A free browser game from Helm
Harbor Run
A free boat game with a story. You start as a dock hand, Bosun the dog picks you for the crew, and by the end you bring the boat home as captain.
Play Harbor RunNo account, no ads, no downloads. 31 jobs across a whole career.
How to play
Every level is a job
Captain Amos tells you the situation and what to do. Then you do it, one step at a time: put on your life jacket, look around, cast off, follow the channel, give way, moor up.
You learn as you go
Nothing is tested before it’s taught. New steps are shown to you. Old ones lose their hints, until you run the whole checklist on your own.
Mistakes are gentle
There’s no game over. You go back to the last safe spot and try again. The debrief marks each step, and shows the real rule behind anything you missed.
On a phone, steer with your thumb. On a computer, use the arrow keys. Gamepads work too.
What you learn
Dock hand
Tern Harbor
Steering, life jackets, red right returning, nuns and cans, and coming to a dock gently.
Deckhand
The Long River
Keeping right, blind bends, one short and two short, asking a drawbridge to open.
Mate
Open Water
Who gives way, who holds steady, what to do bow to bow, and how to anchor.
Second skipper
The Fog Bank
Safe speed, sound signals, steering by bell and gong, and an engine that quits.
Skipper
Night Passage
Reading red, green and white lights, tugs and tows, and a person overboard drill.
Captain
The Long Way Home
One long final voyage, from dusk through fog to sunrise, with nobody to ask.
For parents and teachers
Harbor Run has no ads, no chat, no shop inside the game, and no way for players to post anything. It collects no analytics. It needs no account, and without one nothing leaves the browser. Sound stays off until someone taps. There are captions for every sound puzzle, a reduced motion setting, an easy waters mode, and shapes and numbers on every buoy, so color is never the only clue.
Grown-ups can save the voyage to an account or sign in to keep it across browsers. It’s optional, and it’s the same account as Helm.
Questions
Is Harbor Run free?
Yes. The whole game is free. There are no ads and no in-game purchases.
Does my child need an account?
No. Nobody needs an account to play. Progress stays in the browser and nothing is sent anywhere. A grown-up can choose to sign in to save it across devices.
What age is it for?
Children who can steer a toy boat can play the early levels, and the story needs very little reading. Adults tend to find the fog and night chapters a real test.
Are the rules in the game real?
Yes. Buoys, sound signals and right-of-way follow U.S. federal rules, and are checked against the official text. Good habits that aren't law are labelled as good practice, and anything simplified for the game says so.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. It's made for phones in either direction, with thumb controls. It also works with a keyboard or a gamepad.
Will this teach me to drive a boat?
No. It's a game, not navigation training. It's a friendly way to learn the ideas. Real boating takes real instruction, a chart and a life jacket.
A game, not navigation training. Harbor Run simplifies some things, and says where it does. Never use it to navigate. Helm is an independent study aid. It isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Maritime Center.
Grown-ups studying for a real OUPV captain’s license might like Helm, the study app this game comes from, or its free pages on reading buoys and sound signals.