Defender was published by Williams Electronics, released in 1980.

What kind of game is Defender?

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

Can two people play Defender?

Yes. Defender 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 Defender load?

The Defender ROM is 21 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.

Defender Game (1980) - DOS

Name: Defender
Availability: InStock
Author: Williams Electronics

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 ⚡

Developed by Williams Electronics in 1980, Defender is a legendary action-shooter ported to DOS. You pilot a spaceship across a side-scrolling, wrap-around landscape, tasked with destroying waves of hostile aliens while protecting vulnerable astronauts on the planet’s surface.

How to play

Clear the screen of alien invaders while preventing Landers from abducting the humanoids below. For this DOS release, maneuver your ship using the arrow keys, and use your action keys (typically Spacebar, Ctrl, or Alt) to fire lasers, apply thrust, reverse direction, and trigger smart bombs.

Tips

Target Landers early: Prioritize destroying Landers before they reach the ground. If they successfully abduct an astronaut and reach the top of the screen, they transform into aggressive, fast-moving Mutants.
Catch falling astronauts: If you shoot a Lander that is carrying a captive, the astronaut will fall. Catch them mid-air before they hit the ground for a significant point bonus.
Conserve smart bombs: Smart bombs clear every enemy on the screen instantly, but you start with a limited supply. Save them for overwhelming situations.