Commodore 64 Shoot 'em ups Listed in Chronological Order


Commodore 64 Shoot 'em up Catalogue


Posted for quick reference purposes, this is a chronological list of Commodore 64 shoot 'em ups that are being covered in my History of Shoot 'em ups.

This list thus far contains 92 original infographics that can be mouse-wheeled through in order to get an idea of the C64 shoot 'em up catalogue with no non-C64 admixture. You can also right-click the images and open them in a new tab at full resolution (2k-5k px).
 
The C64 shoot 'em up catalogue is exceedingly impressive:

  • As a rule, it started off slowly with arcade ports (1982-84)
  • Picked up the pace in 1985-86 via C64-native shooters
  • Hit its stride in 1987
  • Held the fort in 1988-89 and still came up with surprises until 1993

See also: Super-scroller computer games.

The C64 shooter catalogue wiped the floor with rival Western 8-bit shooter catalogues in the mid-to-late 80s, made the 16 bit Atari ST and IBM PC shooter catalogues look like complete jokes in the mid-to-late 80s, and even challenged the Amiga shooter catalogue in the late 80s to early 90s.

From 1985 to at least 1990 the C64 was the Western computer-game machine for shoot 'em up connoisseurs to own. In terms of grueling gameplay and raw and gritty audio-visuals the C64 shooter was hands-down the best for almost a decade.

If a shooter entry has "C64 original" appended, that means the shooter was originally coded for the C64; that is, it is not a coinop or other-micro port, but rather a C64-native game.

I also append "C64 exclusive" to the relevant entries. C64-exclusive shooters are those that were only released for the C64. I do not care if some C64 shooters were ported to "current gen platforms" decades later; that is utterly irrelevant to my authentic commentary. If you're playing 2020s ports of 1990s C64 shooters on your cellphone, I don't care, they don't count, the shooters are still C64-exclusives.

I also append "Best on C64" to the relevant entries.

This document was last updated on the 14th of July, 2024.

1982


Gridrunner Commodore 64 1982


Jeff Minter coded Gridrunner for the Vic-20 and C64 in 1982. Gridrunner is a space-age clone of Atari's Centipede coinop of 1980.


Best on C64.

Galaga Commodore 64 1982


Henrik Wening's rendition of Galaga might not have looked like much even in 1982, but its controls are responsive and its gameplay is fast and fun. I booted this up in 2024 and played it for a few hours.


C64 exclusive.

Wizard of Wor Commodore 64 1982


Midway's Wizard of Wor coinop of 1981 was ported to the C64 in 1982 by Jeff Bruette for Commodore. A Berzerk-like (Stern Electronics, 1980), Wizard of Wor is a highly playable fixed-screen run n gun maze-shooter featuring 2-player coop, smooth sprite-shifting and 4-way movement and firing.


Best on C64.

1983


Choplifter Commodore 64 1983


In 1983 Choplifter! was one of the most technically advanced C64 shoot 'em ups in terms of controls and graphics, but unlike the Apple 2 original the C64 version supports only one-button digital joystick control. In addition, the C64 version should have featured smooth scrolling.


Defender Commodore 64 1983


The legendary Williams Defender coinop of 1981 was ported to C64 by Joseph Simko of Atarisoft in 1983.


Gorf Commodore 64 1983


Eric Cotton ported Midway's Gorf coinop of 1981 to Commodore 64 in 1983. Gorf is an advanced Space Invaders / Galaxian clone that features Astro Battle, Laser Attack, Space Warp and Flagship attack waves. C64 Gorf is better than the flickering Vic-20 and Atari 8 bit versions of 1982.


Best on C64.

Galaxions Commodore 64 1983


Solar Software released Galaxions in 1983 for the C64. Galaxions was programmed by John Shay.


Galaxy Commodore 64 1983


Kingsoft released Galaxy in 1983 for the Commodore 64. Galaxy was programmed by Walter Brewer. Galaxy was also released for the Atari 800 in 1983. The Atari 800 version was programmed by Steve Hinkle and Dave Johnston.


Missile Command Commodore 64 1983


Andrew Challice of Interceptor Software ported Atari's Missile Command of 1980 to the C64 in 1983.


