How to play Thespace Panic
Full guide and FAQ · Updated 5 September 2026 · Versión en español
The whole game in three lines: you move across platforms connected by ladders. You press DIG three times to open a hole. When an invader falls in, you press FILL to bury it. All before your oxygen runs out.
1. Controls
Settings offers two control schemes:
- Touch pad: on-screen controls, designed for one- or two-handed phone play.
- Keyboard: WASD or the arrow keys to move, Z to dig, X to fill.
Movement along a platform is horizontal; to change floors you use the ladders. There is no jump — as in the classic digging arcades, your only tool is the shovel.
2. Digging
Digging is not instant. You must press DIG three times to open a full hole, which appears to your left or right depending on the way you are facing.
Those three presses are the real cost of the action: while you dig you are standing still and exposed. Digging at the wrong moment is the most common way to lose a life.
3. Burying an invader
- Read the invader's route and choose where to dig.
- Open the hole with three presses of DIG.
- Wait for the invader to fall in. It is stuck, but only for a few seconds.
- Press FILL: the invader is pushed down to the floor below.
If you align several holes vertically before filling, the invader chains a fall through several floors at once. This is the core technique of the game, because the tougher enemies cannot be killed any other way.
Take too long to fill and the trapped invader climbs out, returning more dangerous than before. Hesitation is punished.
4. The invaders of the rift
| Invader | Floors of falling | How to handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Red · creature | 1 | The basic enemy. One hole and one fill is enough. |
| Green · boss | 2 | Needs two perfectly aligned holes in the same fall. Prepare the second hole before trapping it. |
| Blue · don | 3 | Faster and tougher. Demands a chain of three floors, which means planning well ahead. |
5. Falls and lives
- Stepping into an open hole drops you one floor. Not fatal.
- Falling through two levels in a row costs a life.
You start with three lives. The first extra life is awarded at 3,000 points.
6. Oxygen
The oxygen meter sits on the top bar next to your lives and the level, and drains throughout the run. If it empties, the expedition ends.
On top of that, whatever oxygen is left when you clear a floor becomes bonus points. This is the mechanism that stops passive play: waiting is safe in the short term, but it costs you score and eventually kills you.
7. Rounds and progression
Classic arcade progression: each round adds threats and gradually reduces the oxygen available, down to a minimum. There is no narrative ending — there is endurance.
8. Stars
Stars are the game's run currency. Every expedition costs 5 ★. You earn them two ways:
- By playing: 5 ★ at 2,000 points, repeating every 500 points after that.
- By watching a rewarded full-screen ad in the app: 5 ★.
The ad reward is credited only once Google confirms it was watched in full. If no ad inventory is available, the app may show its own six-second promo, which also grants 5 ★ on completion.
9. Pilot account and world ranking
- On opening the app you can choose your pilot name (3 to 18 characters) and add an activation email.
- You receive an email with a link. The name is only reserved once you open it.
- Until then you play as a guest pilot with a random name, and the provisional reservation expires after 24 hours.
- Only activated accounts can submit scores to the world ranking, which shows the top twenty.
Access to your pilot is tied to the device you activated it on, so keep the installation.
10. Tips for a higher score
- Dig ahead of time, not during. Digging with an invader on top of you is digging badly.
- Think vertically. Before trapping a green boss or a blue don, have the hole on the floor below ready.
- Don't hoard oxygen out of fear. The bonus rewards clearing fast; playing slow costs you twice.
- Fill immediately. An invader that escapes comes back worse and ruins the rest of the round.
- Beware your own holes when fleeing. Many deaths are self-inflicted.
Frequently asked questions
Is Thespace Panic free?
Yes. The APK download from the official site is free, with the star economy described above inside the game.
Do I need an internet connection?
The online services — account activation, submitting scores and rewarded ads — need a connection.
Why does my phone warn me when installing the APK?
Because the file comes from outside an app store, so Android asks permission to install from unknown sources. This is normal for any direct install. Only download the file from thespacepanic.com.
What Android version do I need?
Android 8 or later.
What happens if I uninstall the game?
Access to your pilot account is tied to the device it was activated on, so keep the installation to avoid losing it.
Can I change my pilot name?
Once activated, the name is reserved to your account. For any change, write to thespacepanic@theiaisland.com.
More context: if you want to know where this mechanic comes from, read what retro digging games are and how the genre began in 1980.