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Chicken Shift
Chicken Shift is a 1984 arcade action game from Bally/Sente in which the player controls a chicken navigating a series of moving platforms. The goal is to push eggs into the correct colored holes before they fall off the screen. The game uses a trackball controller, allowing the player to move the chicken left and right across the platforms while managing multiple eggs simultaneously. Difficulty increases as the stages progress, with platforms moving faster and more eggs appearing at once. The single-player game rewards quick reflexes and spatial awareness, as misplacing eggs or letting them drop results in lost lives. Bally/Sente released this title as part of their lineup of trackball-based arcade cabinets during the mid-1980s.
- Developer
- Bally/Sente
- Released
- 1984
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 1P
- Rating
- 4.8 / 5 (4.4K)
- Last updated
Chicken Shift Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Chicken Shift 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.
Chicken Shift Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Chicken Shift 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
"Chicken Shift" Arcade longplay 1984
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Chicken Shift released?
Chicken Shift was released in 1984 for the Arcade.
Who developed Chicken Shift?
Chicken Shift was developed by Bally/Sente, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Chicken Shift support?
Chicken Shift is a single-player Action game for the Arcade.
What type of game is Chicken Shift?
Chicken Shift is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Chicken Shift for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Chicken Shift runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Chicken Shift in the browser?
No. Chicken Shift streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Chicken Shift?
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 Chicken Shift 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 Chicken Shift this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Chicken Shift. 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.
