What Is an Obby? Obby Games and Parkour Games Explained
An obby is an obstacle course game. The word is short for "obstacle course". You run and jump across platforms, avoid lava, spikes and moving traps, and try to reach the finish without falling. Courses are split into stages, and touching a checkpoint means that if you fall, you start again from there instead of from the very beginning.
The word comes from Roblox, where obbies have been one of the most popular kinds of game for years. Today "obby" is used for any game built around a jumping obstacle course, on Roblox or anywhere else.
What you find in an obby
Almost every obby is made from the same building blocks:
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Platforms | the blocks you jump between, often small and far apart |
| Lava or "kill" blocks | touch them and you go back to your last checkpoint |
| Checkpoints | save your progress partway through the course |
| Moving platforms | slide, spin or vanish, so timing matters |
| Gaps and long jumps | test how well you know your character's jump |
| The finish | a flag, a portal or a trophy at the end |
Many obbies add a timer, so after you've beaten a course you can come back and beat it faster.
The main types of obby
- Stage obby. A long course split into numbered stages, each one a little harder. Your stage number is your progress.
- Tower obby. You climb upwards through floors of obstacles. Falling can cost you several floors at once.
- Difficulty chart obby. Stages are coloured by difficulty, from easy to extreme, so you always know what's coming.
- Speedrun obby. Short courses built to be finished as fast as possible, with a timer and best times.
- Escape obby. A story course: escape a school, a prison or a monster, with obstacles along the way.
Obby vs parkour: what's the difference?
The two words overlap, and many games use both.
- An obby is about the course: a fixed path of obstacles, checkpoints and a finish line.
- A parkour game is about movement: running, jumping and climbing through a space as smoothly as possible. Some parkour games add wall runs, slides and vaults.
In practice, if a game has a course of jumps, checkpoints and a finish, players call it an obby or a parkour game, and often "parkour obby".
Why obbies are so popular
- Anyone can start. The controls are run, jump and look around.
- You always know your goal. Reach the next checkpoint.
- Every fall teaches you something. Restarts are quick, and the next try is a little better.
- They're easy to replay. A course you've beaten becomes a race against your own time.
Tips that work in every obby
- Watch your shadow. In a 3D game, the shadow under your character shows exactly where you'll land.
- Stop before a hard jump. Line yourself up first, then jump. Running at a small platform at full speed is the most common way to fall.
- Learn the jump. Find out how far a short tap and a held jump carry you. Most obbies are built around those two distances.
- Turn the camera. Look at the next platform from the side before you jump, so you can see the gap.
- Wait for moving platforms. Jump when the platform is coming towards you, not when it's leaving.
- Take the checkpoint, then breathe. There's no prize for rushing a course you haven't finished yet.
Play a free obby in your browser
Skipstone: Parkour Obby 3D is a free parkour obby on SalutGames. It runs in a browser tab on a Chromebook, a PC or a phone, with no download, no Roblox account and no sign-up.
There are 50 obstacle courses in five worlds, from a sunny meadow to a lava forge and a starlit tower. Each course has checkpoint flags, so a fall sends you back to the last one, plus hidden gems on side paths and a par time. Collect the gems and beat the par time to earn all three stars. Two extra modes keep it going: a new Daily Run every day, and the Endless Climb, where you climb as high as you can above a rising sea. Coins buy new heroes and trails in the shop.
Controls: WASD or the arrow keys to run, Space to jump (hold it to jump higher), drag the mouse or press Q / E to look around, and R to go back to the checkpoint. On a phone, drag the left side of the screen to run and the right side to look.
More games like it are in our parkour games category.
Questions
What does obby mean?
Obby is short for "obstacle course". It's a game where you jump across platforms and avoid traps to reach the finish.
Is an obby only a Roblox game?
The word started on Roblox, but any obstacle course game can be called an obby. Skipstone, for example, is a 3D obby that runs in a web browser, with no Roblox account.
Are obbies good for kids?
Most are. The goal is simple and there's nothing to read. Check whether a game has a chat: Skipstone has no chat, and you don't need an account to play it.
What is the hardest kind of obby?
Difficulty chart and tower obbies usually go the furthest, with stages that take many tries even for experienced players.
Can you play an obby on a Chromebook?
Yes, if it runs in the browser. Skipstone runs in a Chrome tab on a Chromebook and plays with the keyboard and trackpad.
