Back to main list of All our 2600 Games
The Atari 2600 was first released in North America in September 1977 and featured 9 launch titles: Air-Sea Battle, Basic Math, Blackjack, Combat, Indy 500, Star Ship, Street Racer, Surround and Video Olympics. The final licensed Atari 2600 game released in North America was Secret Quest in 1989, and the final licensed game released in Europe was Klax and Acid Drop in 1990 and 1992. Even with their 1980s limited colors and block graphics these games are still entertaining to play today! We have over 500 Atari 2600 games for you to play online for free using our Atari 2600 Javascript Emulator.
This game is mobile device friendly and Iphone compatible. Enjoy!
Instructions and Keyboard Controls towards bottom of page.
Click “Game Reset” or F12 to Start Game
INSTRUCTIONS:
If you grew up in the 80’s you shouldn’t need instructions!! You might find some help at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Atari_2600_games and look up the game you need assistance playing.
CONTROLS:
Click “Game Reset” or F12 to Begin/Restart Game
Arrow Keys – Move
Space bar to fire/action button
1. NOTES FROM THE COMMANDER Welcome aboard the missile laser base. I'm Commander Champion, your training instructor. These laser bases are used to protect our Universe from alien attack. Each laser base carries missiles which you'll launch from your control panel. In your first training mission, you'll be battling an age-old threat, the Galaxian fleet, which has thrived on war and terrorism for centuries. Together, we must destroy these warmongers to maintain peace and tranquility over the Universe. Before we go into action, let's talk about Galaxian battle tactics. The Galaxian fleet always flys in formation. As one ship descends from the extreme right or extreme left it drops deadly bombs and then returns to original position. The Galaxian leaders, Flagships, are usually flanked by protective Escorts. The best way to get them is to first destroy the Escorts, then go after the Flagship. 2. GAME PLAY The object of the game is to destroy the Galaxian fleet before they blast your laser base to stardust. The fleet lines up in ranking order before plunging down to bombard your laser base. If a Galaxian survives a bombing run, he returns to his original position. You begin the game with three laser bases, and score points for each Galaxian destroyed with your laser missiles. You earn extra points for destroying a Galaxian in flight, and at 7000 points, you receive a bonus laser base. The Galaxian fleet attacks in waves. Each time you manage to destroy an entire wave, another fiercer wave is launched. 3. USING THE CONTROLLER Use your Joystick Controller with this ATARI Game Program cartridge. Be sure the controller cable is firmly plugged into the LEFT CONTROLLER jack at the back of your Video Computer System console. Hold the controller with the red button to your upper left, toward the television screen. (See your owner's manual for further details.) Use your Joystick to slide your laser base right and left across the bottom of the screen. Press the red fire button to launch laser missiles at the Galaxian fleet. 4. CONSOLE CONTROLS GAME SELECT SWITCH Press GAME SELECT to choose the desired skill level (1 through 9). The skill level number is the same as the wave number displayed in the lower right corner of the screen. SKILL LEVELS The ATARI GALAXIAN game includes nine skill levels, each offering varying degrees of challenge. Level 1 is relatively slow and easy, and level 9 is fast and difficult. The higher the skill level, the faster and harder the Galaxian fleet attacks. GAME RESET SWITCH Press GAME RESET to reset the program. Press the red controller button to start the game; at the end of a game, press it to play the same game again. TV TYPE SWITCH Set this switch to COLOR if you're playing on a color TV. Set it to B/W to play the game on a black and white TV. DIFFICULTY SWITCHES The LEFT DIFFICULTY switch determines your laser base firing response mode. Set the DIFFICULTY switch to B and hold the fire button down for continuous firing. Set the DIFFICULTY switch to A and use your thumb to tap the fire button each time you want to fire a missile. 5. SCORING The point value of a Galaxian is determined by its rank and position in the lineup. Drones, the lowest rank are green; Emissaries are purple; Escorts are red; and Flagships, the highest rank are white. you score double points for destroying a Galaxian in flight. Destroy a Flagship in flight and you score even more bonus points. (See Figure 1 for rank and point values.) Your score appears at the upper right side of the screen. The attack wave is indicated by the number in the lower right corner of the screen (see Figure 2). The number of laser bases remaining is indicated by the laser bases shown at the lower left corner of the screen (see Figure 2). Figure One DRONES 3 BOTTOM ROWS (GREEN) = 30 POINTS; IN FLIGHT = 60 POINTS EMISSARIES 4TH ROW UP (PURPLE) = 40 POINTS; IN FLIGHT = 80 POINTS ESCORTS 5TH ROW UP (RED) = 50 POINTS; IN FLIGHT = 100 POINTS FLAGSHIPS TOP ROW (WHITE) = 60 POINTS; IN FLIGHT = 120 POINTS FLAGSHIP IN FLIGHT WITH ONE RED ESCORT = 200 POINTS FLAGSHIP IN FLIGHT WITH TWO ESCORTS = 300 POINTS BOTH ESCORTS FIRST THEN THE FLAGSHIP = 800 POINTS 6. HELPFUL HINTS WARNING: Sometimes exploding particles from a destroyed red escort are deadly. Shoot escorts (red members of the Galaxian fleet) only when they are escorting a Flagship; shoot the Flagship only in flight. Doing this will help you score higher points. Study the Galaxian attack patterns; that way you'll know what to expect from each member of the Galaxian fleet. If you need a rest while fighting waves 1 and 2 of the Galaxian attacks, go to the extreme right or extreme left of the screen for a few seconds. During the higher level waves, stay away from the corners to avoid being trapped by a Galaxian. -------------------Atari 2600 Instructions Archive-------------------
REQUIRMENTS:
Our Atari 2600 emulator utilizes Javascript to run in your browser. No plugin is required, but a fast modern web browser will enhance the game play.

Emulation on mobile devices will drain your battery quite fast. I recommend playing while device is plugged into charger.
KEYBOARD CONTROLS

