Centipede was published by Atari, Inc., released in 1980.

What kind of game is Centipede?

Centipede is a action, shooter game for the MS-DOS.

Can two people play Centipede?

Yes. Centipede supports multiplayer (Multiplayer). Player 1 uses the arrow keys, player 2 uses WASD, and two USB or Bluetooth gamepads can be connected instead.

How much data does Centipede load?

The Centipede ROM is 12 kB. It is fetched once when you press play and then cached by your browser, so returning to the game does not download it again.

Centipede Game (1980) - DOS

Name: Centipede
Availability: InStock
Author: Atari, Inc.

Action / Button	Keyboard Key
D-Pad (Up / Down / Left / Right)	`Arrow Keys`
Button A	`Z` or `J`
Button B	`X` or `K`
Button X / Turbo A	`A` or `U`
Button Y / Turbo B	`S` or `I`
Select	`Shift`
Start	`Enter`

Gamepad Input	Retro Function	Keyboard Key
D-Pad / Analog	Character Movement / Steering	`▲` `▼` `◄` `►`
Button A (East)	Primary Action / Attack / Fire	`Z` / `K`
Button B (South)	Secondary / Jump / Cancel	`X` / `J`
Button X / Y	Special / Turbo / Extra Fire	`A` / `S`
Select	Insert Coin / Select Option	`Right Shift`
Start	Game Start / Pause Game	`Enter`

Gamepad Input

Retro Function

Keyboard Key

D-Pad / Analog

Character Movement / Steering

▲ ▼ ◄ ►

Button A (East)

Primary Action / Attack / Fire

Z / K

Button B (South)

Secondary / Jump / Cancel

X / J

Button X / Y

Special / Turbo / Extra Fire

A / S

Select

Insert Coin / Select Option

Right Shift

Start

Game Start / Pause Game

Enter

Emulator Core Engine	Technology	Multiplayer	Gamepad	Touch	Ads	Action / Switch
EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)	`WebAssembly / JS`	YES	YES	YES	NO	▶ ACTIVE
MS-DOS (Recommended)	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡
JS-DOS v3.0 / DOSBox Engine	`Emscripten C++`	YES	YES	NO	NO	PLAY ⚡

Emulator Core Engine

Technology

Multiplayer

Gamepad

Touch

Ads

Action / Switch

EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)

WebAssembly / JS

YES

▶ ACTIVE

MS-DOS (Recommended)

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

JS-DOS v3.0 / DOSBox Engine

Emscripten C++

YES

PLAY ⚡

Centipede is a classic action shooter developed by Atari, Inc. and released for DOS in 1980. You control a bug blaster at the bottom of the screen, tasked with defending your garden from a relentless centipede winding its way down through a field of mushrooms.

How to play

Your objective is to shoot the centipede segments before they reach the bottom of the screen. Every time you shoot a segment, it turns into a mushroom, and the centipede splits into two independently moving pieces. Use the arrow keys to move your blaster within the player area, and press Space to fire. Watch out for other dangerous pests like spiders, fleas, and scorpions.

Tips

Clear a vertical path of mushrooms near the center to give yourself a direct firing lane when the centipede descends.
Shooting the spider when it is very close to your blaster awards significantly more points than hitting it from a distance.
Avoid destroying too many mushrooms in your immediate movement area, as this triggers fleas to drop down and spawn new mushrooms in your path.