A free 3D spinning top game
This spinning top game is a small physics simulator. Wind the string, pull, and the top drops onto the floor and spins exactly the way a real one does. Nothing is scripted: the top is a real 3D rigid body with mass, inertia and friction at its tip, so every spin is a little different. Watch it stand up straight and go quiet, start to circle as it slows, wobble harder and harder, and finally rattle down onto its side and roll to a stop.
How to play
- Pull the string. Grab the wooden handle and pull it away in one quick motion. The faster you pull, the faster the top spins.
- When the string runs out, the top drops onto the floor. Let go early and it drops with whatever spin it has.
- Turn the camera by dragging anywhere else, and zoom with the mouse wheel or a pinch.
- Press ↺ Wind to pick the top up and wind the string again at any time.
- Change the floor in the top bar: a wooden table, glass, ice, felt or sand.
- When the top stops you get a spin report: how long it spun, how fast, every stage of the spin-down, and a slow-motion replay of the fall.
What you are watching
- Sleeping: a fast top with a round tip pushes itself upright and stands so still it looks frozen.
- Precession: as it slows, the top leans and its axis sweeps around in a slow circle.
- Wobbling: the lean grows and the top nods up and down as it circles (nutation).
- Rattling: the body hits the floor, faster and faster, until it falls.
- Rolling: lying on its side, the top rolls around its tip in a circle until it stops.
Four tops, four kinds of physics
- Classic wooden top: tall, with a steel tip. It sleeps beautifully and has the most dramatic fall.
- Saucer top: wide and low. It is very hard to topple and spins on and on, slow and steady.
- Tippe top: spin it on its ball and it turns upside down to spin on its stem. It looks like magic, but it is friction.
- Brass precision top: heavy brass on a needle tip. It outlasts every other top, especially on glass.
Five floors
The floor changes everything. Glass and ice let the tip turn almost freely, so tops spin longer and slide around; on ice the tippe top struggles to flip at all. Wood is the classic middle ground. Felt grips the tip and makes everything quick. Sand stops a top fast but draws every loop of the tip into the ground, so a single spin leaves a pattern behind.
Frequently asked questions
Is this spinning top game free?
Yes. It runs in your browser for free, with no download and no account.
How do I spin the top?
Grab the wooden handle on the string and pull it away in one quick motion. The faster you pull, the faster the top spins. When the string runs out, the top drops onto the floor.
Why does the top stand up straight and then fall?
A fast top is held up by its spin: friction at the tip even pushes it upright, which is called sleeping. As friction and air slow it down, it can no longer resist gravity. It starts to circle (precession), wobble (nutation), and finally its body hits the floor and it falls.
What is a tippe top?
A tippe top is a ball with a short stem. Spin it on the ball and it turns itself upside down to spin on its stem. Friction at the floor and a centre of mass below the middle of the ball make it flip. It needs grip, so it flips quickly on felt, smoothly on wood and glass, and on slippery ice it may not flip at all.
Why does the floor change how long it spins?
Every surface has its own friction. Glass and ice let the tip turn almost freely, so the top spins much longer. Felt and sand grip the tip and slow it down quickly, but sand keeps a trail of every circle the tip drew.
How do I unlock the other tops?
Every second your tops spin is added up. The saucer top unlocks after 45 seconds, the tippe top after two minutes and the brass precision top after four.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Pull the string with your finger. Drag anywhere else to turn the camera, and pinch to zoom.