Star Raiders
A space combat simulator that became Atari's first killer app.
Star Raiders is a space combat simulator video game designed by Doug Neubauer and released by Atari, Inc. in 1980. It first appeared on the Atari 400 and 800 computers, and later versions came out for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, and Atari ST. Players take on the role of a starship fighter pilot tasked with defending starbases from an invading force called the Zylons. The action unfolds from a first-person 3D cockpit perspective, while a 2D galactic map tracks the progress of the invasion. Neubauer created the game in his spare time at Atari, drawing inspiration from *Battlestar Galactica*, *Star Wars*, and the 1971 mainframe game *Star Trek*. Star Raiders became a major success on Atari’s 400 and 800 systems—its first killer app—and influenced later space combat titles like *Elite* (1984) and *Wing Commander* (1990). It also spawned an official sequel and a 2011 remake. In 2007, Star Raiders was among ten games submitted as a game canon to the Library of Congress.
**Plot and gameplay**
The game is set during a galactic war between the Atarian Federation and the Zylon Empire. The player commands the captain of the Elite Atarian Starship fleet, fighting to prevent the Zylons from wiping out humanity. Victory requires destroying all Zylon ships before they destroy the player’s ship and before the ship’s energy runs out. Controls use both a keyboard and a joystick. The primary view is a first-person 3D cockpit, supplemented by a 2D map for long-distance travel. Players can adjust travel speed, switch between rear and front views, and activate an Attack Computer Display that shows enemy coordinates. During combat, players dodge or destroy asteroids while firing photon torpedoes at enemy ships. The control panel displays velocity, energy, kill count, and remaining targets. Energy is spent by moving, using shields, and firing torpedoes; it can be restored by docking with a friendly starbase.
A long-range scanner provides a top-down view of the ship and nearby targets; if damaged, it shows false reflections. A galactic chart reveals the player’s location, enemy ships, and friendly starbases. Hyper-warp allows travel to new sectors, and a subspace radio sends messages when starbases are surrounded or destroyed.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Star Raiders
- Developer
- Atari, Inc.
- Platforms
- Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari ST
- Genre
- Space combat simulatorScoleri III
- Modes
- Single-player
- Programmer
- Doug Neubauer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Star Raiders is set during a galactic war between the Atarian Federation and the Zylon Empire. The player captains an Elite Atarian Starship, destroying Zylon ships before they eliminate humanity. The game is controlled via keyboard and joystick, featuring a first-person 3D cockpit view and a 2D galactic map for long-distance travel. Players manage speed, view angles, and an Attack Computer Display showing enemy coordinates. Energy is consumed by movement, shields, and photon torpedoes, and can be restored by docking with a friendly starbase. Equipment damage is tracked by the acronym PESCLR (photon torpedoes, engines, shields, computer, long-range scan, radio), affecting gameplay. Skill levels range from Novice to Commander, with higher difficulties requiring manual navigation during hyperwarp and more aggressive Zylon behavior.
Doug Neubauer, an electrical engineer, created Star Raiders in his spare time at Atari after being inspired by the text-based game Star Trek (1971) and science-fiction films such as Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica. Development began in early 1979 and took eight to ten months. Neubauer spent weeks deriving 3D motion algorithms without sine or cosine, using pen and paper. He initially designed a hyper warp system based on Isaac Asimov's The Stars, Like Dust but abandoned it as poor for gameplay. Enemies' attack paths were given random variations to prevent them from adhering to the map. Due to limited ROM cartridge memory, a docking feature was cut. The game's end rankings use humorous titles like 'Galactic Cook' and 'Star Commander (Class 1)', with Commander difficulty required for higher ranks.
Reader's Guide
Star Raiders was released in March 1980 and became the first killer app for Atari's 400 and 800 computers, driving marketing decisions such as including a keyboard on the Atari 400. It was ported to the Atari 2600 in 1982 with an eight-button touch pad, and to the Atari 5200 in 1983 as the first game to use all 12 buttons on that console's gamepad. A 16-bit version was released for the Atari ST. The game influenced later space combat titles including Elite (1984) and Wing Commander (1990), and spawned an official sequel and a 2011 remake. In 2007, Star Raiders was included in a list of ten games submitted as a game canon to the Library of Congress. The Atari 2600 version was re-released in compilations such as Atari 80 in One for Windows (2003) and Atari Anthology for PlayStation 2 and Xbox (2004). The Atari 5200 version appeared in the Atari 50 compilation (2022) with additional content including overlays and rumble effects. By October 1982, the Atari 2600 port was among the sixth-best-selling console releases and remained a top-ten seller in November. Contemporary reviews in InfoWorld, Softline, and Byte praised its graphical richness, addictive qualities, and challenge, though some noted difficulty in locating bases for repairs on higher modes.
Did You Know?
- Doug Neubauer created Star Raiders in his spare time at Atari, using the POKEY sound chip he helped develop to emulate Star Trek sound effects.
- The game's enemies, the Zylons, were named after the television series Battlestar Galactica.
More in Video Games of the 1980s, Part 1 1-24
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