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Pole Position
Pole Position is a racing action game released in 1986 for DOS, based on Namco's original 1982 arcade title. Players take control of a Formula One race car and navigate through high-speed courses against the clock. The game features straightforward arcade-style driving mechanics with keyboard controls for acceleration, braking, and steering. Gameplay involves racing through different tracks with the goal of achieving the best lap times. The car handles dynamically with physics that reward smooth driving lines through corners. Players progress through multiple racing circuits, each with different difficulty levels and track layouts. The DOS version brings the classic arcade racing experience to home computers with pixel-based graphics and competitive timing challenges. Success requires mastering each track's layout and driving technique.
- Released
- 1986
- Platform
- DOS
- Genre
- Action
- Rating
- 4.5 / 5 (811)
- Last updated
Pole Position Controls — DOS Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Pole Position on our in-browser DOS emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
DOS games use the keyboard directly as the controller — there is no console-button mapping. Open the in-game documentation or check the game-specific options screen for the key layout used by this title.
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Pole Position Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Pole Position on DOS before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Pole Position" DOS longplay 1986
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Pole Position released?
Pole Position was released in 1986 for the DOS.
What type of game is Pole Position?
Pole Position is a Action game for the DOS, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Pole Position for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Pole Position runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Pole Position in the browser?
No. Pole Position streams from a public archive into a browser-side DOS emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Pole Position?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original DOS cartridge supported.
Does Pole Position work on mobile devices?
Yes — the DOS emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Pole Position this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Pole Position. 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.
