Curling Stars 2026

🥌 CONTROLS

CLICK TO ENABLE SOUND · MOUSE TO AIM · HOLD TO THROW · HOLD TO SWEEP

🎮 CONTROLLER · LEFT STICK TO AIM · HOLD ✕ TO THROW · R2 TO SWEEP

🖱️ AimMove the mouse to set the skip's broom — that's your target line.

🎛️ Handle sliderThe HANDLE slider under the power bar sets your spin: Low Spin = the rock turns slowly and curls a lot; Spinner = fast rotation that runs nearly straight; middle is a normal handle. Drag it before you throw.

⇄ TurnWhich way it curls is set by which side of centre you aim. Press R or tap FLIP to reverse the in/out turn.

💪 WeightHold the left mouse button; the meter sweeps up and down — release in the zone you want (GUARD / DRAW / HACK / TAKEOUT). Esc cancels.

🧹 SweepWhile the stone runs, hold the mouse or SPACE — sweeping carries it farther and holds the line.

👁 Skip ModeWASD walk · C crouch · left-click to sweep from the skip's-eye view.

⌨️ KEYBOARD KEYS

␣ SpaceSweep with both sweepers while the stone runs (same as holding the mouse).

RFlip the handle — reverse the in-turn ↔ out-turn before you throw.

← →Fine-nudge your aim left / right (like moving the mouse a touch).

JToggle first-person sweeper view — you become the left sweeper and the broom head follows your mouse, side to side or up and down: long strokes sweep long, short strokes short, and it stops when you stop.

HToggle the ice-reading heat map — see how well your skip reads the pebble.

MSend the skip running in to help sweep (toggle, while the stone is running).

EscCancel the throw while the power meter is charging.

🖱️ Right / MiddleRight-click sweeps the right brush only (shape the line); middle-click = hard sweep.

F · LF shows the FPS readout · L locks the top graphics tier for smoother play.

✕ CrossTap on the prep beat to start aiming · hold to charge the weight meter and release in the zone you want · hold while the stone runs to sweep with both brushes.

○ CircleCancel the throw while the meter is charging · Back in menus.

□ SquareFLIP the handle — reverse the in-turn ↔ out-turn before you throw.

△ TriangleSkip View before the throw · while the stone runs, send the skip running in to sweep.

🕹 Left stickAim — moves the skip's broom; letting go keeps the line. Hold L1 for fine aim. In Skip View it walks.

🕹 Right stickUp / down sets the HANDLE (spin) before you throw · scrolls long menus.

✛ D-pad ◀ ▶Fine-nudge the aim (same as ← →) · change a setting's value.

✛ D-pad ▲ ▼▲ toggles the ice-reading heat map · ▼ opens the Ice Report · in Skip View they shout the calls.

R2Sweep — squeeze to brush with both sweepers while the stone runs · all the way in = HARD sweep (+25%, burns energy faster) · presses the pad in sweeper view (either stick moves it).

L1 / R1While the stone runs: sweep with one brush to steer it toward the left / right of your screen · in menus, the previous / next tab.

L3 / R3L3 first-person sweeper view while your stone runs (crouch in Skip View) · R3 cycles the broadcast camera.

☰ OptionsQuick menu — camera, Skip View, sweeper view, ice reading, Ice Report, Settings, Controls, Quit.

⧉ CreateOpens this Controls card.

▭ TouchpadToggles the ice-reading heat map.

🎮 MENUS

✛ / 🕹 MoveThe D-pad or left stick moves the gold highlight · ✕ selects · ○ goes back · L1 / R1 switch tabs · the right stick scrolls.

🖱️ MouseMove the mouse and it takes over again — the pad wakes up on its next button press.

📊 PLAYER STATS — what the numbers mean

OVROverall — the big number on the card: a curler's core skills rolled into one rating.

ACCAccuracy — how close their throws land to the broom and the called weight. Low ACC drifts off line and misses weight.

POWPower — throwing muscle. High POW reaches heavy takeout weight easily; low POW strains on the big hits.

CLUClutch — nerves under pressure. Keeps the accuracy up on last rocks and tight scores.

SWPSweeping — brushing effectiveness: how much extra distance and line-hold their sweeping gives a running stone.

FITFitness — strength & stamina. Burns ENERGY slower while sweeping and keeps their footing (fewer stumbles and falls).

ICEIce reading — how truthfully the H heat map shows the fast, worn paths. Weak readers get a blurry, offset map.

