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

What kind of game is Centipede?

Centipede is a action, shooter game for the Atari 7800.

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 10 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) - Atari 7800

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
Atari 7800 (Recommended)	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡

Emulator Core Engine

Technology

Multiplayer

Gamepad

Touch

Ads

Action / Switch

EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)

WebAssembly / JS

YES

▶ ACTIVE

Atari 7800 (Recommended)

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Developed by Atari, Inc. in 1980, this iconic action shooter puts you at the bottom of the screen defending against a relentless arthropod invasion. You control a bug blaster, navigating a dense field of mushrooms to shoot the titular creature as it winds its way toward you. Every segment you hit turns into a new mushroom, splitting the enemy into multiple faster-moving threats.

How to play

Your goal is to destroy all segments of the centipede before it reaches your area. Clear mushrooms to create a line of sight, and avoid other deadly pests like spiders, fleas, and scorpions. Move your blaster using the arrow keys (↑↓←→) and fire with X or Z. You can use Enter to pause, Shift to select, and A to reset.

Tips

Watch out for scorpions, as they poison any mushrooms they touch; if the centipede hits a poisoned mushroom, it will immediately plummet straight to the bottom of the screen. Try to shoot the head of the centipede rather than the middle, as splitting it creates two independent heads that are much harder to track.