Protector 2 Commodore 64 1983


Ken Rose ported Mike Potter's Atari 8 bit Protector 2 of 1982 to the C64 in 1983. Protector 2 is a great Defender-like. There is no original Protector 1981 on the C64; Vic 20 only.


Best on C64.

Scramble 64 Commodore 64 1983


Developed by Interceptor Software for the C64 in 1983, Scramble 64 is a clone of Konami's 1981 coinop, Scramble. And while its horizontal scrolling is not smooth the gameplay of the original has been faithfully replicated, and the sound effects are raw and realistic.


C64 original.

1984


Dropzone Commodore 64 1984


Archer MacLean's Dropzone on C64 left most early Defender ports and clones in the dust. Indeed, Dropzone is the one of the best Defender clones and one of the best super-scrollers in shoot 'em up history.


Guardian Commodore 64 1984


Steve Evan's Guardian was the first fast and busy Defender clone on the C64. Most impressive.


Best on C64.

Ancipital Commodore 64 1984


The goat-like Ancipital is launching bananas that rebound off walls and hit hostile oddities. Can you guess the programmer's name? The Ancipital can also jump from wall to wall while progressing through a 10x10 maze made up of 100 levels. A responsive, fun and challenging shooter featuring psychedelic stroboscopic effects, Ancipital was coded by Jeff Minter of Llamasoft -- a legend.


Best on C64.

Flak Commodore 64 1984


Yves Lempereur coded Flak in 1984 for the Commodore 64. Also available on Atari 8 bit and Apple 2, Flak is an extremely difficult Xevious-like that features ultra-smooth vertical scrolling.


Best on C64.

Galaxian Commodore 64 1984


Namco's Galaxian coinop of 1979 was ported to C64 by Alan Pavlish of Atarisoft in 1984.


Moon Patrol Commodore 64 1984


Meh, Moon Patrol. Jump over a crater and land square on a tank round. Ho-hum. Irem's Moon Patrol coinop of 1980 was ported to C64 by Atarisoft in 1984.


Gyruss Commodore 64 1984


Joe Hellesen of Parker Bros. converted Konami's Gyruss coinop of 1983 to the Commdore 64 in 1984. A fixed-viewport tube-shooter with scaling sprites and J.S. Bach music, Gyruss on the Commodore 64 is top-tier.


River Raid Commodore 64 1984


Carol Shaw's River Raid of 1982 on the Atari 2600 was ported to C64 in 1984 by Arti Haroutunian of Micro Projects Engineering.


Robotron 2084 Commodore 64 1984


The Vid Kidz Robotron coinop of 1982 was ported to C64 by Tom Griner of Atarisoft in 1983. A multi-directional shoot 'em up, Robotron features 8-way movement and 8-way firing of the controlled sprite, Robotron Hero. In order to clear a stage players must destroy the Robotrons as they converge on the hero.


Best on C64 (best port).

Sea Dragon Commodore 64 1984


David Simmons ported Sea Dragon to the C64 in 1984 from the TRS-80 original of 1982. The port is much easier than the original.


Best on C64.

Targon 64 Commodore 64 1984


Andrew Pal of Net Electronic Technologies coded Targon 64 in 1984 for the Commodore 64. A raw and gritty Xevious-like, Targon 64 features enemy waves that come from all directions as well as progressive destructibility.


Best on C64.

Zaxxon Commodore 64 1984


Sega's Zaxxon coinop of 1982 was ported to C64 by Sega Enterprises Inc. in 1984. Zaxxon is an isometric shoot 'em up that features 4-way movement.


1985


Paradroid Commodore 64 1985



C64 original.

Commando Commodore 64 1985


Capcom's Commando coinop of 1985 was ported to C64 in 1985 by Chris Butler of Japan Capsule Computers for Elite UK.


Crazy Comets Commodore 64 1985


Famous for its super-fast and super-smooth sprite-shifting, Simon Nichol's Crazy Comets is a solid clone of Gottlieb's Mad Planets coinop of 1983. cf. Mega-Apocalypse (the sequel). Audio by Rob Hubbard.


