Play Scramble online
2 players online · taking turns · everyone on their own device How online multiplayer works
Lasers up front, bombs below and the fuel gauge always running low.
Play nowFree, right in your browser, nothing to install.
- Year
- 1981
- Manufacturer
- Konami
- Players
- 2 players, alternating turns
- Genres
- Shoot 'em ups, Vintage classics
- Decade
- '80s arcade games
For a lot of players, Scramble was the first shooter where the screen scrolled sideways: mountains, caves and cities sliding by under your ship while you blasted everything that moved. Konami released it in 1981, and its mix of shooting and bombing paved the way for a whole line of shoot 'em ups.
At UsuArcade it's waiting at its cabinet: grab a seat, drop in a coin and take off for the enemy base while the rest of the lobby keeps an eye on your fuel gauge.
History
Konami released Scramble in 1981, and Stern brought it to the U.S. It was one of the first shooters with forced horizontal scrolling and distinct stages, each with its own hazards, all the way to the enemy base.
Its success led to Super Cobra, which swapped the jet for a helicopter, and its formula of firing forward while bombing the ground became the foundation for Konami's great shooters that came later.
How to play
Your ship flies right on its own while you steer it around the screen. One button fires your laser forward and another drops bombs that arc down toward the ground. Rockets launch from below, saucers fly in packs and meteors can't be destroyed.
Fuel is everything: it drains nonstop and the only way to top it off is to bomb the fuel tanks on the ground. Run dry and your ship goes down. The enemy base waits at the end of the run, and taking it out is the big goal every time around.
Fun facts
- It was one of the first side-scrolling shooters with distinct stages.
- To keep from running out of fuel, you have to bomb the fuel tanks on the ground.
- Two players alternate on one cabinet, each with their own score.
In the arcade
Scramble was a take-turns game, and that's how it plays on UsuArcade, just online: invite your friend to your cabinet once they're in the lobby and trade turns, each on your own phone or PC. While one plays, the other watches live.
Nothing to install: it runs in your browser, gamepad supported, and every game starts with INSERT COIN, free. Everyone else in the lobby can watch and chat, and scores go up on the arcade's high score board.
FAQ
Can I play Scramble online with a friend?
Yes, taking turns online, each on your own device: just like the original arcade, you alternate turns in the same game of Scramble, you on your phone or PC and your friend on theirs. While one plays, the other watches.
What year did Scramble come out?
In 1981, from Konami; Stern distributed it in the U.S.
How do you play Scramble?
Fire your laser forward and bomb the ground as you fly, and hit the fuel tanks so you don't run dry before you reach the enemy base.
Is Scramble free to play?
Yes. It runs in your browser with nothing to install and no payments; every game starts with INSERT COIN.
