Can I play Drifting Dad on my phone?
Yes. Open drifting.softofu.com in a supported Android or iPhone browser. The game supports touch controls and responsive layouts. Dedicated Android and iOS store apps have not been released.
A little slower. A little further.
About & how to play
Drifting Dad (漂流爸爸) is a free, cozy ocean exploration game for desktop and mobile browsers. Float at your own pace, dive for small treasures, exchange bottle messages and discover rare underwater visitors.
Game at a glance
- Genre
- Cozy ocean exploration
- Platforms
- Desktop and mobile web browsers
- Languages
- English and Simplified Chinese
- Price
- Free to play; no ads or in-game purchases
- Controls
- Touch and mouse dragging; WASD or arrow keys; Space to dive
- Progress
- Guest saves on this device; account saves across devices
How to play
- Drag on the water to paddle. Release to drift. On a keyboard, use WASD or the arrow keys. Each right-side press gives the character a different gentle tilt, up to 45°; releasing returns him upright.
- Tap Dive or press Space to explore underwater. Collect bottles and parcels at the surface, and shells, sea stars and pearls underwater. If your breath runs out, you return safely to the surface.
- Open Bag to see your items and letters. Complete the current sea request to earn pearls and gain a level. There is no level cap.
- Take your time. Ocean finds are sparse, and new tides refresh them every four minutes. The character sleeps only after more than 15 uninterrupted minutes without input.
Questions before you drift
Is Drifting Dad free?
Yes. The web game is free to play, with no ads or in-game purchases. You can explore as a guest without creating an account.
How do I keep the same progress on different devices?
Create an account using Sign in and use it on each device. Position, quests, levels, inventory and kept letters synchronize online. If two devices have conflicting saves, choose which progress to continue. Guest saves belong to the current browser.
How do bottle messages work?
Collect an empty bottle, open Bag, choose Write a note, then Seal & send. Signing in is required to send on the live site. Another player can find and read the note, up to 600 characters. Your email is not shown to the recipient. Each sent bottle has one recipient.
Where are my collected items and letters?
Open Bag. Items holds your finds; Messages holds letters you have opened or kept. Pearls are shown separately as your balance. Opening a message bottle leaves an empty bottle ready for a new note.
Can I discard unwanted items without littering the sea?
Yes. Choose Send one ashore in your bag. The item goes into a floating parcel, and a courier bird collects it and carries it away. You can also send unwanted letter paper ashore.
How do I encounter whales, krakens and mermaids?
Rare visitors are random. Whales become eligible after 10 minutes of active play; krakens require drifting at least 2.5 km from the starting point; mermaids become eligible after 20 minutes and are the rarest. Higher levels improve eligible encounter odds up to fivefold, but no encounter is guaranteed.
Does the game work offline?
After the game has loaded and its offline files have been cached, you can keep exploring with local saves. Account synchronization and bottle exchange require an internet connection. Keep your recovery key from signup to recover your account; recovery email is not configured.
Does Drifting Dad support Chinese?
Yes. Select 中文 for Simplified Chinese. The Chinese game name is 漂流爸爸. Both languages use the same account and progress. Player-written messages stay in their original language.