Airwolf Commodore 64 1985


Airwolf is based on the TV series of 1984-87. Neil A. Bate's Commodore 64 multi-directional shooter of 1985 is more entertaining, though.


1986


1942 Commodore 64 1986


Capcom's 1942 coinop of 1984 was ported to C64 in 1986 by Elite Systems Ltd.


Gauntlet Commodore 64 1986-91


Atari Games' Gauntlet coinop of 1985 was ported to C64 by Bob Armour of Gremlin Graphics for US Gold in 1986. Gauntlet is an 8-way run n gun and hack n slash game that features smooth scrolling and a max of 50 on-screen sprites with no slowdown.


Gauntlet 2 was ported to the C64 by Stuart Gregg in 1987; the isometric Gauntlet 3 was ported to C64 by Martin Howarth in 1991.

Ikari Warriors Commodore 64 1986


SNK's Ikari Warriors coinop was ported to the C64 by John Twiddy of Elite Systems Ltd. Ikari Warriors features good presentation and is much harder than the PC-Booter version; it often displays a dozen on-screen soldiers and several bullets simultaneously, clogging the playfield with action.


Iridis Alpha Commodore 64 1986


Jeff Minter of Llamasoft coded the psychedelic Defender-like and super-scroller, Iridis Alpha, for the C64 in 1986. As with all Minter's games the playability is 10/10. Iridis Alpha was coded on a C128 in JCL assembler.


C64 original. Best on C64.

Rambo: First Blood Part II Commodore 64 1986


Platinum Productions' Rambo: First Blood Part II on the Commodore 64 was impressive in 1986. A run and gun game, Rambo featured 8-way scrolling, movement and firing as well as six weapons, good music and 2-stage destructibility of trees and buildings. You can basically just flatten everything. And that's fun.


Best on C64.

Sanxion Commodore 64 1986


Sanxion was coded for the C64 by Stavros Fasoulas of Thalamus in 1986. Sanxion is a variable-rate horizontal super-scroller with dual-scrolling viewports (side-on and overhead) and parallax scrolling. David Whittaker's sound effects and Rob Hubbard's music are also excellent.


C64 original. Best on C64.

Alleykat Commodore 64 1986


Designed and coded by Andrew Braybrook of Graftgold pre-Uridium, Alleykat is a C64-exclusive shooter-racer hybrid and seminal super-scroller. Alleykat features gameplay verticality, extremely fast and smooth variable-rate scrolling, destructible landscapes, six rival craft and eight types of races, with each race-track varying in obstruction density, lap requirements and prize money.


Alleykat tech-specs are as follows:

  • Virtual Sprite System (VSS)
  • Flicker-free hardware & software sprites
  • Auto-detects & Enhances for C=128
  • 50 FPS Super-scroller
  • Color-cycling "rainbow text"
  • 3-voice audio
  • 32 race-tracks
  • Playfields 20-screens in length
  • 1-player or 2-player non-simultaneous coop
 
C64 exclusive.

Uridium Commodore 64 1986



C64 original. Best on C64.

Terra Cresta Commodore 64 1986


David Collier of Imagine Software ported Nichibutsu's Terra Cresta coinop of 1985 to C64 in 1986.


Best on C64.

Thrust Commodore 64 1986


Jeremy C. Smith's Thrust on the BBC Micro was inspired by Atari's Gravitar coinop of 1982. The only problem with Thrust is that its control is keyboard-only. cf. Oids Atari ST.


1987


Exolon Commodore 64 1987


Nick Jones ported Exolon to the C64 in 1987 from Raffaele Cecco's original ZX Spectrum version of the same year. Flip-screen run and gun.


Best on C64.

Delta Commodore 64 1987


The follow-up to Sanxion, Delta was coded by Stavros Fasoulas of Thalamus for the C64 in 1987. Delta features many rotating and spiraling enemies, tanky enemy blobs and spawning minefields. King-tier.


Audio by Rob Hubbard.

C64 exclusive.

Hunter's Moon Commodore 64 1987


Martin Walker of Thalamus coded Hunter's Moon in 1987 for the C64. Hunter's Moon is multi-directional shooter perfection.


