TankTrouble is the oldest idea on our list and possibly the purest. Each round drops a few tanks into a random maze. Bullets bounce off walls, last a few seconds, and kill anything they touch, including the tank that fired them. The last tank standing takes the round. That is all, and it is enough to produce more shouting than any other game we tested.
The developer, Subterranean Software, describes it on its own site as a game you can play free in your browser, either with friends on one device or online. There is a dedicated mobile app too. Behind the deliberately simple drawings sit accounts, ranks and a garage of cosmetic parts, which give regular players something to work towards between rounds.
Bullets that come back for you
Ricochets are the whole game. Fire down a corridor and the shell will bounce off the end wall, travel back and, quite possibly, hit you. Experienced players think in angles: a shot fired into a corner can turn twice and catch an opponent hiding behind a wall. Beginners learn quickly to fire, then move, because standing still after shooting is the fastest way to lose a round to your own bullet.
Mazes change every round, so there is no fixed map knowledge to learn, only a habit of reading space. That keeps the game fresh for years and keeps the skill gap narrow. A clever newcomer can outwit a veteran with one well-planned bank shot, and that unpredictability makes TankTrouble ideal for mixed groups where not everybody plays games often.
Power-ups that rewrite the round
Crates appear in the maze and change the rules for whoever grabs them. The mobile listing names several: a Gatling gun you hold down for a stream of shots, frag bombs that burst into fragments, a remotely steered missile and a laser. Others in the online game include homing missiles and mines. Each one shifts the balance briefly, and fighting over a fresh crate is often where rounds are decided.
Power-ups also generate the best comedy. A homing missile that loses its target and turns back on its owner, a laser that bounces somewhere nobody expected, a frag bomb fired too close to a wall: these moments are why TankTrouble feels so social. They are readable at a glance, so even spectators understand instantly what went wrong and who to laugh at.
One keyboard, three tanks, no excuses
Local play is TankTrouble's great strength. Friends can share one keyboard, each with their own set of keys, and battle on the same screen. There is no account needed for that, and nothing to configure beyond deciding who sits where. In an age when most multiplayer means separate devices and headsets, sitting shoulder to shoulder and blaming each other in person feels refreshingly old-fashioned.
Online play brings the same rules to strangers, with accounts, ranks and the garage adding a sense of progress. It is solid, though the online lobbies can feel quieter than those of the bigger games here. For us the local mode is the reason to choose TankTrouble. No other game on our list makes a single laptop on a kitchen table quite so lively.
Handling, looks and limits
Tanks turn and move at a fixed, steady speed, which is right for a game about angles but gives little to master on the movement side. That explains our score of six for movement feel. The look is plain too: flat mazes and cartoon tanks that make no attempt to impress, though they read clearly, which matters more when shells are flying.
The garage offers cosmetic parts and paint for players who invest time, and a shop sells extras, but nothing alters how a tank fights. Long sessions online can become repetitive because the core loop never changes, so TankTrouble is best treated as a game for company or short breaks. Within those limits it is close to perfect, and nothing else here generates laughter so efficiently.
Your first week in TankTrouble
- Play a few local rounds against yourself or a friend to learn how far a bullet travels before it fades.
- Get into the habit of moving immediately after firing; your own ricochet is the most common way to lose.
- Practise firing into corners so shells turn and reach targets you cannot see directly.
- Grab power-ups early in a round, but learn how each one behaves before using it in a tight corridor.
- Create an account once you play online regularly, so your rank and garage parts carry over.
What we love
- The best local multiplayer on our list, with friends sharing one keyboard.
- Random mazes keep every round fresh and the skill gap kind.
- Power-ups produce memorable, readable moments of comedy.
- Cosmetic garage parts give regulars a goal without changing the fight.
What grates
- Movement is deliberately basic, leaving little to master beyond angles.
- Online lobbies can feel quieter than the bigger games here.
- Long solo sessions become repetitive because the loop never really changes.
Who TankTrouble is built for
TankTrouble is made for friends on one computer, siblings arguing over a laptop and office colleagues on a lunch break. It also suits anyone who enjoys a puzzle hidden inside a shooter, where the best shot comes from planning an angle rather than flicking a mouse.
TankTrouble: the final buzzer
TankTrouble proves that a brilliant rule beats impressive graphics. Bouncing bullets, random mazes and chaotic power-ups make every round tense and funny, and local play on one keyboard is unmatched on our list. It lacks depth for long solo evenings and the movement is basic, but as a social game it is a classic. Fourth place, and first choice when friends are in the room.
