Lucky Today is an arcade action game developed and released by Sigma in 1980, placing it squarely in the golden age of arcade gaming — a period defined by the explosive popularity of Space Invaders (1978) and Pac-Man (1980), when manufacturers worldwide were racing to capture quarters with novel cabinet concepts. Sigma, a Japanese company active in the coin-op market during this era, produced Lucky Today as part of a wave of titles that experimented with mechanics beyond the dominant fixed-shooter and maze-chase formulas of the time. The arcade market of 1980 was intensely competitive, with operators demanding games that could hold a player's attention for short, repeatable sessions while offering enough challenge to keep coins flowing. Lucky Today fits into this context as a lesser-documented entry from a mid-tier arcade manufacturer, making detailed first-hand accounts of its cabinet and control layout scarce in modern records. Based on what is known of Sigma's arcade output from this period, the game likely employed a joystick or directional input scheme common to action titles of the era, with players navigating a character or object across a screen populated by hazards or targets. The scoring system, as was standard for 1980 arcade releases, almost certainly centered on accumulating points across progressively more difficult stages or waves, with no formal ending — a loop structure designed to push players toward higher scores and encourage repeat play. The title "Lucky Today" suggests a theme possibly involving chance, fortune, or a light-hearted scenario, which was a common framing device in Japanese arcade games of the period that sought to appeal broadly to arcade-goers of varying ages. Reception for games of this tier in 1980 was largely determined by arcade operator uptake and floor performance rather than press coverage, and Lucky Today, like many Sigma titles from this window, did not achieve the widespread distribution or cultural footprint of contemporaries from Namco, Taito, or Nintendo. Nevertheless, its existence reflects the remarkable diversity of the 1980 arcade landscape, where dozens of developers contributed titles that, while not always chart-topping, helped define the vocabulary of interactive entertainment for an entire generation of players encountering video games for the first time on arcade floors.
Screenshots1 / 2
Lucky Today
Lucky Today is an action arcade game released by Sigma in 1980. Players navigate through levels filled with obstacles and enemies, using straightforward controls to move and attack. The game features a level-based structure with increasing difficulty as players progress. Gameplay focuses on quick reflexes and timing to avoid hazards and defeat opponents. The objective is to reach the end of each level while managing limited resources. Lucky Today represents a straightforward action experience typical of early 1980s arcade releases, emphasizing fast-paced gameplay mechanics over complex narratives.
- Developer
- Sigma
- Released
- 1980
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Rating
- 4.5 / 5 (4.5K)
- Last updated
About Lucky Today
Pro tips
- Focus on building your score multiplier early — in most 1980-era Sigma action games, early-stage enemies or targets yield bonus point opportunities that compound later.
- Learn the movement patterns of on-screen hazards during the first few cycles; most arcade games of this era use fixed or predictable AI routines that repeat.
- Avoid rushing to the center of the screen early in a run — staying near the edges often gives you more reaction time against incoming threats.
- Conserve any power-ups or special moves for later, faster stages where the default pace becomes difficult to manage with basic inputs alone.
- Aim for a consistent survival strategy over aggressive point-chasing until you have memorized at least two full difficulty cycles of the game.
Lucky Today Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Lucky Today 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.
Lucky Today Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Lucky Today 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
"Lucky Today" Arcade longplay 1980
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Lucky Today released?
Lucky Today was released in 1980 for the Arcade.
Who developed Lucky Today?
Lucky Today was developed by Sigma, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
What type of game is Lucky Today?
Lucky Today is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Lucky Today for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Lucky Today runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Lucky Today in the browser?
No. Lucky Today streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Lucky Today?
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 Lucky Today 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 Lucky Today this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Lucky Today. 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.
How difficult is Lucky Today compared to other 1980 arcade games?
As a 1980 arcade release designed to earn repeat plays, Lucky Today is expected to follow the era's standard difficulty curve: accessible in its opening moments but escalating quickly in speed and hazard density. Players new to golden-age arcade titles should expect to lose early runs frequently before patterns become familiar.
What is the best starting strategy for a new player?
Prioritize learning the movement or attack patterns in the first stage before attempting to maximize your score. Most 1980 arcade action games reward pattern recognition over reflexes alone, so observing enemy or obstacle behavior in your first few runs will pay dividends quickly.
Is Lucky Today worth playing today for retro game enthusiasts?
For collectors and historians of the golden arcade era, Lucky Today holds value as a representative artifact of Sigma's 1980 output and the broader diversity of that period. Casual players may find it a brief but interesting window into pre-NES arcade design philosophy, even if documentation on the title remains limited.
