Planetary Strike Online Instructions Cover Page.png

Quick Start Guide (Steam Edition)

Planetary Strike is a turn-based online tactics game for 1–6 players. Command a fleet of 18 ships, defend your planet, and destroy your opponents' planet to win.

General Play

Blue always goes first. Play proceeds in a clockwise direction. Each turn consists of moving one vessel within its movement range.

Your Goal

Land any of your ships on an enemy planet to destroy it. Be the last commander standing.

Start Here

Launch Planetary Strike and select Single Player.
Choose Practice to play against the AI.
Blue always goes first.
On your turn, select one ship and move it.
Land on an enemy ship to destroy it. Land on an enemy planet to win.

Your Fleet (18 Ships)

Three Rules to Remember

1. No jumping – you cannot move through another ship.

2. No stacking – you cannot land on your own ship.

3. Protect your planet – you cannot make a move that leaves your planet open to capture on the next turn.

Ready for More?

Multiplayer – Select Multiplayer from the Main Menu to play Ranked or Casual matches online.

Campaign – Select Single Player → Campaign for story-driven missions that earn Rank Medals.

Full Rules – See the complete Planetary Strike Online Game Instructions for advanced rules including Reactive Movement, Dethroning, Double Kill, and the Campaign Editor below.

1. Game Overview & Objective

Objective

Destroy enemy planets while protecting your own. In 2player games, the match ends as soon as one planet is destroyed. In games with three or more players, play continues until only one player or team remains.

Key Terms

Planet
Each commander has a home planet that occupies two adjacent spaces — one dark and one light — on the battlefield grid. Players must defend their own planet while attempting to destroy their opponents.
Vessel
Each game piece is a vessel — a single ship used to defend your planet or attack enemy planets and ships. You command a fleet of eighteen vessels divided into six classes, each with its own movement pattern and range (see Ship Classes & Movement).
Fleet
A fleet is all 18 same color vessels under a single commander's control.

Recommended First Match
New commanders should start with a Practice match against the AI to learn ship movement and planet defense before jumping into Campaign or Multiplayer modes.

2. Navigating the Main Menu

When you launch Planetary Strike, you will see two options:

Single Player – Access the Campaign, Campaign Editor, custom missions, and Practice mode.

Multiplayer – Join or host online matches against other players.

Planetary Strike Instructions_Main Menu.png

Single Player Menu Options

Planetary Strike Instructions_Single Player Menu.png

3. Commander Profile & Progression

Your commander profile is displayed on the Multiplayer screen and shows:

Commander Name – Your chosen in-game identity.

Rank Title – Your current rank label (for example, Cadet I).

Rank Badge – Your current rank tier (for example, Rookie). Advance through tiers by earning points in Ranked matches.

Progress Bars – Track your advancement toward your next rank milestone.

Progression Tracks

Planetary Strike has two separate progression tracks:

Note:  Casual matches and Practice games do not affect either progression track.

Skill Tier System

The Skill Tier System matches you with commanders of similar ability, so every Ranked match is competitive and fair.

Streak Meter

Build a win streak to earn bonus rank points and accelerate your climb through the tiers.

Clans
Join or create a Clan to compete alongside allies and represent your crew on the leaderboard.

Player Stat Box

Your Player Stat Box tracks wins, losses, and key metrics so you can monitor your improvement over time.

Leaderboards

Planetary Strike features six global leaderboards tracking your competitive performance across all ranked formats. Your results are posted publicly, so you can see how your standing compares to commanders around the world.

4. Multiplayer Modes

From the Main Menu, select Multiplayer to access online matches against other players. that works well on almost every site.

Ranked

Select Ranked to enter competitive matchmaking.
You are automatically matched with another commander of a similar rank.
All Ranked matches are 1v1 with an average match time of 30 minutes.
Match results directly affect your rank progression and rank badge.
Win to climb the ranks and advance your rank tier.

Casual

Select Casual to choose your preferred match format without affecting your rank standing.
After selecting Casual, choose from the following five modes, then click Confirm to find a match:

5. Core Gameplay Loop

Planetary Strike is a turn-based online tactics game played on a digital grid.

Players take turns in clockwise order based on seat/slot in the online lobby.

On your turn, you select and move exactly one vessel according to its movement rules.

You destroy an opponent's planet by landing on one of its planet spaces.

