Asteroids
1979 · Space Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Asteroids is a 1979 Atari arcade classic in which players pilot a triangular spaceship through a field of tumbling asteroids and flying saucers, shooting them to clear each wave. Large asteroids split into smaller ones when shot, creating increasing chaos before eventually being destroyed entirely. The game used vector graphics — bright, razor-sharp lines drawn on a special vector monitor — giving it a distinctive look far cleaner than raster displays of the era. Asteroids dethroned Space Invaders as the best-selling arcade game of its time and held the record for the highest-grossing arcade game in North America for two years.
Deep Dive
Asteroids was designed by Lyle Rains and programmed by Ed Logg, inspired conceptually by Spacewar! and an earlier Atari prototype called Cosmos. The ship featured realistic Newtonian physics — thrust built up momentum that continued even after the engine was off, requiring players to think ahead. The game's wrap-around screen edges meant asteroids and ships could appear from any direction. A famous exploit allowed skilled players to camp in the upper corner and shoot flying saucers for points indefinitely without engaging asteroids — the 'lurk' strategy. The game's ROMs were so popular that operators complained about arcades being taken over by a single player for hours. The Atari 2600 port sold over three million copies, and Asteroids remains one of the most recognized arcade games in history.
