Angry Birds Space

Gravity is the whole idea of Angry Birds Space. Rovio launched it on March 22, 2012, for Android, iOS, PC and Mac at the same time, and instead of a flat field with a slingshot on the left, you now aimed across open space at pigs clinging to small planets.

How Gravity Bends Every Angry Birds Space Shot

Each planet has a circle around it that marks its gravity field. Once a bird crosses into that circle, it is pulled toward the planet’s surface, so a shot that would sail past in the old games can curl around and strike a pig on the far side. Outside the fields, birds and blocks float, and anything you hit drifts in a straight line until something stops it.

That split changes how you plan. A shot often has two parts, a straight launch through empty space and then a curved fall once the planet catches it. Later levels place several planets close together so that one field hands your bird to the next, and getting three stars can mean finding the single angle that slingshots around two moons. Most early mistakes come from aiming at the pig instead of at the point where gravity will take over.

What Is Angry Birds Space Made Of

The game is split into planet episodes, each with its own look and a boss battle at the end. Pig Bang and Cold Cuts opened the game, and others followed, including Utopia, a planet made of junk food that also introduced an orange bird. Pig Dipper later added 30 aquatic levels where water changes how birds move. The Danger Zone, unlocked by an in-app purchase, served as a hard climax for players who wanted more.

The birds got space suits and some new tricks. The most memorable addition is the Ice Bird, a square bird that freezes nearby blocks and pigs when it bursts, turning sturdy stone into something you can crack with a light follow-up shot. The Mighty Eagle was swapped for a Space Eagle, and earning full completion on Pig Bang, Cold Cuts, Free Me To The Moon, Utopia and Red Planet unlocked five Space Eagle bonus levels.

Rovio Worked With NASA On Angry Birds Space

In March 2012, NASA astronaut Donald Pettit recorded a video aboard the International Space Station that used the game to explain how objects move in microgravity. Hidden collectibles in the levels include NASA rovers such as Sojourner and Phoenix. On November 1, 2012, Rovio released the Red Planet update with ten Mars levels in which the pigs had taken over the Curiosity rover, plus a secret bonus level for players who found the missing rover. On Android, the game was free with ads, whereas iPhone players paid 99 cents.

Its launch was huge. Angry Birds Space passed 50 million downloads in 35 days, which Rovio described as the fastest growth of any mobile game at the time, and it hit 100 million by June 1, 2012.

Why You Cannot Find Angry Birds Space On Google Play

Rovio discontinued Angry Birds Space in early 2019, during the same period in which it removed the original Angry Birds and other older titles. Rovio said at the time that the old games no longer met its technical standards. A Rovio Classics version of the original Angry Birds arrived in 2022, but Space never got one, so there is no official way to buy or download it on Android today.

Anyone still holding an old install should know that it dates from 2012 and may not run on phones that only accept 64-bit apps. Angry Birds 2 is Rovio’s current slingshot game, though it plays on flat ground and leaves out the orbital physics that made Space so distinct.

Who Will Miss Angry Birds Space Most

Puzzle players who liked the original but wanted shots that took more thought got the most out of it, as did children interested in space, thanks to the NASA material. Players who only wanted the classic straight-line destruction sometimes found the floating debris and long orbits slower, since a missed shot could drift for several seconds before the level reset.