No two vessels can occupy the same space, and no vessel can jump over another.

Blue always goes first. This applies to all game modes.

6. Game Modes & Setup

In the online game, all fleets and planets are placed automatically according to the selected mode.

Standard Starting Formation (all standard modes)

2 Titans on the planet
4 Fighters, 1 on both sides of each Titan
2 Battleships adjacent to the Titans
4 Frigates, 1 on both sides of each Battleship
2 Cruisers adjacent to the Battleships
4 Destroyers, 1 on both sides of each Cruiser

Available Online Modes

2-Player (1v1): Red vs Blue
- 1vAI (Single Player / Practice)
- 1v1 (Online Multiplayer – Ranked or Casual)

4-Player: Red, Blue, Green, Purple

4-Player Free-for-All (Casual)

2v2 (2Team): Two teams of two; partners sit opposite (Red & Purple vs Blue & Green). (Casual)

6-Player: Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Yellow, Orange

6-Player Free-for-All (Casual)

2v2v2 (3Team): Three teams of two (Red & Purple vs Blue & Green vs Yellow & Orange). (Casual)

7. Campaign & Mission Editor

Single Player Campaign

Select Single Player from the Main Menu, then choose Campaign to play through a series of story-driven missions. Progress earned in Campaign mode is tracked with Rank Medals; only Campaign missions affect your Rank Medal progression.

Mission Editor – Overview
The Campaign Editor lets you build, configure, and save your own custom missions on the same digital battlefield used in all game modes. It contains two main tabs:

Board Tab – Place planets and ships for each player color on the battlefield grid, select a preset formation, and set the match timer.

Campaign Editor – Board Tab: Use the Board tab to set up your mission's battlefield. Choose a preset and timer, select a player color, then place each ship class (Fighter, Destroyer, Frigate, Cruiser, Battleship, Titan) on the grid before validating and saving your custom scenario.

Note: In the Campaign Editor, the Red player is always the AI. When building your mission, design your starting formations with this in mind — Red's fleet will be controlled by the game's AI opponent during play.

Actions Tab – Add, edit, or delete scripted events and conditions that trigger during your mission.

Campaign Editor – Actions Tab: Use the Actions tab to add, edit, or delete scripted events and conditions for your mission. Once your board layout and actions are configured, select Validate to confirm your mission is set up correctly, then Export to save it.

Mission Editor – Create Your First Custom Mission

From the Main Menu, select Single Player.
Select Campaign Editor to open the editor on the Board tab.
Choose a Preset (for example, Two-Player or 4-Player) and set the match Timer.
Select a player color, then place each ship class on the battlefield grid to define starting formations.
Select the Actions tab to add, edit, or delete scripted events and conditions for your mission.
Click Validate to confirm the mission is correctly configured, then click Export to save it.
To play your custom mission, return to the Single Player menu and select Load Custom Story to load and launch your saved mission.

8. Battlefield & Fleet

The battlefield is a grid of dark and light spaces; each space is a possible destination for a vessel.

Each planet occupies two adjacent spaces and never moves. If an enemy vessel lands on either planet space, that planet is destroyed.
A fleet is all 18 same color vessels controlled by a single player.

9. Movement Rules (All Ships)

These rules apply to all vessels:

Move exactly one ship per turn. You may move from 1 space up to that ship's class limit.

No jumping: you cannot move through any ship; if a ship is in your path, that route is blocked.

No stacking: you cannot end your move on a friendly ship.

Planet Defense / Illegal Moves

You cannot make a move that leaves your planet open to direct capture on the very next turn; at least one ship must remain to block that threat.

In online matches, the game automatically enforces this rule. Threatened ships may enter a defending locked state, and you will only be allowed to make moves that block or destroy the attacking vessel.

Auto-Kill (Multi-Player Only)

Auto-Kill can instantly end the game when only two players remain.

If your planet is threatened by a Planetary Strike and you have no legal move to defend, block, or destroy the attacker, the game ends immediately, and the attacking vessel automatically destroys your planet.

When three or more players are in the match, Auto-Kill is inactive — you must physically land on a planet during your turn to eliminate that commander.

10. Ship Classes & Movement

Each class has a unique movement pattern.

Titan Color Change
Once per move, instead of making a standard long move, the Titan may step exactly 1 space vertically toward the board center or outer edge to flip between dark and light operating colors.

