Support

Balloon Journey Japan is on its way to iOS and Android. Here is what we can answer today.

Frequently asked

When is it out?

Dates are announced on the mailing list below before anywhere else — one email the day the beta opens, one the day the game goes live. Sign up and you will hear it first.

Which platforms?

iOS and Android at launch. Steam and Nintendo Switch are planned to follow.

How do I play it?

Hold the burner to rise, hold the vent to sink, and ride the layer of wind that is going your way. The whole thing is written up on the how to play page, including how to read the wind sheet and what happens while the app is closed.

What will it cost?

Pricing is still being worked out. What is settled is the shape of it: anything you can buy is cosmetic — the look of your balloon and how it presents. We will not sell wind, fuel, distance or time skips. Waiting for the right wind is the game, and selling a way past it would be selling the game itself.

Do I need an account?

Just open it and fly. There is no sign-up, no email address and no password — your balloon is identified by a random code created on first launch. To move it to a new phone, the game issues a short transfer code; treat that code like a password, because anyone holding it can claim the balloon.

Can I play offline?

You can fly offline — the terrain is cached and your phone works out the wind on its own. Because the journey continues while the app is closed, the game reconnects to catch up with the server when you next have a signal. A few minutes of connection is a full session.

Is there chat?

The sky is deliberately quiet. You can wave, send a greeting from a fixed list, hand over a gift and flash the burner — but there is no text box anywhere in the game, and there never will be. It keeps the sky calm and keeps the age rating low.

Does it use my real location?

The game never asks for location permission. The only coordinates it works with are your balloon’s position inside the game world.

Is the weather real weather?

The clock and the calendar are real — the time of day and the season match yours. The wind and the sky are generated from a physical model tied to place and time. The same model runs on the server and on your phone, which is what makes the in-game forecast worth trusting: read it right and the sky does what it said it would.

How large is the map?

All of Japan, as one continuous terrain at full size. There is no stage select and nothing to unlock — you fly wherever the wind takes you, and the sea is the edge of the world.

Still stuck?

Bug reports, questions and press enquiries all go through the contact form. If you are reporting a problem, telling us your device model and OS version saves a round trip. For how the game itself works, start with how to play.