The desktop app is the same game as the browser version: same servers, same account, same unlocks. What it adds is performance. Browsers cap the frame rate at your monitor's refresh; the desktop app does not.
Saved blitzball-settings.json to your Downloads folder. Save it again if your browser blocked it.
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. The installer adds a Start Menu entry and handles sign-in links; the portable version is a single exe you can run from anywhere, no install.
What the desktop app adds
Uncapped frame rate. Frames render as fast as your hardware allows instead of locking to monitor refresh. Lower input latency, smoother rocket reads on high-refresh monitors. A vsync toggle is there if you prefer tear-free.
Discrete GPU. On laptops with two graphics chips, the app picks the fast one instead of leaving it to Windows.
Display settings. Borderless fullscreen or windowed at a resolution you choose, from inside the game's settings.
No browser chrome. A clean game window. Pointer lock holds reliably across focus changes and multiple monitors.
Everything else is identical. Online matches, your account, the store, leaderboards, and replays are shared with the browser version. Sign in opens your browser and returns you to the app.
Install notes
Windows SmartScreen may warn on first run. The app is not yet code signed, so Windows shows an "unknown publisher" notice. Click "More info", then "Run anyway". Only download from this page.
The installer updates itself. It checks in the background, downloads only what changed, and applies the update the next time you close the game. A "Restart" button appears in game if you want it sooner. The portable version does not update itself: download it again from this page when a new build ships.
Uninstall from Windows Settings, Apps, like any other program. The portable version leaves nothing behind except its settings folder.
Prefer no download?
The browser version is the same game and stays current automatically. If you are on a 60 Hz monitor there is little reason to install anything: play in your browser.