Defender
Defender is a 1981 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Williams Electronics, designed by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar. Players pilot a spacecraft across a horizontally scrolling planetary surface, fending off waves of aliens like Landers, Bombers, and Pods while rescuing human colonists before they can be abducted and mutated into aggressive Mutants that swarm the player.
Renowned for its punishing difficulty, blistering pace, and unusually complex control panel of buttons for thrust, fire, smart bombs, hyperspace, and reversing direction, Defender was a huge commercial success and one of the most influential shooters of its era. Its scrolling world extending beyond the screen, a scanner minimap showing the whole level, and the moral stakes of protecting humanity set it apart from simpler contemporaries.
Defender remains a celebrated arcade classic available through numerous compilations, and its innovations in scrolling shooter design continue to be recognized as pivotal to the genre's development.
Where can you play Defender today?
Device by device, which of the 4 alternatives below you can play on it.
- PC
- Sine Mora EX (€ 29,99), R-Type Dimensions EX (€ 14,99), Luftrausers (€ 9,99) and 1 more.
- Mac
- Luftrausers (€ 9,99).
- Linux
- Luftrausers (€ 9,99).
- iPhone
- None of the alternatives to Defender runs on iPhone.
- iPad
- None of the alternatives to Defender runs on iPad.
- Android phone
- None of the alternatives to Defender runs on Android phone.
- Android tablet
- None of the alternatives to Defender runs on Android tablet.
- PlayStation
- Sine Mora EX (€ 29,99), R-Type Dimensions EX (€ 14,99) and Rogue Aces Deluxe (€ 8,19). All 3 on PlayStation
- Xbox
- Sine Mora EX (€ 29,99) and R-Type Dimensions EX (€ 14,99).
- Switch
- Sine Mora EX (€ 29,99), R-Type Dimensions EX (€ 14,99) and Rogue Aces Deluxe (€ 8,19). All 3 on Switch
- Steam Deck
- Sine Mora EX (€ 29,99), R-Type Dimensions EX (€ 14,99) and Luftrausers (€ 9,99). All 3 on Steam Deck
Games like Defender
Modern alternatives to Defender, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
Sine Mora EX
€ 29,99A polished side-scrolling shoot 'em up with a time-manipulation twist and cinematic presentation.
Sine Mora EX runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
R-Type Dimensions EX
€ 14,99Two arcade classics with modern and retro visuals, horizontal shooting at its most demanding.
R-Type Dimensions EX is also an alternative to 1 other classic
R-Type Dimensions EX runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Luftrausers Indie
€ 9,99An indie arcade dogfighter with tight, punchy controls in the spirit of classic scrolling shooters.
Luftrausers runs on PC, Mac, Linux. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Playable.
Rogue Aces Deluxe Indie
€ 8,19Side-on dogfighting with prisoner rescues and a wrap-around battlefield, Defender's loop in a biplane.
Rogue Aces Deluxe runs on PC, PlayStation, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Xbox. It is Steam Deck Untested.
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