Atari 2600

Beamrider

Beamrider is a 3-D arcade action game. You control a beam riding spaceship on a mission to clear 99 sectors of space from hostile aliens. The spaceship is located at the bottom of the screen and it can only stop on one of five beams. You are armed with both lasers and torpedoes; torpedoes are more powerful and can destroy more enemies compared to lasers, however you only get three per level. To complete a sector, you need to destroy fifteen white flying saucers. After all saucers are destroyed, the sector sentinel passes by which can be destroyed for extra points. Each even number sector up until sector 16 will add a new type of enemy to deal with. These additional enemies will just try to s...

Genre: Shooter
Year: 1984
Developer: Cheshire Engineering
Publisher: Activision, Inc.
Players: 1

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P2P Netplay available on compatible cores

Achievements

14 achievements · 100 total points

Sector 1-5 Complete Sector 5.
5 pts
Sector 6-10 Complete Sector 10.
5 pts
Sector 11-15 Complete Sector 15.
5 pts
Sector 16-20 Complete Sector 20.
10 pts
Sector 21-25 Complete Sector 25.
10 pts
Industructable Get 10 lives.
10 pts
Pea Shooter Get 20,000 points.
5 pts
Ship Combatant Get 60,000 points.
5 pts
Ship Killer Get 80,000 points.
10 pts
Starship Hero Get 100,000 points.
10 pts
Ship Pilot Get 40,000 points.
5 pts
Some Spare Parts Gain a life.
5 pts
Flying Pro Get a total of 5 lives.
5 pts
Space Dodging Complete Sector 1-5 without losing a life. (Reset must be done if you die)
10 pts

Beamrider leaderboard

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Beamrider frequently asked questions

How do I play Beamrider online with a friend?

Beamrider (Atari 2600) can be played online with friends using Etera's P2P netplay. Create a room in the launcher and invite your friend, who joins through the invite. Step by step:

Download the Etera launcher for Windows or Linux and create your account.
Ask your friend to do the same and add them to your friends list.
Pick the game in the library and create a netplay room.
Invite your friend: they accept the invite and join the room.
The launcher keeps dependencies on the same version for both players, avoiding desync.

How do I play Beamrider on PC?

Download the Etera launcher (Windows or Linux), find Beamrider in the Atari 2600 library and click to download. The launcher handles the emulator and setup for you.

Does Beamrider netplay lag?

Etera uses a direct P2P connection between players, which usually means low latency. Results depend on each player's internet quality.

Does Beamrider have achievements?

Yes, Beamrider has 14 achievements worth 100 points. Achievements are counted and saved to your history and the leaderboard for subscribers and during the trial period.

Can I play Beamrider for free?

Yes. Every account gets a 5-day trial with premium features. After that, the free plan allows 3 new games per day and 1 netplay session per day. Premium raises those limits.

Play Beamrider on Etera

Download the launcher for Windows or Linux, find this game in the library and play solo or with friends.