Throw Shade! Coming November 13, 2026
About Throw Shade!
Throw Shade! is a free online fighting game played in your browser. Every player is a jointed shadow puppet made of dyed leather, a fox, a tiger, a crane or one of five other animals, fighting on the paper screen of a shadow theatre. The rule that changes everything: only the shadows touch. Step toward the lamp and your shadow grows huge, with long reach and heavy hits, but it is slow and easy to hit, and if you get too close the flame sets you alight. Step back to the screen and you shrink: quick, slippery and hard to hit, but your hits are small.
Fights follow a clear triangle: a swipe interrupts a charging heavy, a heavy breaks a guard, and a guard raised at the last moment parries a swipe. You can also tear a scrap off your own shadow and throw it; big scraps swallow small ones, and a perfect guard bats a thrown shade straight back at whoever threw it. Tear a puppet to shreds for 3 points, steal the golden spotlight from the leader for a bonus, brace when a draft blows through the theatre, and survive the finale, when a second candle is lit and every big puppet casts two shadows that both hit. Light a private lamp and send the link to friends, or press Quick Play and bots fill the empty spots. There is no account and no typed chat.
Features
- Online with friends: private shows with a code and an invite link, up to 6 players
- Only the shadows touch: grow huge by the lamp or shrink small by the screen
- Swipe, heavy, guard and parry: a readable triangle with real mind games
- Throw scraps of your own shadow, swallow smaller ones and parry them back
- A draft that blows big shadows around and a twin-candle finale with double points
How to play
| A / D, arrows or left stick | Move left and right |
|---|---|
| W / S (stick up / down) | Step toward the lamp to grow, toward the screen to shrink |
| Space | Jump (press again in the air for a second jump) |
| J or left click | Swipe (press again for a three-hit combo) |
| K or right click (hold) | Charge a heavy, release to pounce |
| Shift or L (hold) | Guard; raise it just in time to parry |
| E (the mouse aims) | Throw a scrap of your shadow |
| Touch | Stick on the left (up grows, down shrinks), SWIPE, HEAVY, SHADE, GUARD and JUMP on the right |
Gameplay video
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Screenshots
Frequently asked questions
When does Throw Shade! come out?
Throw Shade! launches on November 13, 2026. This page turns into the game at launch, so bookmark it, add the date to your calendar, or leave your email and we will remind you.
What is Throw Shade!?
Throw Shade! is a free online fighting game played in your browser. Every player is a jointed shadow puppet made of dyed leather, a fox, a tiger, a crane or one of five other animals, fighting on the paper screen of a shadow theatre. The rule that changes everything: only the shadows touch. Step toward the lamp and your shadow grows huge, with long reach and heavy hits, but it is slow and easy to hit, and if you get too close the flame sets you alight. Step back to the screen and you shrink: quick, slippery and hard to hit, but your hits are small.
Is Throw Shade! free?
Yes. Throw Shade! is completely free to play in your browser. There is nothing to buy to finish the game.
Do I need to download or install Throw Shade!?
No. The game runs directly in your web browser. The first visit loads about 1.2 MB, which is cached by your browser so later visits start faster.
Can I play Throw Shade! on my phone or tablet?
Yes. Throw Shade! has touch controls and works on modern phones and tablets. Landscape mode gives the best view.
Is my progress saved?
Yes. Your progress is saved automatically in your browser on this device. Clearing browser data will reset it.
What do I need to run Throw Shade!?
Any recent version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari with WebGL 2. A computer from the last few years runs it smoothly; the game lowers its graphics automatically on slower devices.
