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Avalanche
雪崩
Avalanche is a 1978 arcade action game from Atari in which the player controls a set of paddles at the bottom of the screen to catch falling rocks before they hit the ground. The game uses a rotary knob or paddle controller to move the catching devices left and right. Rocks fall from the top of the screen in increasing numbers and at faster speeds as the game progresses. The player starts with multiple paddle layers, but each missed rock removes one layer, reducing the catching area. Missing all layers ends the game. There are no discrete levels in the traditional sense; difficulty escalates continuously, challenging the player to survive as long as possible and accumulate the highest score.
- Developer
- Atari
- Released
- 1978
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 1P
- Rating
- 4.4 / 5 (4.6K)
- Last updated
Avalanche Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Avalanche on our in-browser Arcade emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
| Keyboard | Console button | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | Joystick Up | Move up |
| ↓ | Joystick Down | Move down |
| ← | Joystick Left | Move left |
| → | Joystick Right | Move right |
| X | Button 1 | Primary action (jump / confirm) |
| Z | Button 2 | Secondary action (attack / cancel) |
| S | Button 3 | Tertiary action |
| A | Button 4 | Quaternary action |
| Q | Button 5 | Fifth button |
| W | Button 6 | Sixth button |
| 5 | Insert Coin | Insert coin |
| 1 | 1P Start | Start / Pause |
Coin and Start are convention "Insert Coin: 5" and "1P Start: 1". Some arcade boards expect specific button mappings — check the in-game prompts on coin-up.
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Avalanche Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Avalanche on Arcade before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Avalanche" Arcade longplay 1978
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Avalanche released?
Avalanche was released in 1978 for the Arcade.
Who developed Avalanche?
Avalanche was developed by Atari, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Avalanche support?
Avalanche is a single-player Action game for the Arcade.
What type of game is Avalanche?
Avalanche is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Avalanche for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Avalanche runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Avalanche in the browser?
No. Avalanche streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Avalanche?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original Arcade cartridge supported.
Does Avalanche work on mobile devices?
Yes — the Arcade emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Avalanche this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Avalanche. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
