Menu

Phage Invaders: A CRISPR Game

Overview

Your Mission

Defend the city of Bacterium from viral annihilation!

The city is under attack and needs a hero to save the day! Play as noble defender Cris Perotein. You’ll need to act fast to stop an army of viral villains from taking over the city. Will you be quick enough?

Play through levels that get harder and harder to learn the ropes of CRISPR defense. Phage Invaders is available to play through your browser or you can download on desktop, iPhone, or iPad. Good luck!

The Doudna Challenge

Jennifer Doudna is challenging YOU to beat her score! Do you have what it takes?

Mobile App

Phage Invaders is available as a free mobile app for iPhone and iPad!

Play survival mode and record your high score in the Game Center to see how you compare to other players. Download today!

Play Online!

*Web version of game performs best on a laptop or desktop computer. Mobile gamers should download the mobile app.

How to Play

Follow the on-screen instructions to learn to play. In brief:

  • Use your computer trackpad or mouse to run Cris Perotein into the invading DNA to destroy it. No need to click.
  • Once viral parts are generated, they cannot be destroyed!
  • Press the space bar to pause.
  • Click the music note in the bottom right corner to toggle music. Mute your device to mute all sound.
  • Click the square symbol in the bottom right corner to enter full-screen mode.

Finished the main mission and don’t want to replay the intro levels? From the main menu, click “ENDLESS PLAY MODE” to go straight to phase 5, a brutal, infinite onslaught of phages.

Download & Share

Desktop App

A standalone Mac app is available to download here and PC version is available here (requires Windows 10).

*Note for Mac users: If you have trouble opening apps created by unidentified developers, control-click the Phage Invaders icon, then choose Open from the shortcut menu. Select Open when prompted. Phage Invaders will be saved as an exception to your security settings, and you can open it normally in the future.

Tell a Friend

Once you reach the final level, you can choose to share your score on social media. See how your defense skills stack up against other players around the world!

Want to tell a friend about Phage Invaders now? Use the icons below and include the hashtag, #PhageInvaders.

mail

Teaching with Phage Invaders

This game introduces a range of scientific concepts, from the fundamental central dogma of biology to the complex mechanisms of CRISPR immunity. Stay tuned for resources on how to use this game in your next biology lesson plan!

Already using it or have questions? Get in touch at igi-education@berkeley.edu!

Credits

Phage Invaders was created by an IGI team including a high schooler, an undergrad, and two PhD scientists in partnership with Vital Mind Media. For full credits, click “CREDITS” on the main game menu.