Galaxian cover
FranchiseGalaxianSeriesGalaxian

Galaxian

Critic score1 critic
First release
Sep 15, 1979
Publisher
Namco, Midway
Genres
Shooter, Arcade · Science fiction
Platforms
Arcade

Galaxian is a shooter arcade game developed by Namco in 1979. It was released by Namco in Japan and a few months later by Midway Games in North America. The game was developed to compete with Taito Corporation's Space Invaders, released a year earlier, and featured a similar space theme. The player controls a space ship in the bottom part of the screen and shoots at enemies descending from the top of the screen. The game was received very well by the public and has continued to be a game with a competitive community to this day. It was followed by a successful sequel called Galaga in 1981 and two less known sequels called Gaplus in 1984 and Galaga '88 in 1987. Galaxian was one of the most popular games in the golden age of arcade video games.

Also known as Gyarakushian, Галаксиан, Galaxian (1979)

Attributes

No Attributes added.

Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Release dates
Arcade
Sep 15, 1979
Arcade
1979
Time to beatIGDB · recorded
Main + Extras
1h
Age ratings
ESRB E
Game modes
Multiplayer, Single player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Keywords
aliens, gravity, shoot 'em up, spaceship, artificial intelligence
… All 17, high score, 8-bit, boss fight, digital distribution, launch titles, single-screen level, vertical scrolling, instant kill, cga graphics, misrepresentative box art, boss assistance, linear gameplay

At a Glance

Critic Score
90
Main + Extras (IGDB)
1h

How it plays

Languages

  • Englishinterface
IGDB · recorded 1 Nov 2026

Language data: IGDB · recorded 1 Nov 2026