How to play

Destroy enemy tanks, supertanks, missiles and flying saucers. Use the radar to find enemies; its top points ahead of your tank. Turn to bring a target into your sights. Use obstacles for cover and keep moving to avoid enemy fire.

Fire one shell at a time. Your next shell loads after the previous shot expires or its impact finishes. The sight blinks while the cannon is reloading. An enemy hit costs one tank. You start with three tanks.

TANK 1,000 · MISSILE 2,000 · SUPERTANK 3,000 · SAUCER 5,000. Extra tank at 15,000 and 100,000 points.

PC controls

Enter starts a game. Use ↑ / ↓ or W / S to drive forward and reverse; ← / → or A / D to turn. Fire with Space. P or Escape pauses or resumes. ? opens and closes these instructions.

For the original two-lever arrangement, enable twin-lever controls below: E / D moves the left track forward / reverse, and I / K moves the right track forward / reverse. Move both tracks in the same direction to drive; use opposite directions to pivot.

Phone and tablet controls

Landscape works best. Tap the title or game-over screen to start. Use the left pad to drive, reverse and turn; slide diagonally to drive while turning. Hold FIRE with your other thumb to fire whenever the cannon is ready. Release the pad to stop.

Tap PAUSE, then USE TRACKS for two independent track controls. Push both thumbs up to drive forward, both down to reverse, or one up and one down to pivot. The center band or releasing a thumb stops that track. Slide your right thumb into the outer FIRE strip to fire while keeping its forward or reverse position; the middle of the strip fires with that track stopped. PAUSE then USE PAD restores the pad.

Enter your initials

For a qualifying high score, use ↑ / ↓ to change a letter and Space to select it, or type three letters. With twin levers enabled, I / K changes letters too. On a touchscreen, use PREV / NEXT and SELECT.

Controller controls

Connect a controller by USB or Bluetooth and press a button to wake it. The left stick moves the left tank track; the right stick moves the right track. Push both forward to drive, both back to reverse, or use opposite directions to pivot. One stick alone makes a turning arc. Sideways stick movement is ignored. The sticks use the original forward / neutral / reverse speeds, with a center dead zone to prevent drift.

Hold either trigger or bumper (RT / LT / RB / LB or R2 / L2 / R1 / L1) to fire without lifting either thumb. Menu / Options / + starts, pauses or resumes; A / Cross also starts or resumes. During high-score entry, use the right stick or D-pad up / down to change a letter, then a trigger, bumper or A / Cross to select it.

If the controller disconnects, play pauses. Release the sticks and triggers before driving again. Automatic touch controls hide while using the controller; touch the screen to bring them back. While these instructions are open, use the right stick or D-pad to scroll and Menu or B / Circle to close them. Controllers use the browser's standard mapping; unmapped devices may need standard/XInput mode. If sound is silent after starting with a controller, click or tap the game once.

Connect a controller, then press a button to wake it.

? opens and closes this panel. Enter starts a game. P or Escape pauses or resumes. During high-score entry, use ↑ / ↓ to change a letter and Space to select it, or type three letters directly. With twin levers enabled, I/K cycle letters too.

Drive with the arrow keys or W/A/S/D. Fire with Space. Your next shell loads after the previous shot expires or its impact finishes. The sight blinks while the cannon is reloading. A single enemy hit costs a tank when the optional shield is off.

Global high scores

Classic Field and The Mountain have separate online top-ten tables shared by everyone. Finish a qualifying game and enter three initials to save your score. Turning on the shield at any point makes that game ineligible. Older scores saved only on this device are not uploaded. Games must begin online; completed scores waiting to upload retry automatically while the page is open or when you return. Pending scores must reach the service within 24 hours of starting the game. The last online table is cached if the connection drops.

