Asteroids was developed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg at Atari and released in November 1979. It used vector graphics — lines drawn by a beam of electrons rather than pixels — which gave the game its distinctive sharp, glowing aesthetic that couldn't be reproduced on raster displays of the time.
The game was so popular that arcade operators reported having to empty coin boxes multiple times per day. Within a year, Atari had sold 70,000 cabinets — making it one of the best-selling arcade games of the golden era. It held the title of highest-grossing video game for several years, until Pac-Man took over in 1981.
Asteroids introduced several mechanics that became industry standards: hyperspace (a panic button that teleported the ship to a random location), the progressive difficulty system where each cleared wave introduced faster and more numerous asteroids, and the persistent high score leaderboard.
The ship physics — forward thrust, rotational control, inertia — model Newtonian physics in a way that was sophisticated for 1979. Mastering the float-and-fire technique (rotating in place, shooting approaching asteroids, then thrusting away) is the key skill that separates beginners from experienced players.
Asteroids Strategy
- Clear small asteroids first. Small asteroids are faster and harder to dodge. Eliminating them reduces the chaos before dealing with large ones.
- Stay near the centre. The screen wraps around — an asteroid that goes off one side reappears on the other. The centre gives you reaction time from all directions.
- Don't thrust continuously. Manage your velocity. Coming to a relative stop is sometimes safer than careening through a dense asteroid field.
- Shoot the UFO immediately. The UFO actively targets your ship. Prioritise it over asteroids when it appears.