Surviving Leyte: Can You Hold the Foxhole Until Morning?
▶ PLAY FREE NOWNo download · Phone or PC · 3–5 minutes per runLeyte: Night in the Jungle is a free choice-based Pacific War survival game you play right in your browser. On October 20, 1944, US forces landed on Leyte Island in the Philippines, and about 35 inches (about 890 mm) of rain fell in the first 40 days. Late November, a fictional forward aid post at the foot of the mountains. Just before sunset, mortar rounds fall, and the log bridge across the river to the main force washes away. There is only one goal: to be alive when morning comes.
How the jungle night plays
The right choices come from US Army manuals and hygiene guidance of the time and from today's official guidance (US CDC, World Health Organization); the wrong ones are mistakes people actually made. A run takes 3–5 minutes.
- Digging in at dusk: Dig the foxhole deeper, confirm the password, or swallow your Atabrine? Sgt. Burke grins: "Spare Halazone, five packs of cigarettes."
- The first 18-second mortar barrage: Hit the dirt within 1.7 seconds. The youngest nurse standing with the antenna up, the sergeant yelling "Run for the tent!", and Burke loading crates first under fire.
- Before dark: Stop the bleeding of the wounded, the SCR-300 radio, the guerrillas' intel, a tripwire, a poncho roof: what comes first?
- Thirteen hours of foxhole night: Leeches, an empty canteen, footsteps and the password in the dark, rising water, infiltration, rumors, and shells that keep coming.
- Dawn: A swollen river. Follow the rope the guerrillas tied, or take Burke's "shortcut" bridge?
Shell reactions: shhh, then 1.5 seconds
The heart of the war series is reacting to the sound of incoming shells. When the whistle or mortar sound plays and the red border flashes, you have 1.5–2 seconds to choose. The right answer is usually simple: flatten on the foxhole floor, open your mouth and cover your ears. Raising your head to see where it lands, or jumping out of the foxhole, is dangerous. The more frightened you are, the less time you get.
The SCR-300 radio and villain Sgt. Burke
This episode's radio is the WW2 US Army SCR-300 backpack radio. It has channels for company HQ, the battalion aid station across the river, the guerrilla contact and the artillery observers, and it's weak in rain and forest, so you have to raise the antenna and wrap it in a poncho. Supply sergeant Sgt. Burke (fictional) always smiles, but every night he passes the aid post's Halazone and Atabrine off to somewhere, sends people out of their foxholes on night errands, and ignores the guerrillas' intel. Remember the crate numbers and you can expose him.
Filipino guerrillas
About 3,200 Filipino guerrillas were on Leyte before the US landing, and they helped the landing by radioing Japanese troop movements. In the game, too, they are the people who know this land best. They give you the exact infiltration route for tonight and the ford for dawn: respect them and listen, and the way opens.
Same faces, another era
The hero and companions of the Survival series return as people of 1944. Loud but easily frightened Sgt. Howard, 2nd Lt. June, the youngest nurse carrying a radio for the first time, 1st Lt. Dorothy, the team's big sister, and cheerful interpreter Pfc. Ray. A male hero is an infantryman; a female hero is an Army nurse or a war correspondent (US Army nurses worked on Leyte from mid-November 1944). Names and skills change every run.
- 🩺 MedicStops bleeding and treats the wounded fast and right · spots malaria chills at once
- 🔧 Combat engineerDigs foxholes fast and deep · quickly rigs a drainage trench, poncho roof and tripwire
- 🦺 Veteran corporalThird year in the Pacific: hits the dirt at the first whistle · knows what to say to steady a scared man
- 📦 Supply clerkCan read the supply ledger: spots Burke's empty crates right away · has spare Halazone
- ☕ CookPacked extra rations and water · calms people with a sip of cold coffee
- 🔦 Night sentrySharp night eyes: shuts one eye under flares, good at password challenges
- 💻 Radio repairmanSaves the SCR-300 battery and holds a signal even in the rain
- 📢 War correspondent · fictional wire serviceKeeps radio reports short and precise · corrects Burke's false reports
- 🛋️ Fresh replacementKnows nothing, but follows the drill from training to the letter · travels light
- 🚴 Battalion runnerRemembers jungle trails well: instantly understands where the guerrillas' ford is
- 🧹 OrderlyAlways carries dry socks and foot powder · in charge of hygiene, strict about treating water
Lines we hold
The goal of this game is not to defeat the enemy but to survive. Enemy soldiers appear only as distant silhouettes and are never caricatured. If at dawn you meet a young soldier surrendering, wounded, the right answer is to follow the 1929 Geneva Convention: check for weapons, then give water and care.
