Where’s the fun in throwing something endlessly?
Distance games are all about flinging, shooting, or launching a character as far as possible.
Recent hits like Epic Plane Evolution (over $5M in IAP revenue in just last 3 months) have revived the genre — but truth is, it never really died.
● In Hypercasual era games like Baseball Boy, Jetpack Jump
● Mobile games like Burrito Bison from pre-HC era
● Web classics like Turtle Toss, Learn to Fly, and Nanaca Crash
Most distance games mix in merge, match or dexterity based mechanics to deepen progression and keep players engaged.
But at their core, they’re driven by two timeless design principles:
1. “I wonder what lies beyond X/Y/Z axis” — curiosity as momentum
2. “Number go up” — progress made tangible in space and scale
When blended these with the feedback loop of incremental games, and we have a recipe for endlessly replayable hits.
Data thanks to AppMagic
What’s your favorite distance game and why do you think it works?