Arcade

Defender

Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional (2D) graphics, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis's first video game project, and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids. Williams planned to display the game at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) trade show, though development delays resulted in the team working on the game up until the show started.Defender was commercially successful, selling over 55,000 units t...

Genre: Shoot-'Em-Up
Year: 1980
Developer: Williams
Publisher: Williams
Players: 1

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P2P Netplay available on compatible cores

Achievements

37 achievements · 550 total points

First Flight Clear Wave 1
5 pts
Skyward Sentry Clear Wave 2
5 pts
Star Patrol Clear Wave 3
5 pts
Aerial Adept Clear Wave 4
10 pts
Cosmic Captain Clear Wave 5
10 pts
Galactic Gatekeeper Clear Wave 6
10 pts
Stellar Sentinel Clear Wave 7
25 pts
Celestial Champion Clear Wave 8, the point of maximum difficulty
50 pts
Flawless First Flight Clear Wave 1 on your first life
5 pts
Flawless Skyward Sentry Clear Wave 2 on your first life
10 pts
Flawless Star Patrol Clear Wave Three on your first life
10 pts
Flawless Aerial Adept Clear Wave Four on your first life
25 pts
Full House I Clear Wave 1 with 10 humanoids remaining
5 pts
Full House II Clear Wave 2 with 10 humanoids remaining
5 pts
Full House III Clear Wave 3 with 10 humanoids remaining
10 pts
Full House IV Clear Wave 4 with 10 humanoids remaining
25 pts
Full House V Clear Wave 5 with 10 humanoids remaining
25 pts
Score and Soar Earn an extra life and smart bomb by scoring 10,000 points
5 pts
Continuity Cache Hold more than five lives in reserve
10 pts
Life Saver I Catch a humanoid
3 pts
Life Saver II Return a humanoid to the ground
2 pts
Space Invaders Tribute Clear Wave 1 without pressing Up or Down
10 pts
No-Bomb Newcomer Clear Wave 2 without ever using a smart bomb during the playthrough
5 pts
No-Bomb Notable Clear Wave 3 without ever using a smart bomb during the playthrough
10 pts
No-Bomb Natural Clear Wave 4 without ever using a smart bomb during the playthrough
25 pts
Straight Shooter I Clear Wave 1 without ever using reverse
5 pts
Straight Shooter II Clear Wave 2 without ever using reverse during the playthrough
10 pts
Minimalist Marksman Clear Wave 1 without pressing Fire more than 5 times
10 pts
Baiter-Free Breeze Reach Wave 3 with no baiters ever spawning
10 pts
Edge of Extinction I Begin Wave 2 with one humanoid remaining, and ensure it survives until reaching Wave 3
5 pts
Edge of Extinction II Begin Wave 2 with one humanoid remaining, and ensure it survives until reaching Wave 4
25 pts
Edge of Extinction III Begin Wave 2 with one humanoid remaining, and ensure it survives until reaching Wave 5
25 pts
One-Minute Warrior Survive for longer than one minute on your first life
5 pts
Two-Minute Warrior Survive for longer than two minutes on your first life
10 pts
Three-Minute Warrior Survive for longer than 3 minutes on your first life
25 pts
Beat the Clock Reach Wave 4 within two minutes and fifteen seconds
10 pts
Unstoppable Force Score 200,000 points
100 pts

Defender leaderboard

Who scored the most on this game's achievements.

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Defender frequently asked questions

How do I play Defender online with a friend?

Defender (Arcade) 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 Arcade 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.

Does Defender have achievements?

Yes, Defender has 37 achievements worth 550 points. Achievements are counted and saved to your history and the leaderboard for subscribers and during the trial period.

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.