Oct 8, 2026 · @Someone

Steel Front is a top-down 16-bit tank game that runs in your web browser. You command one battered tank against a growing enemy force, one battle at a time. Clear every enemy tank on the field and you move on to the next level. Each new battle brings more tanks with sharper aim.

Everything you see is pixel art drawn by code in real time, from the tank's tracks and turret to the river and the smoke. There is nothing to download or install.

Story

The year is 1944, somewhere in the fictional Aster Valley. The Iron Pact has rolled across the farmland in grey armor, each turret marked with a red identification band. The valley's villages, river crossings and supply roads are now in their hands.

Your crew drives Old Mule, a sand-camouflaged tank and the last survivor of the 3rd Armored Company. The rest of the company was lost in the first assault. Cut off from the main front, you have no reinforcements and no air support. You have a cannon, a full tank of fuel, and a map of the valley.

The plan is simple and desperate. Strike the enemy one sector at a time, from the morning fields to the burning dusk. Every sector you clear opens the road a little further. After each fight, field mechanics patch up Old Mule's armor before the next push. Each sector the Pact sends more tanks, better crews and heavier armor to stop you.

How far into the valley can one tank go?

How to play

Destroy every enemy tank on the map to clear the level. The counter in the top-left corner shows how many are left. Red arrows on the edge of the screen point to enemies you can't see. The minimap in the top-right corner shows the whole battlefield.

Action

Control

Drive forward / reverse

W / S

Turn the hull

A / D

Aim the turret

Mouse

Fire

Left click or F (hold to keep firing)

Boost

Space or right click (uses stamina)

Pause

Esc or P

Sound on / off

M

The hull and the turret move independently. You can drive in one direction while you shoot in another.

Combat tips

• Hit them where the armor is thin. Side hits deal 1.25× damage and rear hits deal 1.6×. Flanking is the fastest way to win.

• Watch your angle. A shell that strikes armor at a shallow angle bounces off and does no damage. The same rule protects you, so keep your front toward the enemy.

• Use your boost wisely. Boosting raises your top speed from 42 to 72, but it drains stamina. Run it dry and you must wait until it recovers to 35% before you can boost again.

• Cross the river anywhere. Your tank can wade through water, but it slows to about 60% speed. Shells that land in the river throw up a splash instead of a crater.

• Use cover. Houses, trees, hedges and walls stop shells and block line of sight. Enemies must see you before they can shoot.

• Grab repair kits. Destroyed enemies sometimes drop a yellow repair crate. Drive over it to restore up to 35 armor.

• Don't hide forever. If you stay out of sight too long, every enemy on the map starts hunting you.

Features

• Hand-tuned 16-bit pixel art, drawn by code. The tank hull is drawn in 48 directions and the turret in 64. Each direction is redrawn from scratch, so outlines stay clean at every angle. Light always falls from the top left.

• A living battlefield. The map holds a village with a church tower and a cobbled square, farm fields with hedgerows, forests, a winding river, trenches, a supply depot and a railway line. The river flows, birds fly past and scatter at gunfire, clouds drift overhead, and chimney smoke rises from the houses.

• Smart enemy tanks. Enemies patrol, spot you, call nearby tanks for help and find their way around buildings and across the river. In combat they circle you, back off when you get too close, lead their shots and hold fire when a friendly tank is in the way.

• Heavy-hitting effects. Effects include muzzle flash and recoil, smoke, track marks and dust that match the ground, water splashes and bow waves, sparks, ricochets and big explosions that blow the turret off and leave a burning wreck.

• Synthesized sound. All sound is generated live. You hear an engine that roars with speed, track clatter, cannon blasts, metal hits, distant explosions, the river and birdsong.

• An endless campaign. Levels keep coming, with more enemies, better aim and faster reloads. The time of day changes between battles: morning, afternoon, overcast and dusk.

• Saved progress. The game remembers the highest level you reach. If you lose at level 10, you can continue from level 10, or replay any level you have unlocked.

• Score and records. You earn points for kills, clearing a level, armor left and speed. Your best level and score are shown on the main menu.

Enemy field guide

The Iron Pact fields three tank types. Your shells deal 34 damage before facing bonuses, and your tank starts each level with 100 armor.

Type

Paint

Armor

Speed

Points

How to beat it

Scout

Light grey

60

Fast

100

Two hits will do. It closes in quickly, so meet it head on.

Medium

Olive green

100

Medium

200

Three hits from the front, two from the rear. Flank it while it circles.

Heavy

Dark grey

170

Slow

400

Hits hard but turns slowly. Drive around it and hit the side or rear.

Level 1 sends two Scouts. Medium tanks join from level 2 and Heavy tanks from level 5. Late levels field up to eight tanks at once.

Getting started

Open the game link in a recent version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari on a computer. You need a keyboard and a mouse, and touch screens are not supported yet. Click once or press any key to turn on the sound, then press Enter to start the campaign.

Your progress is saved in your browser. Clearing your browser data or playing in a private window starts you from level 1 again.

Old Mule is fuelled and the valley is waiting. Good hunting, commander.