Space Invaders (C64)
A downloadable game
This game is a C64 conversion of Space Invaders, the famous arcade game created by Tomohiro Nishikado in 1978.
The game runs perfectly on both PAL and NTSC models of the Commodore 64.
If you are using an emulator on a 60 Hz monitor, it is recommended to select an NTSC model for smoother gameplay.
Gameplay
Space Invaders is a fixed shooter in which the player controls a laser cannon by moving it horizontally across the bottom of the screen and firing at descending aliens. The aim is to defeat five rows of eleven aliens that move horizontally back and forth across the screen as they advance toward the bottom of the screen. The player's laser cannon is partially protected by several stationary defense bunkers that are gradually destroyed from the top and bottom by blasts from either the aliens or the cannon.
The player defeats an alien and earns points by shooting it with the laser cannon. As more aliens are defeated, the aliens' movement and the game's music both speed up. Defeating all the aliens on-screen brings another wave that is more difficult, a loop which can continue endlessly.
A special "mystery ship" will occasionally move across the top of the screen and awards bonus points if destroyed.
The aliens attempt to destroy the player's cannon by shooting it as they approach the bottom of the screen. If they reach the bottom, the alien invasion is declared successful and the stage starts over with the loss of a life (Novice and Medium difficulties) or the game ends tragically (Arcade difficulty); otherwise, it ends generally if the player's last cannon is destroyed by the enemy's projectiles.
The player earns extra lives based on the scores shown in the following table:
| Difficulty level | First life at | Subsequent lives every |
| Novice | 1000 | 2000 |
| Medium | 1500 | 3000 |
| Arcade | 1500 | - |
A maximum of 9 lives can be accumulated.
Options
There are 3 difficulty levels to choose from: Novice, Medium, Arcade.
You can toggle the autofire on/off.
There are 3 color sets to choose from.
There are 6 fire sound effects to choose from.
Controls
| Joystick lever | Move laser cannon left/right |
| Fire button | Fire |
| F7 | Pause |
| F1 | Stop game and return to title screen |
| F1 | Reset ranking (while the top scores are displayed) |
Joystick in port 2.
History
Version 1.0
- First release.
Version 1.1
- After the last alien was hit and before moving on to the next stage, the remaining enemy projectiles passed through the defense bunkers and the player's cannon.
- Added "Score Advance Table" animation to title screen.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
Comments
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Awesome port game Luca !
Thank you so much!
Commodore 64 Perfection! That’s all I need to say other than thank you for the best Space Invaders on the c64.
Very happy di hear that, thank you!
Very nice arcade conversion as usual. Our German-language review can be found in our recorded livestream starting at 00:06:01. English subtitles are also available. 🙂
Thanks one more time!
very good conversion.
Awesome, thank you!
Perfect arcade version for the C64. I added it to my new "Gameplay of New C64 Games from April 2025" video along with other recently released games. I hope you enjoy the video.
Yes, I appreciate it, thank you.
I wonder if you have ever considered doing a conversion of the 1979 coin-op Cosmic Guerilla by Universal? It’s a little known arcade game, the VIC-20 had a version called Cosmic Jailbreak.
So far I've tended to make conversions of games that meant something to me in my youth, and I didn't even know Cosmic Guerrilla existed until today. Anyway, I put it on the wishlist, but there are so many other games before this one, and I don't think I'll ever get around to doing them.
Fully understand, you’re doing a fantastic service for all of us who love the C64 and we appreciate your games so much. Can I ask what games would you love to convert to the C64?
I'm currently working on a sequel to a famous 1984 C64 game, but I don't want to say anything else. After that, honestly, I'll take a break to think about what I want to do when I "grow up" and whether or not to continue programming C64 games.
Wow, looks great with the score advance table, brilliant addition, nicely done.
Glad u like it
The sounds are actually almost identical to the original, except for the gunshots. None of the 6 options resemble the arcade. That's the only detail missing to make it PERFECT!! However, you've already made the best port of Space Invaders for C64, congratulations!!!
Thanks for your positive review.
Regarding the laser sound effect, unfortunately the C64 does not have a waveform that can imitate the arcade sound. The only way to get close would be to use two audio voices, one with the triangle or sawtooth waveform and the other with the noise waveform. Unfortunately the C64 only has three audio voices and using two for the laser sound would not allow me to have all the other sound effects of the game.
Does auto fire work?
By autofire I mean that by holding down the fire button the cannon will fire repeatedly without having to constantly press and release the button. And yes, it works.
Oh! Lol I just thought it would fire without holding the button. Love your games. Amazing conversions!
Glad to hear that, thank you.
Absolutely great version! A must-play!
Thanks for the positive opinion.
Constant first class releases Luca. Superb
I'm very happy with your appreciation, thank you.
very good
Great game, thanks.
Thanks for appreciating and for the video.
Brilliant game, like all your conversions, Luca.
Although it works in NTSC like all the others, the scoreboard isn't visible in my old breadboard. I assume you're using the borders, but I'll let you know if you can achieve a full NTSC version.
Thank you very much for your excellent productions! 😉👾🕹️
Thanks for appreciating my work.
Indeed, yes, I use the top and bottom borders to display the game stats. I couldn't do otherwise if I wanted to keep the vertical layout like in the arcade game.
Doesn't the monitor allow adjustments?
Absolutely brilliant! The definitive version on the Commodore 64.
I'm glad to hear that, thank you.
Looks perfect! Looking forward to try it out on real hardware. Thanks!
Hope you'll like it.
Another winner from you!
Thanks for letting me know.
Very nice! :-)
Thanks for the inevitable video.
Very good conversion with great options as well. Thank you
Thanks for the positive opinion.
Thank you! Space Invaders (2025, LC-Games)
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Great port of the all time classic. I think you have done a fantastic tribute to one of my all time favourite arcade classics. I always loved Space Invaders as a child. I do have a suggestion for a future update if you are able to update it in the foreseeable future. There is one screen missing, which is the score advance table, featuring the aliens and the scores per alien shot. Perhaps you could place this before the menu, and pressing fire jumps to the menu with the game options.
Thank you for appreciating my effort. Regarding your suggestion, I will take it into account but I do not promise anything.
Just added the "Score Advance Table" animation, hope you like it.
Brilliant, this is perfect :)
I just updated it because I wrote MISTERY instead of MYSTERY. 😜
Thank you for this! I love all your conversions , I think they are the best. Cheers from Barcelona.
Thanks, I'm glad to hear that. Hello from Bergamo.
good work!
Glad you like it.