Games Like Galaga: Retro Space Shooters to Play Online
Updated
Games like Galaga are fixed shooters: you slide a ship along the bottom of the screen, shoot up at waves of aliens and dodge the ones that dive at you. Galaga is a 1981 arcade game from Namco. The games below are original browser shooters by independent studios, with waves, bosses, power-ups and retro looks.
How Galaga plays
In Galaga you control a fighter at the bottom of the screen and fire upward. The aliens fly in from the top and the sides and settle into a formation. Then single aliens break away and dive at you while they shoot, and a hit from a shot or a collision costs you a life.
The twist is the Boss Galaga. Its tractor beam can capture your ship, which costs a life. If you still have a ship left, you shoot the boss while it dives and get the captured ship back, and from then on you fly two ships at once, with more firepower and a bigger target. The third stage, and every fourth stage after it, is a bonus stage where the aliens fly set patterns and do not fire.
Players call this a fixed shooter: the whole game fits on one screen and you move along one line. This table shows where the games below ask for the same.
| What you do in Galaga | Games that ask the same |
|---|---|
| Steer a ship and fire at aliens | Neon Void: Galactic War, War Space Defender, Rainbow Frontline |
| Clear one wave to reach the next | Galaxy Warriors, Full Space Shooter, Skygarden Siege |
| Grab power-ups for more firepower | Neon Void: Galactic War, Vector Strike, Laser Adventures |
| Beat a boss | Vector Strike, Witchy, War Space Defender |
| Chase a high score | Full Space Shooter, Rainbow Frontline, War Space Defender |
Closest to Galaga: one ship, waves of aliens
None of the games below mentions a tractor beam or a captured ship in its description, so what they share with Galaga is the plain arcade loop: steer, shoot, survive the wave.
- Neon Void: Galactic War mixes classic arcade action with a wave-based combat system. You defend the galaxy from an alien invasion, face 6 boss types, including the Devastator, the teleporting Void Destroyer and the Omega Sentinel, and pick up power-ups such as Energy Shields, Rapid Fire, Tri-Shot and Time Slow. Arrow keys or WASD move you, and Space and the right mouse button fire. On a phone it has left and right buttons and a fire button.
- War Space Defender sends a starfighter through waves of aggressive alien ships and powerful boss battles across several levels. You earn points and extra lives, and you chase a high score. You move the ship with the mouse inside the lower zone of the screen, aim with the cursor and fire by clicking or holding the mouse button.
- Rainbow Frontline is a 2D pixel shooter in a rainbow galaxy. You fly a retro spaceship, dodge falling meteors and blast colorful aliens in wave-based battles, through stages themed from red to violet. Coins buy extra lives, a timed shield and damage boosts. Use the arrow keys or WASD with Space on a keyboard, or the virtual joystick on a phone.
- Laser Adventures sends a hail of laser shots at aggressive invaders from another planet. Shooting is automatic, so you only move: tap the left or right edge of the screen. Shoot the special supply boxes to upgrade your laser gun.
Waves, formations and upgrades
Galaga asks you to read how a wave behaves. These ones build a run out of waves and let you improve your ship between them.
- Galaxy Warriors has you shoot down formations of alien enemy fleets. Enemies have various behaviours, shoot back and drop credits and boosters, and you use the credits to upgrade your ships. It also has strong bosses and a bullet hell to dodge.
- Full Space Shooter throws endless waves of aliens and enemy ships at your combat spaceship. You dodge enemy fire, grab power-ups, collect diamonds to power up your ship and visit the shop. Enemies get faster and the bosses harder as you go, and a Ranked mode feeds a global leaderboard. Move with A, S, D and W or the mouse on a computer, or touch on a phone.
- Skygarden Siege is a casual arcade shmup. You fly a guardian ship, dodge enemy attacks and defend floating gardens from mechanical invaders, collecting Light Blossoms for upgrades. You defeat all the enemies in a stage to move on. Swipe on a touch screen, move the mouse, or use W, A, S, D or the arrow keys with Space to shoot.
Retro looks and big bosses
- Vector Strike takes you through 10 neon wireframe sectors and 10 giant bosses. You collect upgrades such as rear shots, missiles, shields and split fire, and you break each boss's weak points to expose its core. Stages are short, and autofire can be switched off for manual control. Move with WASD, the arrow keys or a drag, and press Space to shoot in manual mode.
- Witchy sends a witch and her black cat through four magical worlds to recover 10 stolen amulets. You defeat monster waves and powerful bosses, upgrade your spells and unleash magic bombs. On a desktop you move with the arrow keys, hold A, Z or Space to fire and press B or X for a bomb. It also takes a D-pad on a phone and a gamepad.
NEW
NEWMore shooters are on the shooting games page and in the space games collection. For the older shooter where rows of aliens march down the screen, see games like Space Invaders, and for the setting, the space games guide.
Tips for fixed shooters
- Stay in the lower part of the screen. War Space Defender keeps your ship in the lower zone, and keeping low gives you the most time to see a diving enemy coming.
- Watch the aliens that break away from the group. Those are the ones that dive and fire.
- Learn the power-ups before the boss. Neon Void: Galactic War has six, among them Energy Shields, Rapid Fire, Tri-Shot and Time Slow.
- Aim at a boss's weak points. In Vector Strike, breaking them exposes the core.
- Spend what you earn between runs. Galaxy Warriors lets you use credits to upgrade your ships, and Full Space Shooter has a shop.
Games like Galaga FAQ
Are there retro or modern games like Galaga?
Witchy and Vector Strike both carry a retro tag, and Rainbow Frontline describes its ship as retro. Neon Void: Galactic War mixes classic arcade action with modern mechanics, and Full Space Shooter adds a shop and a ranked mode with a global leaderboard. More are on the shooting games page.
Can I play games like Galaga on a computer or a phone?
Yes. Neon Void: Galactic War takes the keyboard or on-screen buttons, War Space Defender plays with the mouse, Skygarden Siege takes touch swipes, a mouse or the keyboard, and Laser Adventures moves with taps on the screen edges. The site works in the browser of a phone, a tablet and a computer.
How do you play Galaga?
You slide a ship along the bottom of the screen and shoot upward at aliens that fly into formation and dive at you. A Boss Galaga can capture your ship with a tractor beam, and shooting it frees the ship so that you fly two at once.
Are these games free?
Yes. They play free in the browser, with no install and no registration.
Stay low, watch the aliens that dive and keep your firepower for the boss.