C64 exclusive.

Gradius 1987 Commodore 64


Konami's godly 1985 Gradius coinop was ported to Commodore 64 in 1987 by Simon Pick. This king-tier port is fast, smooth and accurate. Overall, the speed is incredible for the C64.


Light Force Commodore 64 1987


In 1987 Roy Carter converted Light Force to the C64 from the ZX Spectrum original of 1987 developed by Roy Carter and Greg Follis.


Audio by Rob Hubbard.

Best on C64.

Bulldog Commodore 64 1987


Coded by Andrew Green of Gremlin Graphics in 1987 for the C64, Bulldog is an original and innovative bi-directionally scrolling shooter for the C64. Give this one a whirl, for sure.


C64 exclusive.

Slap Fight Commodore 64 1987


Taoplan's 1986 Slap Fight coinop was well-ported to C64 by John Meegan of Imagine in 1987.


Best on C64.

Zynaps Commodore 64 1987


Zynaps is a busy, noisy and grueling horizontally-scrolling shooter designed and coded by Dominic Robinson and John Cumming for the C64 in 1987. In Zynaps you can increase the thrust and rate-of-fire of your Scorpion. The Zynaps Weapons System includes Pulse Laser, Plasma Bombs, Homing Missiles and Seeker Missiles. Zynaps is one of the best side-on shooters on the C64.


Wizball IBM PC 1987


Chris Yates of Sensible Software coded Wizball in 1987 for the C64. Wizball is a horizontally-scrolling shooter with an innovative ball-bounce mechanic: the Wizball bounces off the ground and off objects while shooting and collecting.


C64 original. Best on C64.

Sensible Software are most famous for their English Football Computer Games.

Airwolf 2 Commodore 64 1987


The C64 version of Airwolf 2 was coded by Stuart A. Cook in 1987.


Mega-Apocalypse Commodore 64 1987


Coded by Simon Nicol of Martech Games Ltd. in 1987, Mega-Apocalypse is a technically impressive fixed-viewport multi-directional shoot 'em up that was originally coded for the C64, but later ported to ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and BBC Micro (1988-89). An incremental evolution on Martech's own Crazy Comets of 1985, Mega-Apocalypse features 5-channel sound, sprite rotation, strafe-firing, and super-fast hostiles gliding smoothly over a swirling starfield.


Due to the sheer speed and tendency of hostiles to home-in on the player's ship, Mega-Apocalypse is by no means a cakewalk. In fact, it is going to filter most people during the first level. The best advice I can give is: learn to circle fast-moving hostiles. You could also try 2-player coop.

Soundtrack and sampled sound and speech by Rob Hubbard.

C64 original. Best on C64.

Hades Nebula Commodore 64 1987


Paranoid Software's Hades Nebula stands as the one of the most difficult and underrated shooters on the C64. Hades Nebula is difficult for the following reasons:

  • It is all-too-easy to destroy your own power-ups before you collect them
  • The upgrades make the ship bigger, which makes the ship easier to hit
  • On-screeen space for maneuvering is limited


One nice touch is how the Laser weapon progressively rips through columns of enemies and installations.

Hades Nebula bosses:


Best on C64.

Lazer Force Commodore 64 1987


Gavin Raeburn's Lazer Force of 1987 is a vertically-scrolling and fixed-viewport shooter known for its fast homing enemies and overall difficulty.


C64 exclusive.

Thunderbolt Commodore 64 1987


Thunderbolt of 1987 is a bi-directional horizontally-scrolling super-scroller coded by Gavin Raeburn for the C64. Solid.


C64 exclusive.

Xevious Commodore 64 1987


Namco's Xevious coinop of 1982 was ported to the C64 in 1987 by US Gold. A disappointing port.


Tiger Mission Commodore 64 1987


Coded by Thomas Larsen of Kele Line in 1987 for the C64, Tiger Mission is vertical-scroller with good controls, pacing and music. It takes a while for the gameplay to warm up -- be patient.


C64 exclusive.

Task 3 Commodore 64 1987


Cybernetic Arts coded Task 3 for the C64 in 1987. Task 3 is a vertically-scrolling super-scroller.
 

