Going Balls Coins: What to Unlock First

I learned a long time ago, from writing games rather than simply playing them, that a small reward can become surprisingly powerful when you put it in the right place.

Coins in Going Balls are a good example.

They are everywhere. You see them sitting on tracks, tucked around corners, placed near jumps and sometimes positioned just far enough toward the edge to make you think, “I can get that.”

Sometimes you can.

Sometimes that one coin is exactly what sends your ball into the void.

The current Google Play listing describes coins as part of the progression system used to unlock new balls and environments, while the App Store similarly describes collecting coins to unlock new balls and customization. That makes the basic strategy fairly simple: collect coins steadily, but don’t treat every coin as worth risking a completed run.

The more interesting question is what you should actually unlock first.

1. Coins Are More Useful as Progress Than as a Score

The first mistake I see players make is treating every collectible as equally urgent.

It isn’t.

A coin sitting directly in the middle of a safe stretch of track is practically free. A coin sitting beside a narrow platform after a difficult ramp is a different proposition entirely.

That distinction matters because Going Balls is built around movement, momentum and recovery. The official store descriptions emphasize the game’s combination of speed, balance, obstacles and ball customization.

So I like to think about coins in three categories:

Coin situation	Risk	What I’d do
On the normal racing line	Low	Collect it
Slightly off the racing line	Medium	Collect if control is comfortable
Beside a gap or narrow edge	High	Usually leave it
Requires a risky detour	Very high	Finish the level instead

That last category is where players lose time.

You don’t actually need every coin in every run. A missed coin remains available to collect another time, while a failed run costs you the progress and concentration you were building.

And yes, I’ve made the same mistake. You see a shiny collectible just beyond a turn, convince yourself the ball has enough room, and then discover that “enough room” was a very optimistic measurement.

For Darkcyan Moose readers who are working through the game for the first time, that is probably the most useful coin rule to remember:

A safe coin is valuable. A coin that causes a restart isn’t.

2. Unlock Ball Skins Before Chasing Everything Else

The most obvious use for accumulated coins is ball customization.

The official Going Balls listings say coins can be collected to unlock new balls, with the Google Play listing describing a large collection of colorful ball designs.

These unlocks are primarily about customization rather than transforming your basic skill.

That changes how I’d approach spending.

Don’t assume that buying a particular-looking ball will suddenly make difficult levels easier. A different appearance doesn’t replace learning how to control speed or line up a jump.

Instead, treat the ball collection as a long-term reward for playing well.

This is actually one of the nicer parts of the game’s progression. You’re doing the same basic thing, rolling through increasingly difficult tracks, but the coins give ordinary runs another purpose.

A level isn’t only:

reach the finish.

It becomes:

reach the finish, collect the safe coins, and gradually build the collection.

That is enough to keep a short arcade level interesting after you’ve already learned its basic route.

If you’re curious about playing on a larger screen, Darkcyan Moose also has a [Going Balls PC guide]Going Balls PC guide, which is useful when small touch movements are becoming frustrating on later tracks.

3. Don’t Spend Coins Just Because You Have Them

This sounds obvious, but it is surprisingly easy to fall into the “I have currency, therefore I should spend it” habit.

Game economies are designed to create exactly that feeling.

But in Going Balls, there isn’t a strong reason to empty your coin balance immediately. The official listings frame the coins as a way to unlock the collection of balls and environments, so saving toward an unlock you actually want is perfectly reasonable.

I would use a simple rule:

Spend when the unlock adds something you actually want. Save when you’re only spending because the balance looks untidy.

That second impulse is real. I’ve seen it in games repeatedly, and it’s one of those tiny psychological details that affects how people interact with progression systems.

There is also a practical reason to save.

As you continue playing, you’ll learn which parts of the game you enjoy. Maybe you’re the person who wants a ridiculous-looking collection of balls. Maybe you care much more about clearing levels. Maybe you like replaying old tracks and collecting everything you missed.

Your priorities become clearer with time.

So there is no need to decide your entire collection strategy during your first few levels.

4. Keys Are a Different Problem

Coins and keys are easy to lump together because both appear as collectibles during runs.

They aren’t necessarily serving the same purpose.

Several established Going Balls guides describe keys as being associated with treasure chests, while coins are used for ball skins. 1001Games, for example, specifically distinguishes coins for new balls from keys used to unlock treasure chests. Gamezebo also describes keys as the collectible used for chests and notes that collecting three keys can lead to a chest reward.

This is where people usually go wrong.

They see a key and think, “That’s rarer, so I have to get it.”

Not necessarily.

Rarity doesn’t automatically make something worth risking a run for.

If a key is sitting on a safe section of track, grab it. If it requires you to make a dangerous turn immediately after a ramp, think about whether the attempt is worth it.

There is a useful little hierarchy here:

Safe coin → safe key → risky coin → risky key.

The first two are easy decisions.

The last two depend on the level.

And that is much more useful than trying to memorize some universal “collect everything” rule.

5. Checkpoints Matter More Than a Single Coin

There is another reward that doesn’t get enough attention when people talk about collecting.

Checkpoints.

Going Balls levels include checkpoint mechanics, and guides describe reaching checkpoint markers as a way to give yourself a safer recovery point after a fall.

That changes how I approach a difficult section.

Suppose you have a narrow platform ahead and there are three coins sitting along it. You can see all of them. You also know the checkpoint is coming shortly afterward.

I would prioritize getting the ball safely to the checkpoint.

Then worry about the collectibles.

Why?

Because once you understand the layout, you can replay the section with much better information. You know where the danger is, how much momentum you need and which coins are genuinely easy to grab.

