Arcade

Whack-a-Mole

Hit the moles as they appear

Time

30s

Score

Best

🐹

Whack-a-Mole

🎯 Classic arcade reaction game!

🐹 Moles pop up randomly in holes

👆 Click/tap them quickly to score

⚡ They disappear fast - be quick!

⏱️ Score as many as you can in 30 seconds

About Whack-a-Mole

Whack-a-Mole pops targets up at random positions and gives you a brief window to hit each one. The windows shorten as your score climbs.

It is a clean test of visual search and response speed, which is why the format has been used in reaction studies as well as arcades for decades.

How to play

1Watch for targets appearing across the grid.
2Click or tap each one before it disappears.
3Keep scoring as the targets appear more quickly.

Hitting more

Rest your gaze at the centre of the grid rather than tracking around it. Peripheral vision detects movement well and covers the whole board at once.
Return your cursor toward the middle between hits so every position is roughly equidistant.
Commit to a target once you have chosen it. Switching mid-movement usually loses both.
Stay loose. Tension slows movement and the game rewards fluid motion over force.

Frequently asked questions

How do I react faster?

Watch the centre of the grid and rely on peripheral vision to catch movement, rather than scanning position to position. Detecting the target sooner matters more than moving quicker.

Does the game get harder?

Yes. Targets appear more frequently and stay visible for less time as your score rises, so the window for each hit narrows.

Is it good for reaction training?

It gives focused practice at visual detection and rapid response. The format has genuine history in reaction research, though gains are mostly specific to this kind of task.