Connecting to global scores…

Touchscreens

Landscape works best. Use the left pad to drive, reverse and turn; slide diagonally to drive while turning. Hold FIRE with your other thumb to fire whenever the original cannon is ready. Release the pad to stop. Tap anywhere on the title or game-over screen to start. Tap PAUSE, then USE TRACKS to switch to two independent vertical track controls. Push both thumbs up to drive forward, both down to reverse, or one up and the other down to pivot. The center band stops that track; releasing a thumb also stops its track. Slide the right thumb into the outer FIRE strip to shoot while keeping its forward or reverse position. Tap the middle of the strip to fire with the right track stopped. PAUSE then USE PAD restores the directional pad. Your layout choice is remembered. After a high score, use PREV / NEXT and SELECT to enter your initials. The lift boards automatically when you drive onto it. Touch controls appear automatically and can be toggled above. There is no visible help button.

Explore with a shield

Use SHIELD in this panel or press H during play. While it is on, enemy shells and missiles cannot cost you a tank. Rocks and steep slopes still block movement. Your shield preference is remembered. In Mountain mode, press N while the shield is on to advance to the next zone. This also works while paused and keeps the run ineligible for global high scores.

Original twin-lever controls

E / D left track forward / reverse. I / K right track forward / reverse. Enable twin levers in the controls above; opposite track directions turn you on the spot.

The road that wasn't there

Mountain mode begins exactly like Classic Field. Head for the flat opening farther left of the volcano. This is the entrance from the battlefield. The battlefield and distant mountains stay classic until you get close. The familiar opening then grows steadily as you approach, revealing the road between the slopes. The horizon stays visible on either side of that opening. Expect roughly a minute of driving, steering and dodging rocks. Enter a broad, flat valley with mountains on both sides and one easy road. The first fork is farther up the ascent. Follow its level road straight ahead, then around the right bend to the uphill mountain road. Follow the two quiet green road edges between the mountain walls. Choose among four trails: Ridge Cut, Upper Trail, Inner Cut and Deep Pass. The first three rejoin the mountain road. The Deep Pass forks from the Upper Trail before the crater rim. Follow it through the back mountain range and a straight, rock-cut tunnel to a distant UFO base in its own valley; the same trail brings you back. Steep rock stops your tank. Use bends and boulders to break enemy fire. The gun follows the road's slope. Stop and let your sights settle before firing.

Reach the lower pass, high pass, rim, then descend into the crater. Each reached pass becomes a respawn point for your remaining tanks. The rim awards 5,000 points; defeating the armored Mountain Walker in the crater awards a 10,000-point bonus. Ordinary road enemies and saucers do not complete this encounter. Four patrols defend the foothills, passes and rim, with up to two enemies at once. Clear five tanks in the foothills, three enemies in the lower pass and four on the high ridge and rim to earn a short breather. Watch the radar on the first climb: tanks approach from beyond the bends before coming into view. Each road section has at most two return guards for the game. The valley starts with one tank; mountain roads and the back range have up to two nearby enemies. The UFO base has just two tank reinforcements, one at a time, with a twenty-second breather after a kill. Each underground room has one defender; cleared rooms stay cleared, with one mobile guard at a time across the facility. Reinforcements begin farther down the pass, with a pause before firing. Your replacement tank returns with clear space around its checkpoint. At the summit, turn either way to circle the entire crater. The main descent winds deeper around the crater; the Inner Cut offers a shorter way down. More small angular rocks sit only in the road, alternating along the inside edges, with an open center and room to pass on the opposite side. On exposed upper roads, broken cliff lines fall away below the downhill edge; the other side keeps its mountain wall. The UFO base has three wide, low docking bays, each shaped around a parked saucer. Octagonal landing aprons lead into their open fronts. Saucers emerge from the bays, with at most two flying at once. You can destroy them while they are still docked. Discovering it awards 5,000 points. Clear its saucers to stop further launches. Defeating the Mountain Walker completes its objective once. After a pause, smaller defenders can return to the crater.

Fight the pass

Mountain tanks hold a firing distance and stop to line up a shot. A bright muzzle gives you a moment to fire, reverse into cover, or change position. They back away to reload after firing; supertanks recover faster. Missiles announce their approach before charging, and attack on open road stretches. Expect tanks or climbers in tight bends and the tunnel.

The Ridge Cut has armored patrols and a passing saucer worth 5,000 points. Catch it before it leaves; the opportunity appears once per game. The higher Upper Trail favors Rock Climbers. Four road rocks have pale angular cracks. Two cannon hits shatter one and open that piece of road. Leave it intact when you need cover: enemy fire cannot destroy it. Ordinary rocks stay solid, and there is always room to drive past.

