Fast, glowing, honest air hockey.
Puckflare is neon air hockey for iPhone and iPad. Play a fair computer opponent at three levels, or share one device with a friend, one paddle each. Casual is free and unlimited, with no ads, energy timers or coins.
At a glance
- Devices
- iPhone · iPad
- Requires
- iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 or later
- Price
- Free download · Lifetime Access $9.99 · One-time purchase · No subscriptionUS App Store price, checked October 11, 2026 · Family Sharing included
- Free version
- Casual against the computer, with unlimited matches and its own record
- Languages
- English
- Your data
- Matches, records and settings stay on this device, with no account. Optional feedback sends the email, message and any display name you enter to Daniel’s feedback service.
- Version
- 26.0.0 · updated
An opponent that plays fair.
-
Casual
- Reacts in
- 0.26 s
- Top speed
- 430
- Aim error
- 7.5%
Relaxed reactions and generous misses, for quick fun. Free, unlimited.
-
Arcade
- Reacts in
- 0.16 s
- Top speed
- 560
- Aim error
- 5%
Quicker reads and a steadier aim, for real matches. With Lifetime Access.
-
Expert
- Reacts in
- 0.09 s
- Top speed
- 720
- Aim error
- 3%
Fast and alert, for players who want to sweat. With Lifetime Access.
Those three numbers are the whole difference between tiers: how late the computer sees the puck, how fast its paddle may move, and how far off target it may aim, as a share of the rink’s width. No rubber-banding, no scripted losses, and it never moves the puck except by hitting it.
What it does with them is fixed too. The computer only chooses where its paddle wants to be; the code that moves your paddle then moves it there, under the lower speed limit. When the puck is coming, it gets behind it and pushes it back, and goes no further forward than 60% of the way from its home position to the centre line. When the puck is leaving, it returns home and moves 55% of the way sideways toward the puck, so it never mirrors you. Its aim error is drawn again every 0.55 seconds.
Top speeds, in points a second
- You2,600
- Puck1,400
- Expert720
- Arcade560
- Casual430
Even on Expert, the computer’s paddle tops out at a little over a quarter of the speed yours can reach and about half the puck’s limit, and it is slightly smaller. It stops a hard shot by being in the way, not by outrunning it.
A point is the unit iOS measures screens in. On an iPhone the rink is about 400 points wide and 780 long, so the Casual paddle needs about a second to cross it, the Expert paddle a little over half a second, and a puck at its limit runs the length in under six-tenths of a second. The numbers are the same on every device; an iPad’s rink is about twice as many points wide, so every paddle and the puck have further to go.
The rink plays fair too.
- Serves
- Every serve leaves the centre spot at least 12° and at most 32° off straight, always wide enough to pass the goal post by a full puck, and slower than even the Casual paddle can move. It can score only after a bounce or a touch.
- First serve
- It goes toward one side or the other at random.
- After a goal
- The puck goes toward whoever was just scored on.
- Halves
- Each paddle stays in its own half. Its edge may reach over the centre line, but its centre never crosses.
- Goals
- Each goal is 26% of the rink’s width. A paddle in the right place covers more than that.
- Stuck pucks
- A puck that sits nearly still for 1.35 seconds is served again, toward the half it stopped in.
- Own goals
- A paddle is held off a puck resting on its own goal line, so neither side can be made to knock it in.
- The match
- First to 7 goals wins.
Two players. One device.
Put an iPad on the table and play a local two-player match, one paddle each. Turn it sideways and the rink turns with it, a goal at each short end. It works on iPhone too, one player at each end. Both paddles are the same size and just as fast.
Local Two-Player is part of Lifetime Access. Every mode plays fully offline, and matches take minutes: score, kick off, celebrate, play again.
Your paddle answers only a touch that starts in your half, follows your finger precisely, and coasts to a stop when you lift it. Puckflare respects Reduce Motion.
Every match on the record.
Casual keeps its own record for free: best winning margin, matches played and current win streak.
Lifetime Access adds the Arcade and Expert records and Deep Stats: career matches, win rate and best streak, your form over the last 20 matches, win rate by tier, the seven zones of the goal your shots went in through, and eight milestones, from 10 matches played to a first Expert win.
All of it stays on the device. Two-player matches are not recorded.
Questions
Is two-player free?
No. Casual against the computer is free, with unlimited matches. Local Two-Player, Arcade, Expert and Deep Stats come with Lifetime Access, a one-time purchase with no subscription that you can share through Family Sharing.
How is Expert harder without cheating?
Each tier has fixed limits on how late the computer sees the puck, how fast its paddle may move and how far off its aim may be. Casual: 0.26 seconds, 430 points a second and 7.5% of the rink’s width. Arcade: 0.16, 560 and 5%. Expert: 0.09, 720 and 3%. Your own paddle can reach 2,600, and the puck is limited to 1,400. No tier speeds up to catch you or lets you win on purpose.
Is the computer the same on iPhone and iPad?
Its limits are, to the number. They are measured in screen points, and an iPad’s rink is about twice as many points wide as an iPhone’s, so the computer’s paddle, yours and the puck all have further to travel there.
Does it follow real air hockey rules?
In outline, yes. As in the US Air Hockey Association’s rules, a game is first to 7, the side that was scored on gets the puck, a paddle may reach over the centre line but not cross it, and an own goal counts. Two house rules stand in for a referee: instead of a seven-second limit on keeping the puck, a puck that sits nearly still for 1.35 seconds is served again, and a paddle is held off a puck resting on its own goal line.
Does Puckflare need the internet?
No. Every mode plays offline. Buying or restoring Lifetime Access, and sending or reading feedback, need a connection.
Are there leaderboards or online matches?
No. There’s no Game Center, no online play and no ads in any mode. Your match records stay on your device.
Can two people play on one iPhone?
Yes, with Lifetime Access: one player at each end of the rink. An iPad on a table gives you more room.
What do the stats show?
Each tier has a record of your best winning margin, matches played and current win streak; the Casual record is free. With Lifetime Access, Deep Stats adds career matches, win rate, best streak, the margin of your last 20 matches, win rate by tier, where across the goal you score, and eight milestones. Two-player matches are not recorded.
Is there sound?
No. Puckflare has no sound effects or music. On iPhone you feel each paddle hit and each goal as a tap, which you can turn off under Haptics in Settings.
What happens if a call comes in mid-rally?
The match pauses when you leave the app, and when you come back the puck is exactly where you left it. Closing a match yourself clears the score, and nothing is recorded.
Why does the app say Rinkglow?
Rinkglow was the game’s working name, and the current version still shows it under the icon and on its menu. It is the same game as Air Hockey: Puckflare on the App Store.
Pairs well with
Another ad-free game for iPhone and iPad, a sliding-tile puzzle with no clock for a slower turn.
A tap-to-launch light show for the same iPad on the same table.
Availability
Casual is free with unlimited matches and its own record. Lifetime Access unlocks Arcade, Expert, Local Two-Player and Deep Stats.
- Devices
- iPhone · iPad
- Download
- Free to download
- Purchase options
- Lifetime Access · One-time purchase · No subscription
Prices vary by country; the App Store shows your local price.
Puckflare support and purchase help
Designed and built by Daniel, an independent Apple developer. Every release is listed in the changelog.