Space Invaders is the shooter that taught arcades what a high score was for: a lone cannon, a shuffling wall of aliens, and a steady drumbeat that speeds up as the formation thins. People search for it all the time with a simple wish, which is to play it right now without installing anything. We built Orbit Defenders to scratch that itch. It runs on this page, it is free, and it needs no signup.
Play Orbit Defenders now
Tap Play to start. Sound is off by default, and the game works fine without it.
How to play
On a phone, drag anywhere on the screen to slide your ship, and it fires while your finger is down. The Fire button in the corner works too, so you can steer with one thumb and shoot with the other. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys or A and D to move and Space to fire. With a mouse, move to steer and hold the button to shoot.
Clear every alien in a wave before the formation reaches your orbit. Your shields wear away from enemy fire, so tuck in behind them and step out to shoot. A mystery ship crosses the top now and then. Hit it for bonus points and ten seconds of twin shots. Quick kills build a combo that raises your multiplier.
You have three lives. Each day brings a new fleet layout and shield arrangement, plus a score target, and reaching it keeps your streak going. Your best score, best wave and streak are saved on your device. Nothing leaves your browser.
How it compares to Space Invaders
Orbit Defenders keeps what makes the original tick: a marching formation that speeds up as you thin it out, shields you slowly lose, a mystery ship worth chasing, and a round that ends the moment you slip. Runs usually last between one and three minutes, and restarting takes one tap. We drew every alien, ship and effect ourselves, so the creatures are our own designs rather than the famous pixel sprites.
We left out the cabinet nostalgia and the wrapper around it. There are no arcade modes, no leaderboards, no unlockable themes and no ads. Each wave adds more aliens and faster fire than the last, and we tested the daily layouts so every column stays reachable and every wave can be cleared.
If you want the official arcade experience, licensed art, and the original sound and look, the real game is a better home for long sessions. Orbit Defenders is the quick version you can open in a tab, play for two minutes, and close.
Get the full game
Space Invaders is available on Android, and we link the official builds below so you can install the real thing from a store you trust. If you like shooters and want more to try on a bigger screen, we also tested seven picks in our best apps for space shooter games on desktop roundup.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play Space Invaders in a browser?
The official Space Invaders app is built for Android, so playing it means installing it on a phone or tablet. Orbit Defenders, the game on this page, is our own Space Invaders-style shooter that runs in any modern browser, on a phone or a computer.
Is this the real Space Invaders?
No. Orbit Defenders is an original game we built, inspired by the fixed-shooter genre that Space Invaders defined. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the publisher of Space Invaders. All art and sound are generated by our own code, and the download links above point to the official app.
Is it free?
Yes. There are no ads, no purchases, and no account. Your best score, best wave and streak stay in your browser’s local storage and are never sent anywhere.
Does it work offline?
Once the page has loaded, the game makes no further network requests, so it keeps running if your connection drops. For the original app, check its store page for connection requirements.
Do I need sound on?
No. Sound starts off, and every event is shown on screen. Turning it on adds synthesized shots, explosions and a marching bass line that speeds up as the formation thins.
