Tank game power-ups: what each one does

Tank game power-ups can turn a stage you are losing into one you win, but only if you know where they come from and what each one really does. This guide covers the six tank game power-ups in Tank City Reboot, a free retro tank game that plays in your browser. Every number here comes from the game's code and its page, so you can plan around them instead of hoping.

Where power-ups come from

Power-ups do not fall from the sky at random times. They ride inside certain enemy tanks.

Each stage sends 20 malware tanks at the CPU core, four on the field at a time. Three of those 20 are carriers: the 4th, the 11th and the 18th tank to enter. A carrier blinks white as it moves, so you can spot it as soon as it appears.

Here is the part most players miss. The power-up drops on your first hit on a carrier, not when the carrier dies. A blinking rootkit takes four hits, but your first shot already releases the prize.

The power-up then lands on a random spot on the field. It is one of the six kinds, picked at random, so you cannot choose which one you get. It waits for 20 seconds, blinks during its last 4, and then disappears. Only one power-up waits at a time: if you hit the next carrier before collecting the last prize, the new one replaces it.

Driving over a power-up scores 500 points, more than any single tank is worth. A worm is worth 100, a trojan 200, spyware 300 and a rootkit 400. So collect every power-up you can safely reach, even one you do not need right now.

The six tank game power-ups, one by one

Each power-up is named for a real computer idea, and the page under the game explains it in one sentence.

• Patch: a shield for ten seconds. Shots cannot hurt you while it lasts, and it blinks just before it runs out. In real life, a patch is a software update that closes a security hole.
• Overclock: upgrades your cannon one step at a time. More on this below, because it is the only power-up you can lose.
• Breakpoint: freezes every enemy for eight seconds. Frozen tanks stop moving and stop firing. A real breakpoint makes a debugger pause a running program at a chosen line.
• Garbage collection: wipes out every enemy on the field. In programming, garbage collection finds memory no part of a program uses any more and frees it.
• Firewall rebuild: turns the wall around the CPU core to silicon for fifteen seconds. It flickers back to firewall during the last three, which is your warning.
• Backup: one extra life. A real backup is a copy of your data kept somewhere else, so you can restore it after a loss.

Overclock: three levels, and how you lose them

Overclock is the power-up that changes how you play for the rest of the game, so it pays to understand it.

1. Level 1: faster shots. Your shells fly at 240 instead of 150, so they reach far tanks before those tanks turn away.
2. Level 2: two shots. You can have two shots on the field at once instead of one. Against a rootkit, that means hits land sooner.
3. Level 3: shots that break silicon. Silicon walls stop every shot until your cannon is fully overclocked. At level 3 you can cut new paths through the map.

Your tank even changes shape at levels 2 and 3, so you can see your level at a glance.

Two rules matter. First, your level carries over from one stage to the next. Second, losing a life sets it back to zero. A level 3 cannon is worth protecting, which is a good reason to grab a Patch when you have one.

Which power-up helps in which moment

Since you cannot pick which power-up drops, the skill is in knowing how to use the one you get.

• A tank is close to the core: Breakpoint gives you eight seconds to shoot it while it stands still. Firewall rebuild works too, because silicon stops enemy shots that would break the firewall.
• The field is full: Garbage collection clears it at once. The wiped tanks count toward the stage's 20, so the stage gets shorter, but they score no points. Points only come from shots.
• You are about to push forward: Patch first, then drive. Ten seconds is long enough to cross half the field.
• You are on your last life: Backup is the one you want. Your score can also earn you one extra life: the first time it reaches 20,000 in a game.

One small trap: Garbage collection does not stop to check for carriers. If a blinking tank you have not hit yet is on the field, wiping it means its power-up never drops. If you can, put one shot into the carrier first.

A worked example: one stage, three power-ups

Here is a plan for a full stage, built on the carrier order. You start a game with 3 lives.

1. Tanks 1 to 3. Clear the first wave and stay near the core. Do not chase.
2. Tank 4 enters blinking. Hit it once as soon as you can. The power-up drops somewhere; you have 20 seconds. If the lane is clear, collect it for 500 points. If you get Overclock, you now fire faster for the rest of the stage.
3. Tanks 5 to 10. This is the long stretch. If your first power-up was Patch or Breakpoint, you already used it. Keep shooting tanks before they reach the lower half.
4. Tank 11 enters blinking. Before you hit it, collect any power-up still waiting, because the new drop replaces it. Then put one shot in the carrier.
5. Tanks 12 to 17. Rootkits are the danger here: four hits each. Overclock level 2 helps most, since two shots on the field at once let you land the four hits sooner.
6. Tank 18 enters blinking. This is the last power-up of the stage. If it is Garbage collection, save the clear for a moment when three or four tanks are on the field.
7. Tanks 19 and 20. Finish the stage. Your Overclock level carries into the next one, as long as you do not lose a life.

Want a plan for the walls and lanes too? The guide to the retro tank game in your browser covers the map and your first stage.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get power-ups in Tank City Reboot?

Hit one of the blinking tanks: the 4th, 11th and 18th tank of each stage carry one. The first hit drops it, and you have 20 seconds to drive over it.

What is the best power-up?

It depends on the moment. Overclock helps the most over a whole game, Breakpoint and Firewall rebuild save the core in an emergency, and Backup saves a run on its last life.

Do you keep power-ups after you lose a life?

Your Overclock level goes back to zero when you lose a life. Lives from Backup stay, and timed power-ups simply run out.

Does the second game have power-ups too?

Tank City Zero Day uses upgrades instead: after each wave you pick one of three. The boss-wave guide covers them.

Get started

Play Tank City Reboot: it is free, plays in your browser on a computer or a phone, and needs no account. Watch for the 4th tank, and hit it the moment it blinks.