Ghost Fleet: battleship in the mist, free to play

Most of us played battleship on squared paper as children. Ghost Fleet, from Nocturn Play, takes that game, wraps it in green fog and adds a Kraken with an eye like a furnace – the poster shows it rising behind a spectral galleon. You can play Ghost Fleet free here, in the browser, with no download and no sign-up.

What you see on screen

An 8×8 chart covered in mist. Under it sit nine ghost ships: four sloops, two brigs, two frigates and a galleon. Before each round you pick your bet and how many salvos you want: 3, 5 or 7. More salvos cost more – the round costs 1×, 2× or 4× your bet – but uncover more of the chart. Press Fire, and each salvo drops several cannonballs at random. Wherever one lands, the mist lifts.

Hit every square of a ship and it sinks, paying its value. Here is the clever part: each ship you sink in a round raises the Tide, from ×1 up to ×8, and every ship sunk after that is multiplied by the new level. A round that starts with a couple of sloops can become very lucrative if a frigate goes down late.

Specials hidden in the fog

• Powder kegs explode when hit and uncover the eight squares around them. Explosions can chain into one another.
• Wreck bells ring and reveal their entire row at once.
• Treasure maps – collect three in one round and the Kraken Hunt begins.

The Kraken Hunt bonus

The hunt moves you to a bigger 10×10 chart with a richer fleet and eight free salvos. Every treasure map you find there adds another salvo. The Kraken itself has twelve tentacles: each one cut pays, and cutting all twelve defeats it for a big prize on top. The top figure for the whole game is about 3,670× the bet, which needs every ship and the Kraken in a single three-salvo round – a rare event, not something to plan around.

If you would rather not wait for three maps, the Kraken button buys the hunt directly for 80× the bet. In the Ghost Fleet demo that costs you nothing but play money, so it is the right place to see what an average hunt looks like before you ever consider it for real.

Which salvo setting should you try?

This is the question the demo answers best. Play 50 rounds on 3 salvos, then 50 on 7, at the same bet. With 3 salvos you uncover little and the Tide rarely climbs; rounds are cheap and quiet. With 7 you pay four times as much, but ships sink in clusters and the Tide gets going. The middle setting is a compromise. Keep an eye on the "Latest wins" history panel to compare.

Tips for a good free session

Turbo speeds up the cannon animations once you know the rules. Autoplay can be set to stop at the Kraken Hunt, so you never miss the bonus screen. On a phone the chart scales well in portrait, and the Fire button sits under your thumb. Remember the outcome is fixed when you bet; the cannonballs only show it.

Demo credits have no value. When you are ready, the same game runs for real money at the casinos below.