Néon Hop
Cross a rain-soaked avenue, dodge neon taxis and buses and climb from district to district before the red tide catches you.
Read the rules below, then start your run.
About this game
Néon Hop is a nervy endless arcade game in the line of Frogger and Crossy Road, moved into a megacity at night in the rain. You guide Néon, a small cyan creature with glowing antennae seen from above: the brightest thing on screen. It advances by hops, one square at a time, on a grid nine columns wide (fifteen on a wide landscape screen), through endlessly generated rows. Each row is either a safe lane — pavement, park or rooftop — where you can catch your breath, or a road carrying taxis, buses and coupés: one contact with a vehicle and the run stops. The first four rows are always safe, there are never more than two roads in a row and the gap between two cars is always crossable. You cannot camp: a tide of red neon rises behind you. It starts six rows back and first climbs 0.2 rows per second, then 0.3 from row 25, 0.45 from row 60 and 0.6 from row 120. If it reaches you, it is over. Your score is the highest row you reach: going backwards costs you nothing, but earns nothing either. Every 20 rows you enter a new district — the Docks, Chinatown, Downtown, the Sky Gardens, the Arts District, the Glass Towers, then the city starts over — with its own sign colours. The traffic hardens in five steps (rows 0, 10, 25, 50 and 100): the chance of a row being a road rises from 42% to 70%, and cars go from 85 to 185 pixels per second. A close dodge is rewarded: if you leave your square while a car was within 20 pixels, that is a close shave. The game dresses it with a “WHOOSH”, streaks of air, sparks and a rush of sound, with a horn if the car was within 8 pixels. A close shave earns no points: it is visual proof that you are playing it right. On the end screen, a soaked Néon gives you the number of rows crossed and the district reached. On mobile a tap anywhere moves you forward and a swipe moves you in that direction; on a keyboard, arrow keys, ZQSD or WASD, and the spacebar to advance. The run only starts at your first move. Néon Hop is free in your browser, nothing to install. Create an account to sync your records, enter the leaderboards and unlock trophies.
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How to play
Cross as many rows as you can, dodging neon taxis, buses and coupés, and enter a new district every 20 rows without letting the red tide rising behind you catch up.
Game rules
- Néon, a small cyan creature, advances square by square on a grid nine columns wide, through an endless run of rows in the rain.
- A row is either a safe lane (pavement, park, rooftop) or a road with vehicles speeding along: one contact with any of them ends the run.
- Behind you a tide of red neon keeps rising: it starts six rows back, then climbs 0.2 rows per second (0.3 from row 25, 0.45 from row 60, 0.6 from row 120). If it reaches you, you lose.
- Your score is the highest row you reach: going backwards does not lower it, but does not raise it either.
- Every 20 rows you enter a new district: Docks, Chinatown, Downtown, Sky Gardens, Arts District, Glass Towers, then the city starts over.
- The traffic hardens in 5 steps (rows 0, 10, 25, 50 and 100): the chance of a row being a road rises from 42% to 70%, and cars go from 85 to 185 pixels per second.
- The run starts at your first move.
Controls (keyboard and touch)
- Arrow keys, ZQSD or WASDForward (up), back (down), sidestep (left, right)
- SpacebarAdvance one row
- Tap (touch)Advance one row (outside the top bar)
- Swipe (touch)Move in the direction of the swipe
How a run ends
There is no finish line: you play to get as far as you can. The run ends the moment a vehicle hits you or the red tide reaches you. The end screen shows a soaked Néon with the number of rows crossed and the district reached.
Tips & strategy
Read the traffic before you rush
Before committing to a road, spot the rhythm and the gaps between vehicles. A pause at the right moment beats a hop that sends you under a taxi.
Sidestep on a safe lane
Moving sideways on a pavement or in a park lets you line your crossing up with a gap in the next road’s traffic. Roads also come at most two in a row, so a safe lane is never far.
Keep a lead on the tide
The red tide starts six rows behind you and never stops climbing. It speeds up as you progress: build a cushion of rows so you can wait for the right gap on busy roads.
Go for the close shave
Leaving your square while a car passes within 20 pixels triggers a “WHOOSH” and, within 8 pixels, a horn. No points for it, but it is a sign your timing is right.
Did you know?
The obstacle crossing comes straight from Frogger, the 1981 arcade game by Konami/Sega in which a frog had to cross a road and then a river. It was one of the first games to ask for patience and timing-reading rather than shooting reflexes.
The top-down endless format was revived by Crossy Road in 2014, which added infinite scrolling and a camera that forces you onward without a break. Néon Hop inherits both ideas and adds a tide rising behind you.
The districts follow one another in a fixed order every 20 rows and loop around: at row 120 you are back at the Docks.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Néon Hop free to play?
- Yes. Néon Hop is completely free and runs straight in your browser — no download, no install, no paywall.
- How do you play Néon Hop?
- Hit “Play” to start Néon Hop. It runs on keyboard on desktop and on touch controls on phones and tablets — no controller needed.
- Do I need an account to play?
- No — you can play right away as a guest, and your best score is kept on this device. A free account (by email link, no password) syncs your high scores, puts you on the leaderboards and unlocks trophies.
- Does Néon Hop work on mobile?
- Yes. The game is responsive and fully playable with your fingers on phones and tablets, just like on desktop, with no app to install.
- What is the red tide behind me for?
- It stops you from camping on a safe square while you wait for the perfect crossing. It starts six rows behind you, climbs 0.2 rows per second at first and speeds up as you progress (up to 0.6 rows per second from row 120).
- Does going backwards cost points?
- No: your score is the highest row you reached, and it never goes down. Going back earns nothing either, and the tide keeps advancing in the meantime.
- What does a close shave earn?
- No points: it is a visual and sound effect (WHOOSH, streaks of air, sparks, a rush of sound, a horn when very close) rewarding a dodge within 20 pixels. Your score depends only on the row you reach.