Defender
Defender put players in charge of a ship sent to protect mankind from wave after wave of attacking alien forces.Armed with smart bombs, and the ability to use hyperspace to move quickly around the planet, the player ship must fight against Bombers, Pods, Swarmers, Baiters, and Landers - that can capture the humanoids and transform them into deadly and relentless Mutants. Fail to save the humanoids from freefall or Mutant transformation, and the planet is destroyed.Eugene Jarvis' Defender has been widely regarded as one of the most popular and addictive space shooters of the early 1980's
- Genre
- Shooter
- Year
- 1981
- Developer
- Williams Electronics Inc.
- Publisher
- Atari, Inc.
- Players
- 2
P2P Netplay available on compatible cores
Defender frequently asked questions
How do I play Defender online with a friend?
Defender (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 Defender on PC?
Download the Etera launcher (Windows or Linux), find Defender in the Atari 2600 library and click to download. The launcher handles the emulator and setup for you.
Does Defender netplay lag?
Etera uses a direct P2P connection between players, which usually means low latency. Results depend on each player's internet quality.
Can I play Defender 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 Defender on Etera
Download the launcher for Windows or Linux, find this game in the library and play solo or with friends.
Get Etera
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