Missile Command is the Cold War arcade where you defend six cities from a rain of inbound nuclear missiles. You aim a cursor at the sky, fire interceptor missiles from one of three batteries, and hope you can shoot down every incoming warhead before a city is wiped off the map.
Missile Command shipped in 1980 from Atari, designed by Dave Theurer. The bleak premise was reportedly a source of nightmares for Theurer during development; the original prototype let you "win" by surviving long enough, but the final cabinet had no winning condition at all — you only ever lasted longer. It became one of the most-cited arcade cabinets of the era.
How do I play Missile Command? Aim your cursor at the sky and click or tap to fire interceptor missiles. Shoot down every incoming warhead before it hits one of your cities.
Is Missile Command free? Yes — no signup, no downloads, no installs.
Can I win Missile Command? No — in the arcade tradition, the game runs until your last city is destroyed. The goal is the high score.
Does my high score save? Yes — your best Missile Command score is stored locally in your browser.