Asteroids

About Asteroids

Asteroids is the legendary 1979 Atari arcade game that defined the vector-graphics era. You pilot a small triangular ship adrift in a black void, surrounded by drifting space rocks that wrap around the screen edges. Thrust forward, rotate, fire bullets, and survive wave after wave of asteroids that split into smaller pieces when you shoot them. Occasionally a UFO appears and shoots back. The momentum-based physics make it a game where stopping is harder than starting — and pure feel rewards practice.

Our online version captures the original arcade feel with vector graphics, screen wrap, splitting asteroids, two UFO types (large slow shooter, small accurate sniper), wave progression, hyperspace warp (risky teleport), and persistent local high score.

How to Play Asteroids

1. Rotate with Left/Right arrows or A/D keys.
2. Thrust with Up arrow or W — hold to accelerate. Release: you keep moving (no friction in space).
3. Fire with Space — short-range bullets, brief cooldown.
4. Hyperspace warp with Shift — teleports your ship to a random location. 5% chance the warp fails (you die), use only in emergencies.
5. Wrap-around screen: exit one edge, reappear on the opposite side.
6. Asteroids split when shot: large → two medium → two small → destroyed. Small asteroids are worth the most points.
7. UFOs appear after the first wave. Large UFO fires inaccurately; small UFO is a precision sniper. Destroying a small UFO is worth 1,000 points.
8. 3 lives. Each crash respawns you with brief invulnerability. Game over when lives run out.

Strategy Tips

• Less thrust is more. Short bursts of thrust let you stay in control. Long thrusts send you careening into asteroids.
• Center is danger. Asteroids drift through the middle constantly. Edges and corners are usually safer.
• Pick off the small ones. Small asteroids are 100 points each, vs 20 for the largest. Splitting big ones efficiently triples your score.
• Save warp for panic. The 5% death risk means warp isn’t a casual escape. Use only when surrounded with no shots available.
• Watch UFO timers. When the screen is mostly clear and a wave is almost done, expect a UFO. Have a clean firing line ready.
• Lead your shots. Asteroids drift fast. Aim where the rock will be in 0.5 seconds, not where it is now.
• Don’t camp on edges. The wrap-around can spit an asteroid into you from a side you weren’t watching.

A Brief History

Asteroids was created by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg at Atari, released in November 1979. It was Atari’s biggest hit ever, generating $200+ million in arcade revenue and selling 70,000+ cabinets. The game used vector graphics on a CRT display — lines drawn directly by the electron beam rather than rasterized pixels — which gave it the iconic crisp look. The 1979 leaderboard cabinet introduced the now-universal “initials high score” feature: “AAA”, “BOB”, etc. Asteroids influenced thousands of later games, from Geometry Wars to modern indie shooters.

Frequently Asked Questions