Support
Stuck on a level, found a bug, or have an idea? Email us. We read every message.
How to play
You never move a ball. Balls grow, charge up and reach into a neighboring cell, and you set the rules for what happens when two colors meet.
- To win, make every ball on the field the same color, or the level's goal color when it has one. The field doesn't have to be full, and drifters don't count.
- You lose if the goal color dies out, if every ball is gone, or if a level's time runs out.
- Change the rules at any time, even before you tap Begin. Every edit counts as a change. Some levels limit your changes, and some rules are locked.
- Stars: one for winning, one for beating the target time, and one for staying within the target number of changes. The level's intro card shows the targets.
The rules
Each pair of colors has one rule. The game introduces them a few at a time.
- … wins
- The winning color takes the other ball's cell.
- Stop
- Nothing happens, and the two colors form a wall. One pair can be Stop at a time.
- Pop
- Both balls vanish and leave empty cells. One rule can be Pop at a time.
- 50/50
- A coin toss decides who wins. Every pair a level doesn't set starts here.
- Mix
- The touched ball turns into the mix of the two colors.
- Boost
- For two balls of the same color: the touched ball charges up faster.
- Drifters
- Small balls that roll across the field and bounce off edges and stones. One drifter rule applies to all of them: Take a color, Pass, Pop a color or Mix.
- Crowns
- In later chapters each color has a limited number of crowns. Every pair a color wins, and every Mix that makes it, uses one. A new one replaces the oldest, and that pair goes back to 50/50.
Questions
I'm stuck on a level.
You can skip a level from its intro card or after a loss, and play on. Skips are limited, but a skip comes back when you win that level later. It often helps to watch which color is spreading fastest, then use Stop or Pop to buy time.
Why did the winning color lose?
From the second chapter on, a win goes the winner's way most of the time, but not always. The level shows the odds above the rules.
How do I remove the ads?
Open Settings and tap Remove ads. It's a one-time purchase and removes the ads for good.
I paid to remove ads, but they're back.
Open Settings and tap Restore purchases while signed in with the Apple Account you used to buy it. This also works on a new iPhone or iPad, or after reinstalling.
How do I change my ad choices?
Where the law requires it, Settings shows Your privacy choices, where you can change your consent for personalized ads. You can also turn off tracking in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
Does my progress sync between devices?
Yes, if you're signed in to iCloud. Stars, scores, achievements and your ball style sync through your own iCloud account between your iPhone and iPad. You don't need an account with us.
How do I start over?
Open Settings and tap Reset progress. This also resets the copy in iCloud, so your other devices start over too.
Do I need Game Center?
No. If you're signed in to Game Center, your total score goes on the global leaderboard and you earn achievements. Without it, everything else works the same.
Which devices does it run on?
iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later. The game is in English.
Is there an Android version?
Not at the moment.
Contact
Email MathCats@proton.me. If something went wrong, it helps to tell us your device (for example "iPhone 15"), the iOS version, and the level number.
Chromatic Drift is made by Maksim Puzyrkov (MathCats) in Germany. The postal address is in the Impressum.
Privacy: the app's privacy policy and this website's privacy notice.