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Dark Planet
黑暗星球
Dark Planet is an action arcade game released by Stern Electronics in 1982. Players control a spacecraft navigating through hostile alien environments, firing weapons to destroy enemies and obstacles. The game features joystick controls for movement and button inputs for shooting. Gameplay progresses through multiple stages representing different planetary locations, with increasing enemy waves and hazard patterns. The objective is to survive each level and advance to the next planet, with score accumulation rewarding skilled play. The arcade cabinet presents the action in a top-down or side-scrolling perspective depending on the level, requiring players to manage both offensive attacks and defensive maneuvers.
- Developer
- Stern Electronics
- Released
- 1982
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Rating
- 4.8 / 5 (4K)
- Last updated
Dark Planet Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Dark Planet 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.
Dark Planet Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Dark Planet 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
"Dark Planet" Arcade longplay 1982
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Dark Planet released?
Dark Planet was released in 1982 for the Arcade.
Who developed Dark Planet?
Dark Planet was developed by Stern Electronics, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
What type of game is Dark Planet?
Dark Planet is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Dark Planet for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Dark Planet runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Dark Planet in the browser?
No. Dark Planet streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Dark Planet?
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 Dark Planet 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 Dark Planet this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Dark Planet. 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.