This is one of those situations where patience isn’t really slower.

It is faster over several attempts.

And if you’re playing on iOS, the [Going Balls iOS guide on Darkcyan Moose]Going Balls iOS guide has additional information about the mobile version, including its controls and progression system.

6. The Best Coin Strategy Is Actually a Control Strategy

It sounds like this is supposed to be an article about spending coins.

It is, but the way you earn them matters more than the shop decision.

Going Balls uses simple swipe controls, but small changes in speed and direction have big consequences on narrow tracks. The official game description specifically highlights speed, balance, gaps, ramps and moving obstacles as central parts of the experience.

So before you start chasing a particular unlock, get better at staying alive.

Try this on a new level:

Make the first run primarily about learning the route.
Collect obvious coins that don’t require a detour.
Notice where the dangerous coins are.
Learn the timing of moving obstacles.
On the next attempt, collect one or two of the previously risky coins.
Skip anything that still requires a desperate correction.

That last step matters.

You don’t need a perfect collection run every time.

A good collection run is one where the extra rewards don’t interfere with the main objective.

This is also why guides commonly recommend controlling speed rather than simply trying to go faster. Gamezebo’s Going Balls strategy guide specifically warns against excessive speed and recommends more deliberate swiping.

7. What Should You Unlock First?

There isn’t a single universal first ball that every player needs to buy.

The current official listings don’t present a competitive stat hierarchy where one cosmetic ball is objectively the “best” purchase. They present ball customization as part of the game’s collectible progression.

So I’d use this priority:

Priority	What to work toward	Why
1	Easily collected coins	Builds currency without increasing failure risk
2	A ball you actually like	Gives your progress a visible reward
3	Safe keys and chest opportunities	Adds another layer of collection
4	More expensive or desirable cosmetic unlocks	Better saved for when you know your preferences
5	Risky collectibles	Only chase them when you know the route

Notice what isn’t on the list.

“Spend everything immediately.”

That isn’t necessary.

The collection is there to give your runs a little extra meaning, not to turn every level into a shopping exercise.

8. A Better Way to Farm Coins Without Making the Game Miserable

If you’re specifically trying to build up your coin balance, replaying familiar levels is usually more sensible than repeatedly throwing yourself at a difficult new level just because it appears to contain more collectibles.

Familiarity changes everything.

You already know where the gaps are. You know which ramp needs speed. You know where the hammer swings. Your attention can shift toward collecting.

That makes an older level a completely different experience from your first attempt.

You can also reverse direction when appropriate. 1001Games notes that players can roll backward and return for missed coins or keys, which is a useful part of the game’s movement system.

But don’t turn that into another obsession.

Going backward on a narrow platform because you missed one coin is sometimes clever. Doing it every time you miss a coin is how a five-second detour becomes a full restart.

I would rather finish a clean run with 90 percent of the easy collectibles than lose the whole attempt trying to make the number 100.

That may sound slightly boring.

It’s also how you keep making progress.

9. What About In-App Purchases?

Going Balls is free to download, but the current Google Play and App Store listings show ads and optional in-app purchases.

That matters because “coins” can sound like they are necessarily something you need to buy.

They aren’t the same thing.

The game’s core loop already gives you collectible currency through gameplay, while optional purchases are a separate part of the monetization system.

So if you’re playing normally, don’t feel as though you need to spend real money just because another player has a larger collection.

You don’t.

And if you’re playing on a shared family device, it is worth remembering that in-app purchases are available. The Google Play listing explicitly identifies purchases alongside ads, so checking your device’s purchase controls is sensible if someone else uses the account.

For another look at older releases and version information, Darkcyan Moose maintains a [Going Balls old versions guide]Going Balls old versions guide. That’s a separate question from coin spending, but useful if an update has changed how the game feels on your device.

10. My Rule for Spending Going Balls Coins

If I had to reduce the whole thing to one approach, it would be this:

Unlock what makes you want to keep playing, not what you think you are supposed to buy.

Coins are useful because they give the levels a persistent reward loop. You play, collect, unlock, then play again.

The mistake is turning that loop into a checklist where every coin must be collected and every balance must immediately be spent.

That’s when the game starts feeling like work.

Take the safe coins. Pick up keys when they’re reasonably accessible. Learn the levels. Use checkpoints intelligently. Save currency when you don’t actually want anything in the shop.

And when you finally have enough for a ball you genuinely like, buy it.

That’s what the coins are there for.

Darkcyan Moose is at its best when the game guides stay practical rather than pretending there is a secret trick behind every mechanic. Going Balls doesn’t really need one. Its progression is straightforward, and the interesting part is deciding how much risk you’re willing to take for a little more reward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I collect every coin in Going Balls?

No. Collect easy coins whenever possible, but don’t risk a completed run for one collectible near an edge or difficult obstacle. A safe finish is usually worth more than a risky detour.

What do coins unlock in Going Balls?

The official Google Play and App Store descriptions say coins are used to unlock new balls, with the game’s customization system built around collecting different designs.

Are keys more valuable than coins?

They serve a different purpose rather than simply being a better version of coins. Current third-party game guides describe keys as being associated with treasure chests, while coins are used for ball customization.

Should I save my coins or spend them immediately?

Save them if there isn’t an unlock you actually want. There is no need to spend currency simply because you’ve accumulated it.

Can I earn coins without spending real money?

Yes. Coins are collectible during normal gameplay. Going Balls is free to download and play, although the current store listings also show ads and optional in-app purchases.

For the current official version and download information, the safest reference is the [Going Balls Google Play listing]official Google Play listing.