IQStrategy IQ — how well this player calls the game when they skip. Each player also has a strategy style: Balanced, Hitter, Draw game, Guard lover, Wildcard or Trick shooter, and a Hit ↔ Draw lean that tilts the calls toward takeouts or draws.

LCKLuck — the close calls: rubs, picks and measurements break their way a little more often.

ETQEtiquette — sportsmanship and composure; keeps the team's happiness from draining away. Low-etiquette curlers fidget, chat and heckle from the sideline while the other team throws (in Simulation style a heckle can shake the thrower's focus a little).

⚡ EnergyDrains while sweeping; a tired curler brushes weaker until they get a rest between shots.

✚ InjuryKnocks and falls hurt (the stick figure shows where). An injured curler underperforms until it heals.

♥ BPMLive heart rate — it climbs with effort and pressure; a red-lined heart means shakier throws.

SHOOTING PCTRunning shot-quality percentage this game, with Hits and Draws counted beside it.

⚙ Settings

Ends of play 🥌Default length of a Quick Game

Time per end ⏱No clock — play at your own pace. Pick a time to run a game clock.

No-tick rule 🚫Off — the five-rock rule alone: a centre guard can be ticked to the wing

Pressure indicator ♥Live heart-rate / pressure readout on the player card (BPM + zone)

CPU runs the game flow 🤖In 📺 CPU vs CPU games the computer presses the between-end buttons itself — 5s on a continue, 20s on the end-of-end score screen

Player voicesCurlers & commentator talking out loud

🎙 HD Voices (neural, ~90MB download)Top-quality on-device neural speech (Kokoro) — one-time ~90 MB download, needs internet. Standard voices carry on while it loads or if it can't

System check 🩺Not run on this device yetTimes this machine's graphics card and processor, reads its memory, and recommends the settings that keep the frame rate high

ResolutionHigh-DPI sharpness — higher = crisper, heavier

Brightness ☀️100% — stock

Saturation 🎨100% — stock colour

New interface look ✨Glass panels with crimson + cyan accents across the menus and the match HUD. Off = the classic gold-and-navy colours.

Thought bubbles 💭Sweepers' weight reads and the waiting team's inner monologue, floating over their heads. Off by default.

Sweep pressure 📊Live 0–100 effort figure over each sweeper's head. Off by default — turn it on to see exactly how hard the crew is working.

Sweep sheen 🧹A faint warmed-ice smear where the brooms work, just ahead of the running stone. Off = perfectly clean ice.

Drag-to-set power 🎯Alternate control: drag the little indicator up and down the power bar to set your weight by hand, then click to throw. Off = the classic timed meter.

Mouse-brush sweeping 🧹Alternate control: hold the left button and SCRUB the mouse to sweep — stop moving and the brushes stop. Middle button still sweeps hard; SPACE still works. Off = classic hold-to-sweep.

Ice speed 🧊4.0 s to the tee line — stock club ice

Feet of curl ↩4 ft — stock. How far a stone swings across on its way down.

Air temperature 🌡Auto (venue ambient) — drag to override. Cold: curlers shiver & freeze. Hot: they sweat & pass out; the ice melts.

Game styleARCADE = everyone at 100%, perfect ice reads, quiet coach — pure fun. SIMULATION = real ratings, real reads, full chatter. Individual settings below stay adjustable.

Ice reading 100%Read the pebble perfectly for everyone — overrides the skip's ice-reading skill (off = respects ability)

All attributes 100% 🕹Arcade mode — every curler plays at max rating: no fatigue, no injuries, no stat differences. Pure shot-making.

Shot scoring (out of 4)Grade every delivery 0–4 and show the D/H/O shooting bars on the end report (off = names only, stats still tracked)

Full player models 💪Auto — this device decides (phones and slow graphics get simpler players)Always = realistic curlers, Turkey and full face + hair detail here, even if this device looks too slow. Can lower the frame rateRealistic players: checking…

Realistic players 👤Hi-fi curler figures — detailed faces, bodies and cloth. Desktop only; heavier on the GPU. Takes effect next shot

New curler models 🧍The new Blender-built curlers — real bodies, faces and hands. Off = the original curlers. Needs Realistic players; desktop only. Takes effect next shot

New Turkey model 🐕Turkey rebuilt in Blender — real fur coat and shape. Off = the original Turkey. Switches right away

