London Blitz Survival: Can You Hold Out Until the Dawn All Clear?
▶ Play free nowNo install · phone or PC · 3–4 minutes a runLondon Blitz: 12 Hours to the All Clear is a free, choice-based war survival game you play right in your browser. Saturday, 7 September 1940, a shipping office on the East End docks of London. At 16:43 the air-raid siren sounds, and Mr Bellamy says, “Another drill, I expect. Sit down.” It was the first day of the Blitz — “Black Saturday”.
How the night unfolds
General facts such as dates, times and places follow records from the London Museum, the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and Transport for London (TfL). The correct choices come from British ARP (Air Raid Precautions) guidance of the time and today's safety rules. One run takes 3–4 minutes.
- 17 minutes of warning: Do you sling the gas mask, or grab the pump and sand bucket? And where do you go? The Tube station (15 minutes on foot), an earth-covered Anderson shelter, a public brick shelter, or the timber warehouse cellar.
- The first bomb: When you hear the whistle, drop flat within 1.7 seconds. Glass at the window, a frozen junior, a chief clerk getting up to fetch the ledger.
- The first raid and a brief All Clear: tapping from the collapsed house next door, the smell of gas, an incendiary on the roof. Before the second raid you must decide where to spend the night.
- The second-raid night: the burning docks draw the bombers in. Bomb-reaction cards come 3 to 6 times — with a “Sheeeeee—” you must choose within 1–2 seconds.
- The All Clear: around 5 a.m. Roped-off UXB zones, a smoking office, and a man selling seats on a “London escape lorry”.
The portable radio and the villain, Mr Rook
The War Series uses the communications gear of the era instead of a mobile phone. In this episode it is a portable valve radio and the direct line to the air-raid warden post (fictional) — broadcasts, ARP Post 7, and distant static. Mr Rook, in a tin helmet and armband, is a black-marketeer posing as a warden. “The Tube's full,” he says, selling cellar places for five shillings, loading street firefighting sand onto a handcart, and looting collapsed houses at night. Ask for his post number, remember what you saw, and tell the real warden to expose him.
Story, random scenarios and perks
The story follows the real flow of the day (16:43 warning, first bombs at 17:00, second raid around 20:00, All Clear around 5 a.m.). The random scenario changes every run: the time from warning to first bomb, whether the house next door collapses, night rain, and when the All Clear comes. The protagonist gets a new name and perk each run, and each perk unlocks its own choices.
- 🩺 St John Ambulance volunteerStops bleeding from cuts quickly and properly · Calms the injured
- 🔧 Dock crane mechanicShuts off the gas meter valve at once · Knows how a collapsed beam holds
- 🦺 Reservist corporal back from DunkirkBody drops flat at the whistle before thinking · Words that hold people back carry weight
- 📦 Shipping company warehouse clerkQuickly grabs the pump and sand bucket at the corridor fire point
- ☕ Waitress at a tea shop by the docksBrought tea in a thermos · A cup of hot tea calms people down
- 🔦 Rooftop fire-watch volunteerKnows how to handle a torch and a stirrup pump · Good night vision
- 💻 Post Office telegraphistKnows how to save radio batteries · Can work the direct line to the post
- 📢 Local newspaper cub reporterChecks rumours and sets them straight · Quickly sees through Mr Rook's lies
- 🛋️ Dockside casual labourer waiting for workHas slept in Tube stations night after night · Always carries a coat and blanket
- 🚴 Bicycle telegram boyKnows the back-alley shortcuts · Shorter walking time
- 🧹 Office cleanerKnows where the warehouse key and sand buckets are
Same faces, a different era: four colleagues
The same faces from the Survive series appear as 1940 Londoners. The fearful, stuffy Mr Bellamy, the chief clerk; Dot, the junior with her switchboard headset; neighbour Mrs Doyle with her first-aid bag; and Sammy, the office boy who hears every rumour first. Warden Hardy of ARP Post 7 is a calm, capable man who patrols the streets all night.
12 hidden missions
Three missions are secretly chosen each run. They aren't shown on screen; you get a one-line notice the moment you complete one, and all are revealed on the result screen. Examples include Drop at the whistle, Put out the incendiary, Find the buried neighbour, Expose Mr Rook, Human, even to the enemy and Deep underground for the night.
12 survivor types
If you survive, your actions decide your type. Compare results with your friends.
By the ARP bookGas mask, dropping flat, spray, sand, deep shelter — straight from the air-raid handbook.
Fake armband exposer"What's your post number?" — those few words ended Mr Rook's racket.