12 hidden missions
Each run secretly picks 3 missions. They aren't shown on screen; you get a one-line notice the moment you complete one, and they're revealed on the results screen. Examples include Hit the dirt at the first shelling, Hold the foxhole all night, Check with the password, Never skip Atabrine, Trust the guerrillas, Report Burke and Geneva Convention.
12 survivor types
If you survive, you get a type based on what you did. Compare yours with your friends.
Jungle by the bookDeep foxhole, password, Halazone, Atabrine, dry socks: a by-the-book night.
Burke's whistleblowerCrate number B-17. The medicine went back to the patients.
Quick reflexesShhh: at the sound, my body hit the dirt first. The shells never waited.
Foxhole keeperWhoever called, whatever I heard, I held the hole all night.
Friend of the guerrillasTrusted the people who knew this land best. Salamat.
Hands of the aid postThe moment the shelling stopped, I went to the tent. 1st Lt. Dorothy nodded.
A Geneva soulHanded my canteen even to an enemy soldier. Whoever's son he was, here he was a patient.
SCR-300 operatorDry, high, short and precise. At dawn the linkup unit came right on target.
Halazone masterThirsty or not, I waited 30 minutes. Not one upset stomach all night.
Guardian of the youngestUnder fire, I pulled 2nd Lt. June down by her straps.
Limping survivorBadly hurt, but alive. Next time, can I get hurt less?
The lucky-break survivorFull of mistakes, but I saw the morning. Will the jungle go easy on me next time?12 death types
If you fall, the mistake that did it becomes your type.
The one who looked upWanted to see where it would land. One second too long.
The one who left the holeUnder shelling, the safest place was the hole I'd just left.
First shellingDidn't dig deep enough, or was down at the creek. The first shell gives little warning.
Out of the hole at nightIn the jungle at night, anything that moves looks like the enemy. Even to your own side.
Burke's errand boy"I'll give you a carton of cigarettes." Inside the crate was aid post medicine.
Burke's shortcut"Don't trust the natives." The bridge had been gouged by the water all night.
Gear still onA swollen river doesn't wait for someone carrying 30 kg of gear.
The one who shoutedMy muzzle flash told them exactly where I was.
A single lightOne cigarette, one flick of a lighter. On a jungle night, even that is a lighthouse.
Collapsed from exhaustionPut off water, rest and dry feet. The jungle didn't wait.
One sip of muddy waterCouldn't wait 30 minutes. The water drained out of my body.
The one who grabbed the snakeLeft alone, the snake would have passed.10 tips for surviving the game
- Dig the foxhole chest-deep, with a drainage trench.
- At the first shhh, get down at once. Open your mouth and cover your ears.
- After sunset, don't leave the foxhole. No matter who tells you to.
- Challenge shadows in the dark with the password before you shoot.
- Make no light or noise. Not a cigarette, not a shout.
- When a flare goes up, freeze and shut one eye.
- Water: one Halazone tablet, 30 minutes. Never drink creek or muddy water as is.
- Atabrine every day. The sterility rumor was enemy propaganda.
- Respect the guerrillas' intel.
- To cross the river, shed your load, hold the rope and face upstream.
The final episode of the war series
This game is the fifth episode of the War series (1940 London Blitz · 1942 Midway · 1942 Stalingrad · 1944 Omaha Beach · 1944 Leyte Island). When your run ends, share your result with friends. And where will these same faces turn up next…
FAQ
Is the Leyte survival game free?
Yes. It's a completely free browser game with no payments, no downloads and no ads. It works on phones, tablets and PCs.
Does it feature real units or real people?
No. All units and characters are fictional. But historical facts such as the landing date, rainfall, guerrillas and nurses, and the survival tips, follow verified records and official sources.
How long does a run take?
Usually 3–5 minutes. The 13-hour night is compressed and runs automatically, pausing only when something happens.
Is it a game about shooting the enemy?
No. The only goal is to survive; there's no kill count or score. In fact, shooting at sounds alone puts you in danger.
Are there jump scares?
Yes. Surprise events like a snake in your foxhole at night, a monkey shrieking overhead and a shadow under a flare, plus 3–4 shell reaction cards. You can switch to "Jump scares soft" on the title screen.
Can I report Sgt. Burke?
Yes. You can check the half-empty medical crates, or remember the crate number from the black-market deal you saw at night and report it to company HQ by radio, or expose him in front of the MPs during the dawn evacuation.
How many survive by guessing?
In bot tests, about 88% of players who choose by gut fall. Those who follow the guidance all survive.
Are there other episodes?
Yes: the War series (1940 London Blitz · 1942 Midway · 1942 Stalingrad · 1944 Omaha Beach), the Distress series and the Disaster series.