River Raid

River Raid is one of the best known games of the Atari 2600. You fly a jet up a river that never ends, shooting ships, helicopters, enemy jets and bridges, while the fuel gauge slowly drops. Fly over the fuel depots to fill the tank, because running out of fuel costs you a jet. This is the 1982 Atari 2600 game by Carol Shaw for Activision, and it plays right here in your browser with no download.

How to play

1. Press Play under the title picture, then press Reset (Enter on a keyboard) to start a game.
2. Push the stick or press fire to take off.
3. Steer left and right with the arrow keys. Push up to fly faster and down to slow down.
4. Fire with Z. Shoot the ships, helicopters, jets and the bridge at the end of each river section.
5. Fly over the FUEL depots to refuel, and keep away from the river banks.

Controls

Computer: left and right arrows steer, up speeds up, down slows down, Z fires and Enter is Game Reset. Move the mouse over the game to show the bar with pause, restart, sound, save state, load state and full screen buttons.

Phone and tablet: an on-screen pad appears under the game. The cross on the left steers, Fire shoots and Reset starts a new game.

A USB or Bluetooth gamepad also works.

Cheats

Press the magic wand button next to the full screen button above the game. Switch on Unlimited fuel to keep the tank full all the time, or Unlimited lives to keep three jets in reserve no matter how often you crash. Switching a cheat during a game starts the game again. Reloading the page turns the cheats off.

Scoring

• Ship: 30 points.
• Helicopter: 60 points.
• Fuel depot: 80 points, but shooting it also means losing the fuel.
• Jet: 100 points.
• Bridge: 500 points.

Every 10,000 points gives you an extra jet.

About River Raid

Carol Shaw designed River Raid for Activision in 1982. The river is created by the program as you fly, so it seems endless while fitting into a tiny 4 KB cartridge. It became one of the best selling Atari 2600 games and was later released on many other home computers and consoles.

Frequently asked questions

Is River Raid free to play?

Yes. You can play it free in your browser on Yes This Game, with no download and no sign-up.

Can I play River Raid on my phone?

Yes. On a phone or tablet an on-screen pad with a cross, Fire and Reset buttons appears under the game.

How do I refuel?

Fly straight over a FUEL depot without shooting it. The gauge at the bottom of the screen fills up while you are over it.

How do I use the cheats?

Press the magic wand button next to the full screen button and switch on unlimited fuel or unlimited lives. The game starts again with the cheats on.