C64 exclusive.

1988


Salamander Commodore 64 1988



IO: Into Oblivion Commodore 64 1988


Coded by Doug Hare of Kinetic Design in 1988 for the C64, IO: Into Oblivion is a difficult side-scrolling shooter that features some of the best graphics on the C64.


IO's graphics were drawn by Bob Stevenson, and its audio was composed by David Whittaker. IO's weapons system consits of smart bombs that can be shot for weapon upgrades and orbs that increase the ship's defense. IO Bosses:


C64 exclusive.

Armalyte Commodore 64 1988


Cyberdyne's Armalyte of 1988 on the Commodore 64 is much better than the 16 bit versions. Indeed, in regards to gameplay, graphics and technics C64 Armalyte is one of the best shooters in this entire treatment range. Don't pass over this one.


Designed and coded by Dan Phillips, Armalyte is the sequel to C64 Delta. And Delta comes from Sanxion.

Armalyte bosses:


C64 original. Best on C64.

Alien Syndrome Commodore 64 1988


Tim Rogers ported Sega's Alien Syndrome coinop of 1987 to the C64 in 1988. Run and gun.


Operation Wolf Commodore 64 1988


Colin Porch of Ocean Software ported Taito's Operation Wolf coinop of 1987 to C64 in 1988. This is a solid port with good gameplay, audio-visuals and presentation. Graphics by Steve Wahid. Sound & music by Jonathan Dunn.


Cabal Commodore 64 1989


Robbie Tinman of Ocean Software ported TAD Corporation's Cabal coinop of 1988 to C64 in 1989.


Tomcat Commodore 64 1988


Ian Denny of Digital Light & Magic coded the C64 version of Tomcat in 1988. This is the most playable 8-bit version of Tomcat.


Best on C64.

1943: The Battle of Midway Commodore 64 1988


Capcom's 1987 coinop 1943: The Battle of Midway was converted to C64 in 1986 by Tiertex.


Cybernoid Commodore 64 1988


Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine was originally coded for the ZX Spectrum by Raffaele Cecco. You can tell Cybernoid is a ZX Spectrum-original by looking at the low-color "C64" titlescreen shown below. Cybernoid 2: The Revenge was also developed by Raffaele Cecco.

Both Cybernoid and its sequel were released in 1988.

Top row is Cybernoid; bottom row is Cybernoid 2:

 
Cybernoid and its sequel are rare shoot 'em ups due to being 4-way flip-screen computer games rather than scrollers.

Cybernoid Weapons System: Bombs, Impact Mines, Defence Shield, Bounce Bombs, Seeker.

Rambo 3 Commodore 64 1988


Ocean ported Taito's Rambo 3 coinop to most 8 and 16 bit micros, but I prefer the C64 version. Rambo 3 is a three-stage top-down flip-screen run and gun game that features a separate inventory screen and one dozen items and four different weapons. Movement and firing is 8-way. There is also a sprite-scaling, OpWolf-style level.


Best on C64.

Robocop Commodore 64 1988


Data East's RoboCop coinop of 1988 was ported to C64 by John Meegan in 1988. The RoboCop movie came out in 1987.



Zamzara Commodore 64 1988


Released in 1988, Jukka Tapanimaki's Zamzara is one of the best run and gun games on the Commodore 64. Zamzara features precise controls, silky-smooth parallax scrolling and H.R Giger-like sprites and backdrops. In addition, the soundscape is solid.


C64 exclusive.

Garrison Commodore 64 1988


Digital Dreams released Garrison for the C64 in 1988. Garrison was programmed by Jörn Galka.


1989


Menace Commodore 64 1989


DMA Design's Menace on the Amiga was ported to the C64 in 1989 by Psyclapse.


Phobia Commodore 64 1989


Programmed by Antony Crowther ("Ratt"), Phobia was released for C64 in 1989.


Best on C64.

Silkworm Commodore 64 1989


Warren Mills of Random Access ported Silkworm to the C64 in 1989 from the Amiga version of 1989, which was superior to the Tecmo coinop original of 1988.


