Tips & Tricks
HOW TO REACH 1,000,000 POINTS
The Red Sub is easy to pick up but hard to master. The physics are deliberately tuned so that the submarine has inertia — it does not stop instantly when you release the controls. Understanding that momentum is the key to surviving the later stages of the game. Here are the most useful techniques to push your score higher.
Understand the Physics First
The submarine has two forces acting on it at all times:
- Gravity — constantly pulls the sub downward at a fixed rate. The moment you release the controls, the sub begins to sink.
- Lift — applied when you hold the control. It does not instantly launch the sub upward; it gradually counteracts the downward velocity and then builds upward momentum.
This means there is always a short delay between your input and the sub changing direction. The longer you hold, the faster you rise; the longer you release, the faster you fall. You must anticipate gaps, not react to them.
Top 10 Tips to Score Higher
Aim for the Middle of Every Gap
The safest trajectory through an obstacle gap is through its exact centre. Flying close to either edge gives you no margin for error when the game speeds up. Train yourself to aim for the middle every single time, even if it feels like you have room to spare near the edges.
Use Short, Controlled Taps — Not Long Holds
Beginners tend to hold the button until the sub is where they want it, then release. By that point the sub already has too much upward velocity and overshoots. Instead, use short taps to nudge the sub in the right direction and maintain a gentle oscillation around the centre of the gap.
Look at the Next Gap, Not the Current One
Once you are committed to a gap, it is mostly too late to adjust for that obstacle anyway. The useful thing to focus on is the gap after the current one. Position your sub so that as it exits the current gap, it is already on the correct trajectory for the next obstacle.
Find Your Rhythm with the Music
The background music plays in a steady beat that matches the obstacle pacing in the early game. Some players find it helpful to synchronise their control inputs with the music's rhythm, creating a natural cadence of hold-and-release that matches the gap frequency.
Stay Away from the Top and Bottom Edges
Touching the top or bottom of the screen is an instant death, just like hitting an obstacle. A sub that is drifting toward the ceiling or floor is in a much more dangerous position than one that is near an obstacle gap — you have no room to correct. Always treat the screen boundaries as obstacles themselves.
The Speed Increases Gradually — Adjust Early
The game starts at a manageable pace and increases speed continuously as your score climbs. The transition is smooth, but if you do not consciously adapt your timing, you will find yourself reacting too slowly. Every 100,000 points, mentally recalibrate — your inputs need to be slightly earlier than before.
Play in Full-Screen on Desktop
Pressing F11 (or your browser's fullscreen shortcut) gives you a larger view of the game and removes browser UI distractions. With a bigger canvas, you can see upcoming gaps earlier and plan your path further ahead.
On Mobile, Use Your Thumb's Pad — Not the Tip
When playing on a touchscreen, contact area matters. Using the pad of your thumb rather than the tip gives you a more stable tap and reduces the chance of missed inputs. Hold your phone in landscape with both hands and use either thumb to control the sub.
Watch the Progress Bar
The thin bar along the bottom of the screen shows your progress toward 1,000,000 points. When the bar is approaching a milestone (every 100,000 points), the screen briefly flashes green. Use these visual cues as motivational checkpoints and a reminder to stay focused.
Take a Break After a Long Run
Focus fatigue is real. After a session of 10 or more attempts, your reaction time and concentration degrade. Taking a 5-minute break before your next attempt often results in a noticeably better score — your brain resets and you approach the early obstacles with fresh focus.
Score Milestones & What to Expect
| Score | What Changes | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 50,000 | Baseline speed, generous gaps, steady spawn rate | Beginner |
| 50,000 – 200,000 | Speed noticeably increases, obstacles spawn slightly faster | Moderate |
| 200,000 – 500,000 | Background darkens with depth; gaps feel narrower at higher speed | Hard |
| 500,000 – 800,000 | Music tempo peaks; spawn interval nears minimum; full speed | Very Hard |
| 800,000 – 1,000,000 | Maximum speed and spawn rate — pure endurance test | Expert |
| 1,000,000 | Mission Complete — you are a legend | 🏆 |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Oversteering — holding the button too long on a low gap and crashing into the ceiling on the next one.
- Panic tapping — frantically tapping when the sub is falling fast tends to generate too much upward momentum. One firm hold is almost always better than a burst of rapid taps.
- Ignoring the screen edges — dying to the floor or ceiling instead of an obstacle. These deaths are almost always avoidable if you keep your sub in the middle third of the screen.
- Giving up early — the hardest part of The Red Sub is the first 20 seconds of each attempt. Once you are past 50,000 points you have found your rhythm. Do not restart too quickly.
Armed with these tips, you are ready to make a serious run at 1,000,000 points.
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