Russie-IV / Operator's guide

How to play Oxygen Burn

Oxygen Burn (OxyBurn) is a free online typing game set in the deep sea. You keep the Russie-IV's life support running by typing words. Every completed word restores oxygen; the deeper you go, the less room you have for hesitation.

Start your first dive

Use a physical keyboard with JavaScript enabled and a browser viewport of at least 1024 × 640 CSS pixels. The game pauses if the window becomes too small. You can read this guide on a phone, but gameplay is designed for a desktop or laptop.

1. On the title screen, press Space or a letter to begin a survival dive.
2. Read the three words. Type a word's first letter to select its lane.
3. Finish the word to refill oxygen. Words submit automatically; you do not need to press Space or Enter between them.
4. Keep typing as you descend. The dive ends when your oxygen runs out.

Choose a word you can finish

• Shallow: 3–4 letters, restoring up to 1.2 seconds of oxygen.
• Steady: 5–7 letters, restoring up to 3.5 seconds of oxygen.
• Deep: 8–11 letters, restoring up to 7.5 seconds of oxygen.

Rewards cannot exceed your tank's current capacity. Pressure reduces that capacity and increases oxygen drain as you descend, so reserve seconds are not a fixed real-time countdown.

A wrong letter costs 0.5 seconds of oxygen and leaves the cursor in place. If you need to abandon a selected word, press Escape. This costs 0.8 seconds and clears its progress, but keeps the word available.

Practice typing without oxygen pressure

Choose Practice mode on the title screen for a 60-second, 120-second, or untimed session. Select word tiers, set a target WPM, and optionally enable vent drills. Practice removes oxygen penalties and survival scoring, so you can focus on accuracy and rhythm.

Use Finish practice to save an untimed session. Practice records stay separate from survival bests. Start with comfortable words and consistent accuracy, then add longer words.

Understand WPM, accuracy, and dive history

WPM is correct letters divided by five, divided by active minutes since your first letter attempt. Paused time is excluded; time spent reading and choosing words still counts. Accuracy is correct letter attempts divided by all letter attempts.

Your speed can differ from a continuous-text typing test because you choose individual words, handle hazards, and do not type spaces between words. Compare your Oxygen Burn runs with each other to follow progress within the same mode and settings.

Open History for your latest 50 completed runs and personal insights. Run details help you review your typing; comparisons use compatible sessions. History and preferences are saved in this browser, with no account or cloud sync. Clearing browser data can remove those records.

Watch for deep-sea hazards

Thermal vents give a marked lane a 3.5-second fuse. Complete its word before the deadline or that lane becomes unavailable for 6 seconds. You can use other available lanes during the lockout.

Narcosis briefly distorts the surrounding frame at depth. The letters stay stable and readable; narcosis itself does not impose a word deadline or an oxygen penalty.

Pause and make the cockpit comfortable

Press F2 or use Settings to change fonts, color palettes, sound, reduced motion, and high contrast. Settings and focus loss pause gameplay clocks together. Press Enter when you are ready to resume a suspended dive.

Sound is optional. Read the named hazards and visible oxygen display to follow the dive.