How to play nail football
Nailball Goal is the digital version of nail football ("çivi futbolu"), the game played with a coin between nails hammered into a wooden board. It uses real physics and runs in your browser on phones and computers — no download, no sign-up, no ads.
Open the gameGoal
Take turns shooting the disc and bank it off nails and walls into your opponent's goal. First to 3 goals wins. Blue defends the left goal and attacks right; red does the opposite.
Shooting
- Press on the disc. When it is your turn, a gold ring pulses around it.
- Pull back on a computer, swipe on a phone. With a mouse you pull back like a slingshot; on a touch screen you swipe the way the disc should go. The gold line shows the direction; the longer the pull or swipe, the harder the shot.
- Release. The disc flies, hits nails and walls and keeps going. When it stops, the turn passes.
On a computer you can also use the keyboard: ← → to aim, ↑ ↓ for power, Space to shoot.
Every shot has a 20-second clock, in every mode (only the tutorial has none). If it runs out, the turn passes to the other side and the disc stays where it is.
Live Spin: hit the spinning disc
Hit the disc off-centre instead of in the middle and it starts to spin and curve. While it spins, your opponent gets an instant shot: they can hit the spinning disc straight away and send it towards goal. Spin is risky, but at the right angle it turns the game.
Discs
| Disc | Character |
|---|---|
| Coin | Fast and straight; for clean shots. |
| Crown cap (bottle cap) | Heavy and spins more; for curling shots. |
| Plastic cap | Balanced; neither very fast nor very heavy. |
Formations
You choose how your nails stand before the match. In online matches both players pick blind, and both formations are revealed just before kick-off.
- Balanced 4-3-3: three rows of nails, spread across the board.
- Fortress 5-3-2: a deep back five, layered in front of goal.
- Wide 4-4-2: wide wings for wall rebounds.
- Diamond 4-1-3-2: a midfield diamond for nail-and-wall combinations.
- Press 3-4-3: a high line with three forwards pressing early.
Modes
- Against the computer: easy, medium and hard. Use Play to choose difficulty, or open AI and Same Device to choose an opponent, disc and formation.
- Same device: two people on the same phone or computer, taking turns.
- Online casual: quick match, or open a room and send the link to a friend (step by step).
- Online ranked: Elo and a weekly leaderboard. Unlocks after 5 placement matches and 3 casual online matches.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nailball Goal free?
Yes. The web game is free, with no download, no sign-up and no ads.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. It runs in current browsers on phones, tablets and computers. Use "Add to Home Screen" in your browser menu to open it like an app.
Is there a mobile app?
Coming soon to Google Play for Android and the App Store for iPhone. Until then, play in your phone's browser.
How do I play with a friend?
On the home screen, under Play with a friend: next to you, Same device; far apart, Send an invite link. A private room is preselected; create it and share the link, and whoever opens it joins your room. Full guide.
What is Live Spin?
Hit the disc off-centre and it spins; while it spins your opponent may take an instant shot. It is Nailball Goal's own rule.
How do ranked matches unlock?
Finish 5 placement matches against the AI and 3 casual online matches. Placement sets your starting Elo.
Will I lose my progress?
If you link Google from the home screen, level, quests, titles and profile are also saved to the cloud (at most once a minute while linked), so you can continue from the latest cloud save on another device or after clearing browser data. Online rating, Marbles (the in-game currency) and cosmetics are kept on the server anyway. Without linking, progress lives only in this browser. See the privacy page.