🎮 Play Berzerk Online (Atari 2600)

Berzerk is a maze shooter from Stern Electronics, first released in 1980. You play a humanoid stranded in a grid of rooms, each filled with robots programmed to destroy you. The arcade original was one of the earliest games to use synthesized speech — the robots shouting “Intruder alert!” as you entered each room — and the Atari 2600 version captures the relentless room-by-room tension that made it an arcade staple.

How to play

Move with the arrow keys and fire with Spacebar. Clear each room of robots, then escape through any open doorway. Points come from kills — the robots fire back, and they also destroy themselves by walking into the electrified walls, so herding them toward the edges works in your favour.

The bigger threat is Evil Otto, an indestructible bouncing smiley face that enters the room if you stay too long. He cannot be shot or stopped — when he appears, abandon whatever you are doing and run for the exit.

Two players take turns: Player 2 uses TGFH to move and A to fire. Reset — F12 | Select — F11 | Pause — Alt+P.

Tips

• Move sideways the instant you enter a room. Robots target your entry position, so a quick lateral step leaves their first shots in empty space.
• Herd robots toward walls rather than trading shots. The electrified borders do the killing for you.
• Do not wait for one last kill when Evil Otto arrives. The exit is always the right move.