Space Invaders

arcade games · video game history · 1978 · classic games

Revolutionary arcade game. Space Invaders came out in 1978 and was the very first video game to have endless gameplay, meaning you could keep playing level after level instead of the game just ending.

Aliens get faster. Your goal is to use a laser cannon at the bottom of the screen to shoot down waves of aliens descending from above, and each wave moves faster and more dangerous than the last.

Global game changer. Taito created it in Japan and Midway Manufacturing brought it to the rest of the world, making Space Invaders a worldwide hit that made arcades hugely popular.

Fixed shooter template. Space Invaders was the first fixed shooter game, where you control one weapon that moves side to side, and this design became the blueprint for countless games that came after.

Points and high scores. Players tried to defeat as many alien waves as possible to earn the highest score, which made people come back again and again to beat their own records.