How do I play Centipede on a phone?

Drag on the left side of the game to move and hold on the right side to fire. The playfield wraps horizontally.

How many hits does a mushroom take?

Mushrooms take four hits in the Atari 7800 version of Centipede.

Atari 7800 · 1982

Centipede

Q: How do extra lives work?

You start with three ships and earn another at every 12,000 points, up to six active ships.

A faithful browser tribute to the Atari 7800 classic, with the descending centipede, four-hit mushrooms, poison, spider, flea, scorpion, rapid-fire sparks, twelve waves, and synthesized arcade sound.

Play above Jump to controls

Controls

Centipede desktop controls
Action	Desktop
Move	Arrow keys or WASD
Fire	Space
Start / restart	Enter
Pause	P or Escape

On touch devices, drag on the left half of the screen to move and hold on the right half to fire. The playfield wraps horizontally so the ship can move from one edge to the other without stopping.

Enemies and field rules

Centipede. A twelve-segment wave descends through the mushroom field, reverses at the edges, and drops lower whenever the path ahead is blocked.

Mushrooms. Each mushroom takes four hits. Destroyed mushrooms and centipede segments create new mushrooms for later waves.

Poison mushrooms. Touching a purple mushroom sends a centipede head into a rapid dive toward the player area.

Spider. The spider enters from one edge and bounces diagonally across the lower field, eating every mushroom it touches. Its value depends on how close it is when it reaches your ship.

Flea. When the lower mushroom field becomes too sparse, a flea drops through the screen leaving a trail of mushrooms. It takes two hits.

Scorpion. From wave four onward, a scorpion crosses the field and turns mushrooms into poison. It cannot hurt the player directly.

Scoring

Centipede scoring values
Target	Points
Centipede head	100
Centipede body segment	10
Spider at close range	900
Spider at medium range	600
Spider at long range	300
Flea	200
Scorpion	1,000
Mushroom cleared	1
Mushroom restored after a hit	5

Start with three ships. Earn another ship every 12,000 points, with a maximum of six active lives.

Strategy

Keep the lower mushroom field sparse. A descending centipede advances one row whenever a mushroom blocks its path.
Clear mushrooms directly above your ship before working on distant targets. Every destroyed segment becomes a new mushroom.
Let the spider eat mushrooms when the bottom rows become dangerous, but collect it before it reaches your position.
Save clear shots for scorpions. Poison spreads quickly through a crowded mushroom field.
Move horizontally while firing upward. The field wraps, so escape threats can approach from either side.

Atari 7800 Centipede

Centipede began as a 1981 arcade game and became one of the most recognizable titles of the Atari 2600. The 1982 Atari 7800 release expanded the field with twelve-segment waves, four-hit mushrooms, poison, four difficulty levels, multiple game variations, and support for the Atari 7800 High Score cartridge.

This implementation focuses on the complete one-player 7800 rules and feel in a responsive browser game. Two-player cartridge modes are not included.

About this remake

This version is built with Phaser and TypeScript. The playfield, characters, textures, effects, and sounds are generated for this browser tribute. No original Atari code or bitmap artwork is used.

Frequently asked questions

How do I play on a phone?

Drag anywhere on the left side of the game to move your ship, and hold anywhere on the right side to fire. The field wraps horizontally, so you can move off one edge and return from the other. If you would rather use your left hand, the settings menu swaps the two sides.

Why do some mushrooms need four shots?

The Atari 7800 version uses four-hit mushrooms, unlike the earlier three-hit arcade and 2600 versions. Each hit removes part of the cap until the mushroom is gone.

What happens when I lose a ship?

Damaged and poisoned mushrooms are restored for five points each, the current wave starts again, and your remaining lives continue.

How do extra lives work?

You begin with three ships and receive another at every 12,000 points, up to a maximum of six active ships.

Are my high scores saved?

High scores are kept in your browser and shared online when the score service is available. Press H in game, or use the high scores button, to view the top ten.

Is this the original Atari 7800 game?

No. This is an independent browser tribute. It uses original generated artwork and code and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Atari.