Overview
The missiles fall. You can’t stop them all. Missile Command turned Cold War terror into a game where players defended six cities against nuclear annihilation. The trackball controlled a cursor placing defensive explosions, but the attacks never stopped—eventually, every game ended with cities in ruins.
Fast facts
- Developer: Atari.
- Designer: Dave Theurer.
- Control: Trackball (arcade).
- Ending: No victory—only delayed defeat.
Gameplay mechanics
| Element | Function |
|---|
| Trackball | Aim crosshair |
| Three batteries | Fire anti-missiles |
| Explosions | Create defensive clouds |
| Cities | Must protect six |
Threat types
| Enemy | Behaviour |
|---|
| ICBM | Falls straight down |
| MIRV | Splits into multiple warheads |
| Smart bomb | Evades explosions |
| Bomber | Crosses screen horizontally |
Technical features
| Aspect | Implementation |
|---|
| Colour display | Raster graphics |
| Trackball precision | Analogue control |
| Explosion timing | Strategic depth |
| Wave progression | Escalating difficulty |
Cultural impact
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|
| Theme | Nuclear war anxiety |
| Designer nightmares | Theurer had nuclear dreams |
| No happy ending | Intentional design choice |
| Political commentary | Cold War reflection |
Home conversions
| Platform | Notable feature |
|---|
| Atari 2600 | Joystick adaptation |
| Atari 8-bit | Near-arcade quality |
| Game Boy | Portable version |
See also