This Color Change step may capture an enemy vessel and completes the player's turn.

11. Turn Structure

Turn Order

The Blue commander goes first. Turns then proceed in a clockwise direction.
On your turn, select one of your vessels.
Move it according to its movement rules. See Movement Rules (All Ships).
If you end your move on an enemy vessel, that vessel is destroyed and removed from play.
Your turn ends after you complete a legal move.
You may not make a move that leaves your planet open to immediate capture on the next turn. In online matches, the game enforces this automatically with defending locked ships and by allowing only moves that block or destroy the threat.

Destroying Vessels

Any class can capture any opposing class by ending movement on that vessel's space.

Captured vessels are out of the game permanently.

You cannot capture your own or your teammate's ships.

If your own ship is blocking a path, you must spend a turn to move it.

Illegal Moves

Any move that leaves your own planet open to immediate capture on the next player's turn is illegal.

In online play, illegal moves are automatically blocked. The game will highlight valid defensive options when your planet is under threat.

12. Advanced & Team Rules (4 – 6 Players)

Team Play (2v2, 2v2v2)

In 2team (2v2) and 3team (2v2v2) modes, partners sit opposite in the turn order and may coordinate strategy within whatever communication rules you agree to before the match.

If no special rules are agreed upon, the default is no coaching during an active turn.

Dethroning (2v2v2, 4 & 6-Player Free-for-All)

Dethroning occurs when a player destroys another player's planet while at least one other player or team is still active.

The attacking player immediately gains sole control of all ships the defeated player still had on the gameplay board.

In 2v2v2 games, when a player is dethroned, their teammate's planet and any remaining ships become neutral; these neutral assets can be captured or destroyed by any remaining player.

Reactive Movement (2v2, 2v2v2, 4 & 6-Player Free-for-All)

If a player's planet is put in check and:

(a) it is not that player's turn next, and

(b) they have a legal move to defend,
play temporarily passes to that targeted player so they can block or capture the threat.

If multiple players are simultaneously threatened, resolve Reactive Movement clockwise, one defender at a time. After all reactive defenses, normal turn order resumes.

A defender may resolve the threat by capturing another threatened player's planet, if able.

Double Kill

A Double Kill is a tactic where one move creates two separate threats to the same planet simultaneously.

The targeted player has no single move that can stop both threats.

Double Kill does not trigger Reactive Movement.

Lame Duck (2v2v2, 4 & 6-Player Free-for-All)

A Lame Duck is a player who has been properly warned and cannot prevent the imminent capture of their planet on their next turn.

Until the capture occurs, they still take turns and may reposition ships, either to try to draw off the attack or to disrupt other players.

Neutral Assets (4 & 6-Player Free-for-All, 2v2v2)

When a player quits or their online timer expires, they are eliminated.

Their planets and ships become neutral and change to white. Neutral ships no longer take turns.

Any player can destroy neutral ships and planets. When a neutral planet is destroyed, all ships belonging to that planet are transferred to the attacking player and change to the attacker's color.

In 2v2v2 games, if one player is eliminated, their teammate is also eliminated, and all of their assets become neutral.

13. Victory Conditions

In all modes, you win by landing a vessel on an opponent's planet. In 1v1 Ranked, the winner gains rank points and the loser loses rank points. In 2v2, the first team to capture either opponent's planet wins. In 4‑ & 6‑Player Free‑for‑All and 2v2v2 modes, the last commander or team standing wins; conquering players gain control of defeated fleets (see Dethroning).

14. Quick Reference – Ships & Rules

Movement Summary

Core Rules Reminders

One vessel per turn. No jumping. No stacking.

Blue always goes first in every game mode.

Reactive Movement lets a threatened player temporarily defend out of turn in multiplayer modes.

Dethroning: capture a planet → eliminate that color and take control of its surviving ships.

Auto-Kill is active in Multiplayer only (Ranked and Casual 1v1); inactive in Single Player, Practice, and Campaign modes.

Defending locked ships cannot move until the threat to your planet is resolved.

Beginner Tips

Check for any incoming threats before making a move.

Battleships are excellent defenders.

Make sure none of your more valuable ships are threatened by a less valuable ship.

Remember to play both defensive and offensive; it takes both to win!