Below the UFO base

Find the broad freight platform beyond the landing aprons. Drive fully onto its deck to descend. The guide rails and shaft walls rise past your tank as the platform lowers. When it stops, drive off into the access corridor and follow the ramp to the security junction. Return to the platform to ride back up; drive off at each landing before taking another trip. Steering and firing resume when the lift stops. P pauses the ride.

The assembly wing lies left of the main concourse; the reactor wing lies right. Ahead are two launch shafts with rising saucers. Unfinished natural rock tunnels link parts of these wings to the launch hall and prototype vault. The western bore ends in solid rock. Three rotating, diamond-topped launch controls are marked by chevrons: one in assembly, one in the reactor wing and one beyond the shafts. Shoot each control with the ordinary cannon for 3,000 points. Disabling all three stops launches and awards 15,000. One defender patrols each room or unfinished passage. Defeated guards stay gone for this game. There is at most one mobile guard active at once. Use the freight lift to return to the surface whenever you wish. Your progress inside is preserved until a new game. Your remaining tanks respawn at the most recently reached room.

The prototype room contains PROJECT WRAITH: an unfinished experimental saucer with a faceted lens hull, missing skin panels and exposed drive cells. Approach its assembly cradle to witness a failed hover test. The open drive bay, loose panels and disconnected cables tell the story. The platform is solid cover; clear walkways lead around it. A hit interrupts the test, but this unfinished vehicle is not an enemy or a weapon upgrade.

Beyond the UFO base

A large zeppelin crosses the mountain ascent on its way to the airbase. The first clear sighting is quiet. After traveling farther, the second sighting reveals falling missiles that stay on its course; at the third, it releases one toward your tank. Looking away and back in the same place does not advance this sequence. At the airbase it releases buzz bombs from its belly, up to two missiles at a time with staggered launches and shorter recovery intervals. It stays airborne through both salvos and the guard-tank duel between them. After the final salvo is cleared, it flies to the far end of the runway and slowly descends in the distance. It stays landed, with room to drive around either side. Approach the gondola and use your ordinary cannon: six hits destroy the carrier for 40,000 points. Damage remains if you retreat or lose a tank. If you destroy it earlier, bombs already in flight remain dangerous and the ground racks supply the remaining waves.

The AIRBASE ROAD continues past the saucer bays into the rear mountains. Three jets fly toward the base in formation as you approach. The road reaches a long runway lined with buzz-bomb launch rails and low blast shelters. This is the hardest outdoor area. Clear two salvos of 3 and 4 buzz bombs, with one armored guard between salvos, for a one-time 15,000-point bonus. Every bomb still takes one cannon hit and awards 2,000 points. The later salvos give shorter warnings and less recovery time.

Watch the lit launch rail, turn toward the incoming bomb and fire as it dives toward the runway. Use the open runway to maneuver; the side shelters offer cover. Up to two staggered missiles can be active at once. A guard-tank duel happens between salvos. Escaping a bomb does not clear it from the salvo. You can retreat along the road and return, keeping completed kills. A lost tank respawns at the airbase approach. The same steering, cannon, extra-tank thresholds and three-tank game apply throughout.

The summit fortress

The road skirts the landed zeppelin and climbs beyond the airbase to a castle high in the range. Reaching the final crest grants one bonus tank per game. The towers flash before launching fireballs at your position; change your line after the flash. They do not track you in flight. Artillery stops near the entrance.

A water-filled moat surrounds the castle. Hit the raised drawbridge three times with your cannon and wait for it to lower. Drive across into the great hall. Broad stone bases beside the first pair of pillars provide cover immediately inside the hall. Tuck behind one, then move into the central lane to fire. The bridge remains open for retreat. The Iron Warden at the far end awakens when you advance. Its muzzle flashes before each volley; dodge or shelter behind a pillar, then fire while its armor shines brightly during the pause. Nine cannon hits defeat it for 50,000 points and clear the fortress encounter. Damage and the lowered bridge persist after losing a tank, and you can drive back down the mountain.