Incendiary fire chiefSpray for bombs, jet for spreading fire. You saved a street.
Ears in the rubble"Quiet!" You found the tapping, and two people came out alive.
Drop-flat masterDown in one second at every whistle. That was all it took, and it saved you.
Human, even to the enemyYou stood in front of angry neighbours. Even in war, there are lines to hold.
Night on the platformOne platform ticket carried you through the night deep underground.
Under the corrugated roofEarth-covered Anderson shelter. Cold and wet, but the blast passed overhead.
Dot's guardianYou pulled the frozen Dot down. Dot will remember that night all her life.
Limping survivorBadly hurt, but alive. The sirens will cry again tonight.
The cool-headed survivorYou got through the first night of the Blitz without major mistakes.
The lucky-break survivorFull of mistakes, but you survived. Will you be lucky again tomorrow night?12 ways to die
If you die, your type shows which mistake did it.
The one at the windowThe squadrons of silver planes looked beautiful. The glass arrived in a second.
The one who looked upThere was a whistle. You were one second short of dropping.
Brick shelter"It's a shelter, isn't it?" Its walls were laid in lime mortar.
Timber warehouse cellarYou escaped the bombs. You couldn't escape the smoke of the timber burning upstairs.
A bucket of waterYou dashed water on the incendiary. Sparks flew everywhere.
The one who followed Mr RookFive shillings for a "sure cellar". The door was locked from outside.
Shortcut across the ropeThe raid was over. The bomb in the ground wasn't.
The one who went for the ledgerThe ledger could have been rewritten.
Digging wildly into rubbleThe wish to save was genuine. One beam brought everything down.
One matchIt was dark, so you lit a light. The smell of gas was a warning.
The night of the stairsMore frightening than the bombs was the crowd on the stairs in the dark.
Sleep in my own bed"Surely they won't come again tonight?" They did.10 tips for surviving the game (and real life)
- When the warning sounds, don't watch — shelter at once. A window is where glass shards fly.
- Go deep and sturdy. Deep underground or a thickly earth-covered shelter stops the blast. But count the walking time too.
- When you hear a blast, drop flat where you are and cover your head. Don't run for a doorway or look up.
- Spray for incendiaries, jet for spreading fire. Without a pump, cover with sand and scoop it out. Don't dash water on it.
- In smoke, crawl along the floor. A cellar with something flammable stored above it becomes a smoke trap.
- If you smell gas, light nothing and shut the valve.
- Don't dig wildly in a collapsed house. Call “Quiet!”, find the tapping, mark the spot and tell the rescue squad.
- Official guidance over rumours. Check “Gas!” and “Station closed!” with the post or official broadcasts.
- Hand over a surrendered enemy soldier unharmed. It is a promise of the Geneva Convention.
- After the All Clear, still stay out of roped-off areas. Unexploded bombs went off hours later.
Send your result to a friend
When a run ends, enter your name and share the result. Your friend gets a picture-card link and can take the challenge themselves. This game is the first episode of the War Series, in which you survive one day of a great battle in history. The next episode is the Pacific two years later: 1942 Midway.
FAQ
Is the London Blitz game free?
Yes. It's a free browser game with no payments, no install and no ads. It works on phones, tablets and PCs.
Is it real history?
Dates, times, places and the broad flow of the day follow historical records. The warning sounded at 16:43 on 7 September 1940, and about 430 people died in London that night (London Museum). The protagonist, colleagues, Mr Rook, the company and the post are all fictional people and places.
How long does a run take?
Usually 3–4 minutes. The 12-hour night flows automatically in compressed time and stops only when something happens.
What are bomb-reaction cards?
First comes the whistling sound of a falling bomb and a red border, then a card you must pick within 1–2 seconds. The more frightened you are, the shorter the time. They appear 3 to 6 times per run.
Where is the right place to shelter?
A deep Tube station or an earth-covered Anderson shelter was safest. But if bombs fall while you walk to the Tube station, you're caught in the street. Public brick shelters and warehouse cellars under piled timber were dangerous.
Can I expose Mr Rook?
Yes. Ask for his post number, remember what's in his handcart and what you saw at night, and tell the real warden. The result screen shows Mr Rook's fate.
How many survive if I choose by gut feeling?
In bot tests, about 88% of gut-feeling players die. Choosing by the guidance, everyone survives.
Are there other episodes?
There is the War Series (1942 Midway, 1942 Stalingrad, 1944 Omaha Beach, 1944 Leyte), the Distress series and the Disaster series.