Space Invaders – Survive Scaling Alien Waves
Move horizontally, manage a three-bullet limit and clear alien formations that gain rows and speed as the wave counter rises.
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Space Invaders
About Space Invaders
This Space Invaders-style game starts with three lives and an eight-column formation. Early waves have three rows; later waves add rows up to a five-row cap.
Alien speed grows by 0.1 per wave. When the formation touches an edge it reverses direction and drops downward, creating the classic pressure of a shrinking safe area.
How to Play Space Invaders
1Move left or right with the keyboard; on touch, drag horizontally.
2Press Space or tap to shoot. Only three player bullets can exist at once.
3Destroy every alien to advance to the next wave.
4Avoid enemy bullets and prevent the formation from reaching your ship.
Space Invaders Rules
- You start with 3 lives.
- Alien score is 10 + 5 × row type.
- Clearing all aliens advances the wave.
- Losing all lives or letting aliens descend to the player ends the run.
Space Invaders Scoring
| Action | Points | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Alien row type 0 | +10 | — |
| Alien row type 1 | +15 | — |
| Alien row type 2 | +20 | Score formula is 10 + 5 × alien row type. |
Space Invaders Game Mechanics
Objective
Move the ship horizontally, shoot descending alien formations and survive with three lives through increasingly dense waves.
Round End
The run ends when all three lives are lost to enemy bullets or when any alien formation reaches the player's vertical area.
- Every wave has 8 columns and min(5, 3 + floor(wave / 2)) alien rows.
- Aliens in the top two row types start with 2 HP; lower rows start with 1 HP.
- Alien horizontal speed is 0.3 + 0.1 × wave and the formation drops 12 pixels whenever it reaches a side edge.
- The player can have at most three bullets active at once.
- Score, lives and wave are not persisted after reload.
Tips & Strategies
- Do not spam shots when three bullets are already active; wait for a firing lane to clear.
- As waves speed up, stay positioned so you can react before the formation reaches an edge and drops.
- Prioritize dangerous low rows when the formation gets close to the player area.
Game Info
| Game Name | Space Invaders |
| Category | Shooting |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Platform | Web Browser |
| Price | Free |
| Players | 1 Player |
| Controls | Keyboard / Touch |
| Last Updated | 2026-08-07 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lives do you get?
You start each run with 3 lives.
How do waves change?
Alien row count grows toward five rows and horizontal speed increases by 0.1 per wave.
How many shots can be on screen?
The player bullet list is capped at three active shots.
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