The coast

A narrow rock passage beside the submarine dock leads to a broad beach. The shoreline continues in both directions beyond the landing area, without fixed side walls. Explore along the cliffs and shoreline; the tank can enter the shallow shelf but stops before deep water. A small cave to the right of the exit provides room to turn and shelter from ordinary fire. Carrier salvos strike both sand and water, with angular splash plumes. The final barrage still arrives while you shelter, collapsing the cave and ending the game.

A heavy tandem-rotor transport approaches from offshore during the beach battle, carrying a large Mountain Walker beneath its hull. It hovers over clear sand, lowers the same visible walker on cables, then departs. The walker needs three cannon hits and uses its existing short-range flame attack. The transport can also be shot down when low enough, destroying its attached cargo. This reinforcement appears once per run; it does not reset after retreat or losing a tank.

Landing craft and the carrier

Later in the beach battle, smaller landing craft deploy tanks. An empty craft leaves its ramp open for about 20 seconds. Drive fully aboard to close it immediately and ride to the loading bay at the carrier’s rear. Explore the hold, cranes, cargo cover and power plant. Guards keep arriving; there is no timer inside. Shoot the three power conduits to silence the regular ship batteries. Reinforced hull plates can be breached, letting water into the hold.

Return to the waiting craft for a ride back. The outside battle continues throughout the return crossing: aircraft, tanks, shells and other landing craft keep moving. The remaining beach time before the final barrage resumes when you reach shore. The ship’s exterior stays the same.

Keep moving through the mountain extension. Staying in one small area too long can attract a pursuer, even after the ordinary local patrol is defeated. Use cover briefly, then change position.

A celebration of 1980

What an amazing year 1980 was for arcade games: bold ideas, unforgettable silhouettes, and challenges that made every attempt count. Battlezones includes an Easter egg celebrating that spirit.

Identify your targets

TANK 1,000 · MISSILE 2,000 · ROCK CLIMBER 2,000 · SUPERTANK 3,000 · SAUCER 5,000 · MOUNTAIN WALKER 6,000 · ZEPPELIN 40,000. Extra tank at 15,000 and 100,000. The radar shows enemy direction; its top always points ahead.

The small mountain-only Rock Climber first appears in the high pass, beyond the lower roads. Watch the upper trail, the Deep Pass tunnel approaches and the rocky back range. Just beyond the tunnel, a squad of four regular-sized climbers attacks together, two descending from each side of the road. Defeated squad members stay defeated for the rest of the run. It has four jointed legs. It starts on rocky shoulders or boulders, plants its feet on the terrain and climbs down toward your tank. Its plated body, servo joints and paired leg struts follow the slope. A bright green nozzle warns before it spits a short burst of green flame. Back away to stay beyond its reach, use rocks as cover, or fire while it descends. One cannon hit destroys it.

The crater introduces the Mountain Walker: a larger, armored version of the Rock Climber, with four articulated legs and the same short-range green flame attack. It takes three cannon hits to destroy. Each hit flashes its armor; the first two leave it fighting. Use the open crater floor to keep your distance.

The original game, in code

Preserved Atari source · Annotated disassembly · MAME sound hardware. These informed the graphics, controls, fixed obstacle layout, score-based aggression, and missile-count progression.

The rumor archive

A 2018 Museum of the Game discussion mixes serious advice about reversing, missiles, and cover with an unmistakable joke about an entire sequel waiting at the volcano. That spirit is the starting point here: reward exploration while keeping the original combat skills useful.

Players still recall trying to reach the volcano and mountain pass in this 2025 arcade discussion. Antstream’s retrospective records the hidden castle and tank factory versions of the legend. Both were rumors, not features of the 1980 game.

Rebellion’s 2016 developer post confirms that the schoolyard volcano rumor also inspired its later campaign. This game imagines a different answer: a continuous climb within the spare vector battlefield, with the same cannon and steering from beginning to end.

This source-informed reconstruction uses the preserved vector shapes, scenery, reticles, lettering, and obstacle layout. Movement and enemy rules follow the original implementation; audio is synthesized from the documented hardware and control sequences. It is not a cycle-accurate emulator. The mountain terrain, ridge cut, checkpoints, Mountain Walker, tunnel and underground facility are new.