1.DRAG ANYWHERE to steer your horse left & right. (Mouse: just move it. Keys: ← → / A D)
2.Your six-shooter fires on its own at wolves, outlaws & varmints in your lane.
3.Line up behind livestock and you throw your LASSO instead. Watch for the gold ring & rope-sight line.
4.Every catch fills the ROPE METER. Fill it to freeze time and pick 1 of 3 upgrades.
5.Bullets fly harmlessly through critters, but dynamite blasts spook them. Golden calves are worth a fortune!
6.Each hit knocks off a hat. Lose them all and the rodeo's over. Kill up close for bonus points.
YEEHAW! PICK ONE
HOLD YER HORSES
BUCKED OFF!
NEW BEST!
0
DAILY #1 RESULT
YOU MADE THE BOARD!
0
TYPE OR TAP THE ARROWS: 3 LETTERS A-Z
SAVED!
THE RANCH
BADGES
TOP HANDS
#
NAME
DATE
SCORE
BOSS PRACTICE
Start right at a boss you've reached, with a typical build. Unranked, 25% silver.
SETTINGS
Turn your phone upright, pardner!
First Rodeo: a free one-finger cowboy arcade shooter
First Rodeo is a retro western arcade shooter you play with one finger. Drag anywhere to steer your horse while your six-shooter fires on its own, rope livestock with your lasso and pick upgrades as you ride. It is free in your phone or desktop browser, with no download and no signup.
How to ride
Drag anywhere to steer your horse left and right. With a mouse, just move it; on a keyboard use the arrow keys or A and D.
Your six-shooter fires on its own at wolves, outlaws and varmints in your lane.
Line up behind livestock and you throw your lasso instead. Watch for the gold ring and the rope-sight line.
Every catch fills the rope meter. Fill it to freeze time and pick 1 of 3 upgrades.
Bullets fly harmlessly through critters, but dynamite blasts spook them. Golden calves are worth a fortune.
Each hit knocks off a hat. Lose them all and the rodeo is over. Spare hats turn up on the trail before the first boss. Kill up close for bonus points.
Controls
Drag / mouse / arrow keys / A D
Steer your horse
Automatic
Shooting and lassoing
Space or the BULL RUSH button
Bull Rush charge when it is ready
Features
Roguelite runs: every rope meter fill offers 3 random upgrades, so no two rides play the same.
Bosses: the Wolf King waits at 1,600 meters, about two and a half minutes in, then a new boss every 1,800 meters, up to the Iron Horse Robbers and the Dust Devil.
The Ranch: spend your winnings on perks, riders, horses and dust trails between runs.
Daily Ride: one seeded trail a day, the same for everyone, with its own online board. It resets at midnight US Central time.
Boss Practice: Wanted posters for every boss you have reached, so you can drill a boss fight with a typical build.
Score cards: SHARE turns your run into a pixel-art score card image with a link to the same trail.
Badges to earn and a global all-time Top Hands leaderboard with the date of every ride, plus a daily board and a this-week board for this device.
Settings for music, sound effects, vibration, reduced motion, auto Bull Rush, drag speed and mouse steering (follow the cursor or click and drag).
Tips
Rope everything you can early: a full rope meter means an upgrade, and upgrades snowball.
Shoot right through the herd: bullets can't hurt livestock, and with Trick Shooter every shot that passes through a critter turns gold for +75% damage.
Mind your dynamite near the herd. A blast spooks critters, and a spooked golden calf costs you 500 points. Trick Shooter makes dynamite herd-safe too.
Rope 5 critters in a row without a wild throw to earn a REROLL for your next upgrade pick. You can hold 1 at a time.
Save Bull Rush for boss fights and crowded stretches, or turn on auto Bull Rush in Settings.
FAQ
Is First Rodeo free?
Yes. First Rodeo is free to play in your browser, with no ads, no signup and nothing to buy.
Can I play First Rodeo on my phone?
Yes. It is built for phones held upright and works in Safari and Chrome on iPhone and Android, as well as on desktop with a mouse or keyboard. Add it to your Home Screen for fullscreen play.
How does the leaderboard work?
When a run makes the top 50, enter 3 initials to join the all-time Top Hands board. Each row shows when the ride happened, in US Central time. The DAILY tab shows today's Daily Ride board, and the THIS WEEK tab shows the best rides on your own device.
What is the Daily Ride?
One trail a day, the same for everyone. Tap DAILY on the title screen. It resets at midnight US Central time. Your first daily ride each day is ranked on the daily board and also counts toward the all-time board. Replays and past days are just for fun. Ranch upgrades are switched off so everyone rides on equal terms.
What is Boss Practice?
Reach a boss in a normal ride and PRACTICE unlocks on the title screen, with a Wanted poster for each boss you have met. A practice ride starts right at that boss with a typical build. It is unranked: no initials, no leaderboard, and it pays 25% of the usual winnings.
How do I share my score?
Tap SHARE on the game-over screen. First Rodeo makes a score card image of your run. On phones it opens your share sheet with the image and a link. On desktop it shows share options and saves the image to your downloads. The link takes friends to the same trail, or the same Daily Ride.
Do my bullets hurt the livestock?
No. Bullets fly harmlessly through every critter in the herd, so you never lose a catch to your own six-shooter. Only dynamite blasts can spook them.
Can I play fullscreen?
On Android and desktop, tap the fullscreen icon next to SETTINGS on the title screen. On iPhone, add First Rodeo to your Home Screen to play fullscreen.
How long is a ride, and when do bosses show up?
A typical ride lasts about 3 to 4 minutes. The first boss, the Wolf King, waits at 1,600 meters, about two and a half minutes in. After that a new boss rides in every 1,800 meters. The trail speeds up and gets busier as you go.
What is Bull Rush?
A charge attack. When it is ready, tap BULL RUSH or press Space and your horse barrels forward through trouble.