Radar Scan — Play Free Online

Free visual tracking game — instant play, no signup, no download

Radar Scan gives you a sweeping radar display and asks you to detect contacts as the sweep reveals them. Because each contact is only visible as the beam passes, it is a sustained-vigilance task — you have to stay alert through long stretches of nothing.

How to play

A radar sweep rotates across the display.

Contacts appear briefly as the beam passes over them.

Click each contact when you see it.

Missed contacts cost you.

Contacts become fainter and rarer as you progress.

What it actually trains

Sustained attention and vigilance — maintaining detection performance over time when targets are infrequent. Vigilance decays measurably within minutes, and this task makes that decay visible.

Tips to score higher

Watch the leading edge of the sweep, not the whole display. That is where new information appears.

Do not let your eyes wander during quiet stretches. Drift is what causes missed contacts.

Blink deliberately just after the sweep passes an empty sector.

Expect a dip in the middle of a long run. Knowing it is coming helps you fight it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the vigilance decrement?

The well-documented decline in detection performance over time on monitoring tasks. It starts within the first few minutes, which is why watch-keeping roles rotate.

Why are faint contacts so much harder?

Detection depends on the signal standing out from the background. As the contrast falls, you approach your own detection threshold.

Is this the same as Follow the Dot?

No. That is tracking a known object; this is detecting unknown ones.

How do I sustain attention longer?

Watch the leading edge only and keep a steady blink rhythm. Both reduce the effort of staying on task.