Retrograde Commodore 64 1989


Coded by John Rowlands and Rob Ellis of Thalamus for the C64 in 1989, Retrograde is an innovative combo of Defender-like and run and gun. Indeed, Retrograde is one of the best shoot 'em ups to appear on 8 bit micros. Beating every 16 bit shooter of 1989 except Battle Squadron, Retrograde is also a C64-exclusive.


C64 exclusive.

R-Type Commodore 64 1989


Manfred Trenzported Irem's R-Type coinop of 1987 to the C64 in 1989. Music by Chris Hülsbeck. Graphics by Andreas Escher.


X-Out Commodore 64 1989


Jörg Prenzing of Rainbow Arts coded X-Out for the C64 in 1989. Graphics by Andreas Escher.


C64 original. Best on C64.

1990


Katakis Commodore 64 1990


Manfred Trenz of Rainbow Arts developed Katakis for the C64 in 1990. R-Type clone. Music by Chris Hülsbeck. Graphics by Andreas Escher.


 
C64 original. Best on C64.

Blood Money Commodore 64 1990



Guardian 2: Revenge of the Mutants Commodore 64 1990


Steve Evans of Hi-Tec coded Guardian 2: Revenge of the Mutants for the C64 in 1990. Guardian 2 is a solid shooter, but it came out too late in the C64's life-cycle.


Best on C64.

Navy SEALS Commodore 64 1990


Navy SEALS was coded for the C64 by John Meegan of Ocean Software in 1990.


Turrican Commodore 64 1990



Blood Money Commodore 64 1990


DMA Design's Blood Money on the Amiga was ported to C64 in 1989 by Mike Dailly of DMA Design.


Midnight Resistance Commodore 64 1990


Robbie Tinman of Special FX / Ocean Software ported Data East's Midnight Resistance coinop of 1989 to C64 in 1990. This is another solid port with good gameplay, audio-visuals and presentation. Midnight Resistance is a run and gun game that scrolls both horizontally and vertically.

MR features 8-way movement and 8-way firing as well as climbing, crawling and jumping. You collect keys to unlock different weapons and specials.


Graphics by Ivan Davies. Sound & music by Keith Tinman.

Best on C64.
 

P-47: Thunderbolt Commodore 64 1990


Mike Chilton of Source ported Nihon Micom Kaihatsu P-47 Thunderbolt coinop of 1988 to the C64 in 1990.


Best on C64.

1991


SWIV Commodore 64 1991


Rob Henderson of Random Access ported RA's original Amiga version of SWIV of 1991 to C64 in 1991. Graphics by Rob Whitaker. Sound by Martin Walker.


Mega Phoenix Commodore 64 1991


Fernando Jimenez of Dinamic Software coded Mega Phoenix for the C64 in 1991. Graphics by Ruben Rubio. Music by Maniacs of Noise.


RoboCop 2 Commodore 64 1991


Ocean Software developed RoboCop 2 for the C64 in 1991.


Starforce Commodore 64 1991


Joachim Fräder of X-Ample Architectures coded Starforce for the C64 in 1991.


C64 exclusive.

1992


Catalypse Commodore 64 1992


Catalypse is a high-quality horizontally-scrolling shooter coded by Andrea Pompili of Genias for the C64 in 1992. In the infographic below, the top-left image shows max firepower and the other images show the Catalypse bosses.


Catalypse was coded in CHAMP assembly language. Its backgrounds were drawn in the character set editor of the Shoot 'Em Up Construction Kit developed by Sensible Software in 1987. Music composed by Michael Tschögl.


C64 exclusive.

Enforcer Commodore 64 1992


Enforcer: Fullmetal Megablaster is an exceedingly slick horizontally-scrolling shooter coded by Manfred Trenz aka The Master in 1992 for the Commodore 64. And Trenz is indeed a master of shoot 'em ups. Enforcer pushes the C64 sprite-count to the limit; its music is also king-tier. What an awesome shooter.



C64 exclusive.

RoboCop 3 Commodore 64 1993


Neil Coxhead of Probe Software ported Digital Image Design's 1991 Amiga version of RoboCop 3 to the C64 in 1993.


cf.


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