Hair & head detail 💇Auto — follows Realistic players and the machine check

Facial features detail 🙂Auto — follows Realistic players and the machine check

Ice reflections ✨Real mirror reflections on the ice — players, rocks and arena lights mirrored in the sheet. Desktop only, off by default⚠ Heavy: mirrors the whole arena every frame and can halve your frame rate. Leave it off unless you have a strong graphics card

Player panel & viewport 🪪The left-side card with the shooter's attributes, energy, heart rate and the ON THE ICE camera window

Frame-rate counter 📈Live FPS in the top-right corner, with the worst dip and the quality tier the game has settled on

Energy bars above players ❤️The floating energy / heart-rate readouts that hover over each curler on the ice

Player close-up 📺The picture-in-picture window on the left showing a close-up of the curler who is shooting

Rock path trails 🟥🟦Each stone leaves a line on the ice tracing the path it travelled, coloured by team (red / blue)

Projected ending spot ⭐While a stone is running, draw a star where it's projected to stop. Updates live as you sweep or if the rock picks

Curl preview line 🟢While aiming, a bright green dashed ribbon on the ice traces how the selected handle will curl

Show the waiting team 🧍🧍Draw the other rink's players standing on the hog line. Turn OFF for smoother performance on slower machines (fewer 3-D figures)

Text chat log 💬Bottom-left terminal logging what both teams say & think (sweeper weight reads) — off by default

🥽 VR detailSeparate from the settings above — a headset is phone-class next to a desktop. Applies when you enter VR

🥽 VR deliveryHow you throw in VR

CPU difficultyHow sharp the computer plays

CPU play speed ⏩1× — real time (the CPU plays at the pace you do)

Game speed 🐢100% — real time

Directional sweepHow hard corner-sweeping steers the rock — adds curl / holds the line

Skip chatter 🗣How much the skip yells line/sweep calls (0 = silent)

Sweeper chatter 🗣How much your front-end/sweepers pipe up (pep, nerves, reactions)

Debris picks 🪨How often running over debris (dirt, corn chaff, ash…) picks the stone off line — 100 = every time, 0 = never

Coach chatter 🗣How much the bench coach speaks up (the dog barks instead)

Reporter chatter 🗣How often Joanne the broadcaster chimes in

Opponent chatter 🗣How much the waiting rink chats, laughs and heckles from the sideline, and their skip behind the house (0 = silent)

Sound effects 🔊Volume of gunfire, jets, sweeping, rock hits & crowd (music & voices have their own sliders)

Stone roar 🥌The rumble of a running stone on pebbled ice: Arena (broadcast), Club rink (close and crunchy), Cinematic (big and deep), or Off (silent stones)

Outdoor snow ❄Snow on outdoor rinks (Calabogie) — it piles on the ice, sweep it off

Detail / polygons 🔻High poly — full detail

Spectators 👥People in the stands and the club lounge — Off saves the most frame rate

Falling leaves 🍂Autumn leaves drifting over the title screen (Sep 15 – Nov 30) and a jack-o'-lantern around Halloween

Wind 💨Sideways gust that drifts the rock — 0 km/h

Rain 🌧Misting → downpour — wets the ice; the stone runs a little heavy (up to ~20% slower glide)

Thunderstorm ⛈Outdoor venues — one random storm per game (≥5 min in): clouds → rain → thunder → peak → passes; high levels knock curlers down

Account 🔒Account session — sign out to return to the login screen

Controller 🎮PS5 DualSense or any standard gamepad — press a button on the pad and it takes over; move the mouse and the mouse is back

Button icons 🎮Which button labels the prompts show — Auto reads the pad's name

Vibration 📳Rumble on the release, on stone hits and while you sweep

Stick aim speed 🎯1.0× — how fast the left stick moves the skip's broom

Stick deadzone 🕹0.18 — stick travel ignored around the centre (raise it if the aim drifts on its own)

Hard sweep on full R2 💪Pull the trigger all the way for a HARD sweep — +25% strength, burns energy faster

Settings are saved on this device.

STORY MODE

COACHING

SEASON DESIGNER

TEAM 1

TEAM 2

HOW TO PLAY

🥌 CONTROLS

🧊 ICE READING · PEBBLE

⚙ Settings

🧥 JACKET DESIGNER

🤝 TEAM SPONSORS

👖 PANTS DESIGNER

🎵 EVENT MANAGER