Screenshots
Rainbow Islands
彩虹岛
Rainbow Islands is a platformer arcade game released by Taito Corporation in 1987, serving as a sequel to Bubble Bobble. Players control Bub or Bob in human form, climbing vertically scrolling stages by shooting rainbows from their hands. These rainbows function both as platforms to stand on and as weapons—when dropped on enemies, they defeat them. Each world consists of multiple islands themed around other Taito games and classic arcade concepts. Collecting gems dropped by enemies builds toward bonus rewards. The game supports two simultaneous players, allowing cooperative or competitive play. Seven worlds must be completed before a rising flood catches the player, adding constant time pressure to the vertical climbing structure.
- Developer
- Taito Corporation
- Released
- 1987
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Platformer
- Players
- 2P
- Rating
- 4.4 / 5 (4K)
- Last updated
Rainbow Islands Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Rainbow Islands 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.
Rainbow Islands Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Rainbow Islands 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
"Rainbow Islands" Arcade longplay 1987
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Rainbow Islands released?
Rainbow Islands was released in 1987 for the Arcade.
Who developed Rainbow Islands?
Rainbow Islands was developed by Taito Corporation, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Rainbow Islands support?
Rainbow Islands supports up to 2 players, ideal for couch co-op or competitive sessions on the Arcade.
What type of game is Rainbow Islands?
Rainbow Islands is a Platformer game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Rainbow Islands for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Rainbow Islands runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Rainbow Islands in the browser?
No. Rainbow Islands streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Rainbow Islands?
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 Rainbow Islands 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 Rainbow Islands this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Rainbow Islands. 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.
