Galaga

Galaga is the space shooter that perfected the classic alien-wave formula. Bees, butterflies and the big Boss Galagas fly in, take their place in the formation and then dive at your fighter at the bottom of the screen. The famous twist: a Boss Galaga can capture your ship with a tractor beam, and if you shoot that boss, your captured ship comes back and docks next to you for double fire. This is the 1981 Namco arcade game, and it plays right here in your browser with no download.

Like early arcade classics? Try Ms. Pac-Man and River Raid too.

How to play

1. Press Play under the title picture and wait a moment while the arcade machine starts.
2. Press Coin (V on a keyboard) to add a credit, then Start (Enter).
3. Move left and right with the arrow keys and fire with Z. Only two of your shots can be on the screen at once, so aim rather than spray.
4. Shoot the aliens as they fly in: they are worth more points while diving than in formation.
5. A Boss Galaga takes two hits. Its first hit turns it from green to blue.
6. In the challenging stages the aliens fly patterns without shooting. Hit all 40 for a 10,000 point bonus.

Controls

Computer: left and right arrows move, Z fires, V adds a coin and Enter is Start. 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: the pad under the game has the cross, Fire, and Coin and Start buttons.

A USB or Bluetooth gamepad also works.

Cheats

Press the magic wand button next to the full screen button above the game. A small panel opens over the game, and the game waits until you close it. The cheats switch on a few seconds after the machine has started.

• Unlimited lives: you never run out of ships.
• Enemies hold fire: enemy ships never shoot at you. Their dives can still hit you, so keep moving.

Reloading the page turns the cheats off again.

The dual fighter

When a Boss Galaga dives and stops above you with a blue beam, let the beam take your ship. You lose that ship but play on with the next one. Then shoot the Boss Galaga that holds your captured fighter while it dives, and the fighter flies back and joins yours. If you destroy that boss while it sits in the formation, your captured ship turns against you instead. Two ships fire twice as many shots, but are also a bigger target. Hit the boss, not the captured ship.

About Galaga

Namco released Galaga in 1981 as the sequel to Galaxian. Its capture and rescue twist, the challenging stages and the hit-miss ratio at the end of each game made it one of the most played arcade shooters, and it is still found in arcades today.

Frequently asked questions

Is Galaga free to play here?

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

How do I start the game?

Press Coin (V) to add a credit, then Start (Enter).

How do I get two ships?

Let a Boss Galaga capture your fighter with its tractor beam, then shoot that Boss Galaga while it dives at you to bring the fighter back.

Can I play it on my phone?

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

Can I save my progress?

Yes. The bar under the game has save state and load state buttons that keep the game in your browser on this device.