Ed Logg and Dona Bailey designed Atari's 1981 arcade hit around a trackball and a field of mushrooms, and the 5200 conversion released in 1982 brings it home on hardware well suited to it. A centipede winds its way down from the top of the screen, turning each time it hits a mushroom, and every segment that is shot becomes a new mushroom, while the creature splits into separate pieces that keep coming.
Other creatures add to the pressure. The spider bounces erratically through the player's area at the bottom, fleas drop straight down and leave new mushrooms behind, and scorpions poison mushrooms so the centipede dives straight for the bottom when it touches them. The 5200 version supports Atari's trackball controller, which closely matches the arcade feel, though the standard analog stick also works. The mushroom field carries over between waves, which means the board slowly becomes more cluttered unless you clear it.
Tips for Centipede
Clear mushrooms near the bottom of the screen; a clean lower area gives you more room to dodge the spider.
Shoot the spider when it comes close, since nearby kills score more points.
Hit centipede heads as soon as they drop toward you, because poisoned dives give very little time to react.
How to Play Centipede
Click Play Now to launch Centipede directly in your browser — no downloads or plugins needed. Arrows move the shooter around the bottom of the screen, and Z fires. Enter starts a game, Shift pauses and R resets. You can also connect a USB or Bluetooth gamepad for a more authentic feel.
Save states let you save your progress at any point. Create a free account to sync saves across devices. Press F11 for fullscreen mode.
Playing Centipede is easy: press "Play Now" above and the game starts right in your browser window. Our emulator handles everything — no extra software needed.
Is Centipede free to play?
Yes, Centipede is completely free to play on RetroVault.GG. Just visit the game page and start playing in your browser.
What console is Centipede for?
Centipede was originally released for the Atari 5200. On RetroVault.GG, you can play it online in your browser without needing the original console.
What genre is Centipede?
Centipede is a shooter game. It was made for the Atari 5200.
Can I play Centipede on my phone?
Yes, RetroVault.GG works on mobile browsers. Visit the game page on your phone or tablet and tap Play Now to start playing Centipede.