Joust was published by Williams, released in 1982.

What kind of game is Joust?

Joust is a action game for the Atari 2600.

Can two people play Joust?

Yes. Joust 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 Joust load?

The Joust ROM is 8 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.

Which emulators can run Joust?

Joust runs on Atari 2600 and Javatari / Stella JS Engine. You can switch between them from the emulator list further down this page if one performs better on your device.

Joust Game (1982) - Atari 2600

Name: Joust
Availability: InStock
Author: Williams

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 2600 (Recommended)	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡
Javatari / Stella JS Engine	`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 2600 (Recommended)

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Javatari / Stella JS Engine

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Joust is a classic arcade action game, developed by Williams and ported to the Atari 2600 in 1982. Players take on the role of a knight mounted on a flying ostrich, battling waves of enemy knights riding buzzards. To defeat an opponent, you must collide with them while positioned higher on the screen; striking lower will result in losing a life.

How to play

Defeat all enemy knights in each wave by colliding with them from a higher elevation. When an enemy is unseated, collect the egg they drop before it hatches into a more difficult opponent. The game supports both single-player and simultaneous two-player action.

Controls

Movement: Arrow keys (Player 1) / T, G, F, H (Player 2)
Flap / Fly: Spacebar (Player 1) / A (Player 2)
Select Game Mode: F11
Start Game / Reset: F12

Tips

Control your altitude: Since winning a joust depends entirely on height, prioritize maintaining a higher position than approaching enemies.
Catch the eggs quickly: Unseated knights drop eggs that will soon hatch into faster, more aggressive enemies if left on the platforms. Grab them as soon as possible.