it to all our exes and our now husband (not ex). Everyone loves/loved it. We just wish there was an original sound fx mode. The opening music was so peaceful! At least they kept the robot voice.
Thank you for the update to work with iOS 14. A top game that stands the test of time. Tons of replay value.
We bought this game over a decade ago for $4.99 or maybe a little bit more or less. It is still on our phone all these years later and is still one of our favorite casual games. It completely boggles our mind that it is still getting updates to keep it running on the latest iOS! What a fantastic commitment from the developers.
Glad the game was updated to play on newer phones but the physics are different and easier to die. Also – what happened to the leaderboards?! Disappointed.
We absolutely love this game! Ive had it on our phone for many years. We would love to see an Orbital 2 that has some new game modes and is modified to fit the IPhone X screen! Pleaseeee make another Orbital! Dear devs..this is still one of our favorite games. Been playing since the release and its now August 2020. Pleassseee make a sequel with new modes, power ups full screen and new crisp graphics.
It doesnt have to be full screen. Please! Thanks.
This game is FUN! Three different games in one. Awesome colorful graphics and we really like one of the two tunes in the game. The only drawback is you cant select one tune over the other to always play. This game is addicting.
Ive had Orbital since our first iPhone (4s) and we LOVE it. We only play Gravity mode, which is the perfect game for us. Id even say its the perfect simple iPhone game. What we love: – its super simple and extremely well done – its pretty/fun to look at – its challenging – we havent beaten our own high score in years – restarting after a loss is FAST, painless – its Bizarro Tetris! > blocks are circles > they go up, not down > defaults to resting; player controls pace of game > targeting is proactive not reactive > and the consequences get less predictable and more stimulating as the field fills in whereas Tetris is simply a relentless closing off of options we find it the perfect mindless game for when Im listening to an audiobook or podcast or just feeling fidgety.
Ive enjoyed this classic game for years, through many iOS updates. But, sadly, iOS 13 seems to have broken it. Please, give us fans an update! Thanks in advance.
Anyone who got this almost 10 years ago still play? We still miss the old title screen song.
…and so hard to put down! That was our original short review from many years ago when you first brought out this app. However, we just launched it again today and found that we couldnt do anything to get any sound working with it again. Checked app settings, mute hardware switch, phone volume, uninstalled and reinstalled (doh, lost game history now) and rebooting the phone. Still no sound. (iPhone XS, iOS 12.2).
And we still love it. We especially like SuperNova mode. A great time waster.
We downloaded this game in 2007, and have literally been playing regularly ever since.
Still a great game after all these years, but we really prefer the original sounds, particularly the music.
We've been playing this game frequently since 2009 and we love it just as much today as the day we first bought it. No two games are the same. This is a fantastic one-finger gem for when you have a spare minute or two… Or 200 if you just can't put it down.
One of our top favorite games. It's an old classic app from the early days (2009) but it was updated in 2015 .. The physics and graphics and UI are all up to modern tech levels. Highest recommendation. 5 stars.
The lights, the sound, the effects. It's dazzling and fun.
We loved this game. Been out for awhile. Re uploaded time and again. Very fun, simple, yet unique. The update was a pleasant surprise but….frankly, the game is too loud. One of our favorite aspects was the original sound effects. How things exploded but was still kind of muted so it wasn't overkill. We loved the tennis ball sounds when it bumped or …..basically we loved the original sound fx. We know u want spruce things up and making it more crisp is a nice touch but cannonball explosions etc is too much-too loud. At least put in an option to choose original game play.
This game still rocks 5 years later. A classic.
We love this game and play it all the time. With the fix to ensure scores do not reset when you pause, it's back to the top of the list. Bitforge deserves huge kudos for taking the feedback and quickly addressing the issues identified by their customers. Will go out of our way to check out other titles by these folks. Thank you.
Was unexpected to get an update on this old game but sweet! Good work devs.
This game has been a favorite for years, and still is! Eye candy, fun & quick gameplay. Thanks for the update.
Fun and challenging game. We play on an iPod Touch and if there is no connection to the server and we exit the game, it forgets our high scores. We have lost several Top 5 scores this way. Argh. Fix the scoreboard server already.
We appreciate the excellent update for iPad. However, we still miss the background music in old version. Could designer keep the original sound.
A great game all these years later, but we would still really like a mode that more closely mimics the speed and simplicity of the original version by Wouter Visser. We don't like having the results of your shot obscured by fireworks, and the increased speed of the game means aiming is more a matter of luck than it was with the slower version. Also, we'd really like to have an undo version in some non-competitive mode. All too often we spend a long time setting up a great board only to ruin it with one stupid shot. We'd like to have an undo so we can see how that board could play out.
Just repeats the opening screen and exits if you tap on anything.
The old sfx and music were so much better, now we play it on mute.
Seriously? You cant keep updates coming to support newer IOS versions.
One of our favorites forever. Now it just plays the opening animated logo for bitforge over and over. Never get to play anymore.
We love this game but can no longer play it after upgrading to iphone 11. It crashes back to home screen after startup. Please update this great game to work on new IOS versions and devices. Will update to 5 stars if it becomes playable again.
We rarely write reviews but seeing an update to Orbital gave us a euphoria similar to waking up on Christmas Morning as a child.
We've had this for years thank you for the update add a do over as an in app purchase and you could get rich hint hint.
Been playing for years, and it's a go-to game for relaxation. Old music was really great, but now it's grating. Any chance of adding the option of the old music and effects back for the classic Zen-like experience? :).
This game is so much fun! The graphics are awesome.
Hey this has been our fav game on here for 5 years but the new update seems to have shrank the "playing field" on our iPhone 5s. Maybe an update to adjust board to device.
We can't believe it. We thought this project was dead a long time ago. Top notch game. Thanks so much for making our favorite iOS game look beautiful on our iPhone 6.
The recent update to the game is great, but this game is so simple, fun and addictive it never even bothered us before that it didn't support larger screens. It looks glorious in its new larger size and is still a go to game for us when we have a few minutes. Slightly sad that the button order changed, as we have 5 years of muscle memory to break.
And two player on same device is a lot of fun! Update: couldn't ask for anything more than an update to Orbital's graphics for new high-end devices–and you gave it to us! THANK YOU.
Just a great challenging game. Simple enough to pick up quickly. Challenging enough to take some skill. Quick enough to burn extra time when we need to. This game has stayed on our second screen since the first time we downloaded it.
If the game is backgrounded for any extended period, the score resets to zero. For a good player, a great game is not always completed in one sitting. You're alienating your biggest fans. Please fix. We're running the latest version as of this review date.
We were so happy to see that this app was finally updated. We still play it after all these months. It's just fun! We also love the music. However, whenever we bomb out of a game, the app crashes. We hope it's an easy fix. Thank you so much.
Loved the game for five years, why mess with success. Miss the music, hate the new sound effects. Can you rerelease orbital classic please.
If playing a game and you leave the app, if the app needs to reload, it will remember your game and let you resume but the score is set to zero. Can reproduce by force killing as well.
We've had this app on our phone since it was released we still go back to it what a wonderful game that deserves more recognition than it has gotten. Thanks for continuing to support this game.
One of the first games we downloaded when we switched to iPhone 3 years ago and we still play it for hours every day! Not too much has changed but we love the challenge, the visuals, and the gameplay. Highly recommended.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.5.0
- Size: 22.54 MB
- iOS: 13.0 or later
- Languages: EN, FR, DE, IT, ES
- Content Advisory:
- Developer: bitforge Ltd.
Last updated: 23rd September 2020 | Genre: Puzzle, Strategy | Developer: bitforge Ltd.