About Strait Runner
Strait Runner is a free 3D naval convoy escort survival game on Weekly Arcade - a browser game built with Babylon.js WebGL that plays in any modern browser with no install. You captain a single escort corvette shepherding eight civilian cargo haulers through the Amaranth Strait, a wholly fictional chokepoint raided by the stateless Salt Reavers. The convoy advances at a constant pace and you cannot halt it, so every wave is a triage decision: the threat closest to you, or the cargo ship on the far flank. This is a protect-the-convoy game rather than a survive-as-long-as-you-can game. Your score runs on a live convoy multiplier that permanently drops with every cargo ship lost, and the signature mechanic is the body-block - deliberately flying your own hull into a threat so the escort absorbs the damage and the cargo ship survives. Four threat types unlock across the run: Skiff Drones, Drift Mines, Flinger Shells and Locusts, each with a different block-versus-shoot tradeoff. A currency-free 1-of-3 upgrade draft between waves offers Hull Plating, Rate of Fire, Escort Drone, Repair Pulse and Wide Auto-Target Arc, five levels each. Fully procedural low-poly geometry means there are no model downloads at all. No ads, no in-app purchases, no download required.
How to Play Strait Runner
Move your escort corvette with WASD or the arrow keys on desktop, or drag anywhere on the left side of the screen for a virtual joystick on mobile. There is no aim button - the autocannon automatically fires at the nearest threat inside its targeting cone. Threats spawn from both shorelines and telegraph their target with a shrinking countdown ring and a line to the ship they are aimed at. You then choose: destroy the threat with your cannon, reposition to cover it, or fly your own hull into its path so you take the hit instead of a cargo ship. Press Spacebar or tap the ability button to trigger your special once unlocked. Between waves you draft one of three upgrades. Reach wave 20 with at least one cargo ship afloat to earn Convoy Delivered.
Strait Runner Tips and Strategy
- You never aim - the autocannon fires on its own. Your whole job is being in the right place, so treat every wave as a positioning puzzle rather than a shooting one.
- Fly your escort into the path of a Skiff Drone to body-block it: the drone hits you for 15 instead of hitting a cargo ship for 45. That is the best trade in the game.
- Do not body-block Drift Mines or Locusts if you can help it - a mine costs your hull 40 and a Locust is too erratic to intercept cleanly. Shoot those instead.
- Every scoring event is multiplied by your convoy multiplier at the moment it happens, so an early save is worth more than a late one. Protect ships before you chase points.
- Rate of Fire is weak in the first few waves and the strongest pick from wave 8 onward. Take Escort Drone or Wide Arc early while spawn density is still low.
- Sail ahead of the convoy now and then. Drift Mines do not chase anyone, so clearing them before the convoy arrives costs you nothing at all.
Strait Runner FAQ
Is Strait Runner free to play?
Yes. Strait Runner is 100% free on Weekly Arcade with no ads, no in-app purchases and no download. It runs instantly in any modern browser with WebGL.
What is the body-block in Strait Runner?
Body-blocking means flying your escort's hull into a threat's path before it reaches the cargo ship it is targeting. Your escort takes the hit instead, the cargo ship is saved, and you earn a flat body-block bonus on top of the threat's points. It is the core decision of the game because escort hull does not regenerate on its own.
How does scoring work in Strait Runner?
Threats are worth 50 to 200 points by type, body-blocks add a flat 25, and clearing a wave awards 300 times the wave number. Every one of those events is multiplied by your current convoy multiplier, which runs from 1.0x with all eight cargo ships afloat down to a 0.4x floor. At the end of a run each surviving cargo ship is worth 1,000 more, and delivering the full convoy adds a flat 5,000 that the multiplier never touches.
How do I win Strait Runner?
Reach wave 20 with at least one cargo ship still afloat and you earn Convoy Delivered, the best ending. The run ends early if your last cargo ship is destroyed, and you can also stop a session from the pause menu at any time with no score penalty.
Does Strait Runner work on mobile?
Yes. Strait Runner is landscape-only and mobile-first: a drag-anywhere virtual joystick covers the left side of the screen and a single thumb-reachable ability button sits bottom-right. The autocannon fires automatically so there is no tap-to-aim anywhere. The renderer detects your device and drops water reflections, bloom and shadows on lower-end hardware to hold a stable frame rate.
Is Strait Runner set in a real place?
No. The Amaranth Strait is a wholly fictional waterway in an original setting, and the Salt Reavers are an invented stateless raider outfit. There are no real nations, places, flags or hardware anywhere in the game.
Games Like Strait Runner
If you enjoy Strait Runner, you might also like: Naval Survival, Escort Missions, Wave Defense, Convoy Protection Games. Strait Runner is available free on Weekly Arcade - browse all games.
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