What Is Windage? A Free Browser Remake of Scorched Earth

Updated

Windage is a free, browser-based remake of the classic Scorched Earth artillery game. You take turns lobbing shells across destructible terrain, adjust for shifting wind, buy weapons from an arms shop, and fight 2–6 players — online, in hot-seat pass-and-play, or against CPU tanks. It runs in any modern browser on desktop or mobile with no download and no sign-up. It's a good fit if you want short, turn-based matches with light physics and strategy rather than real-time action.

How a match works

Each round is turn-based. On your turn you pick a weapon, set an angle and power, and fire. The wind pushes your shell in flight, so the same shot can land differently from round to round — the name itself refers to the force the wind exerts on a projectile, or the act of compensating for it. Terrain is fully destructible, so craters change the map and can drop tanks.

The site offers two game styles that change how much is going on:

  • Basic — one missile, no aiming help. Good for quick, stripped-down duels.
  • Standard — full arsenal, the arms shop, and aim-assist.

Game modes

Mode What it is Best for
Single Player Quick game vs 1–5 CPU tanks, or a Campaign ladder of tougher foes Learning the game or solo play
Multiplayer Online Play over the internet with 2–6 players Playing with friends remotely
Hot Seat Pass-and-play on one device with 2–6 humans (plus optional CPUs) Same-room sessions

Settings you can tune before a battle

The lobby exposes a fair number of options, so matches can range from simple to chaotic:

  • Maps: rolling hills, mountains, plateaus, islands, flatlands
  • Walls: open (shells fly off), wraparound, rubber (bounce), spring (kick back), concrete (stop), random per round, erratic per shot
  • Turn order: random, losers first, winners first, round-robin
  • Turn mode: sequential (take turns) or synchronous (everyone locks in and fires together)
  • Physics: normal, low gravity, high gravity, thick air, steady wind
  • Market: fixed prices or free market
  • Sky: clear or stormy (with lightning)
  • Scoring: standard (round wins), basic (wins only), greedy (net worth)
  • Rounds: 3 or 5
  • Aiming help: allowed or disabled

CPU difficulty can be set to Easy, Normal, or Hard.

Is it actually free, and do I need an account?

Yes — the site states Windage is completely free, with no download and no sign-up. You open it in your browser and play. The site does not list any pricing tiers or payment options, and no login is described, so you can start a match immediately.

What to expect in practice

  • Short sessions. Turn-based rounds with a handful of players suit a quick break; a 5-round match with several tanks takes longer than a 3-round duel.
  • Wind is the core skill. Reading and compensating for wind matters more than raw aim, especially with "steady wind" or "thick air" enabled.
  • Terrain is a weapon. Destroying ground under an opponent is a legitimate tactic, so expect maps to degrade as a match goes on.
  • Mobile works, but aiming is finer with a mouse. The game is playable on mobile browsers; precise angle and power tweaks are easier on desktop.

If you want a no-install artillery game to play solo against CPUs or pass a laptop around with friends, Windage covers that directly. If you specifically want real-time multiplayer or a persistent account with progression, this isn't that kind of game — the campaign is a ladder of CPU opponents, not an online ranked system.