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Rescue Raider
Rescue Raider is a 1987 arcade action game developed by Bally/Midway. Players control a helicopter gunship on a mission to rescue hostages from enemy territory. The gameplay involves flying the helicopter across horizontally scrolling levels while attacking ground forces, enemy vehicles, and aircraft. Players must avoid incoming fire and obstacles while locating and extracting captive soldiers. The controls handle helicopter movement and weapon fire, with the craft able to move in multiple directions across the battlefield. Enemies grow more aggressive as stages progress, demanding quicker reactions and better positioning. The game follows a stage-based structure with increasing difficulty, pushing players to balance offensive action against the primary rescue objective.
- Developer
- Bally/Midway
- Released
- 1987
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 1P
- Rating
- 4.9 / 5 (3K)
- Last updated
Rescue Raider Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Rescue Raider 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.
Rescue Raider Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Rescue Raider 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
"Rescue Raider" Arcade longplay 1987
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Rescue Raider released?
Rescue Raider was released in 1987 for the Arcade.
Who developed Rescue Raider?
Rescue Raider was developed by Bally/Midway, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Rescue Raider support?
Rescue Raider is a single-player Action game for the Arcade.
What type of game is Rescue Raider?
Rescue Raider is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Rescue Raider for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Rescue Raider runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Rescue Raider in the browser?
No. Rescue Raider streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Rescue Raider?
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 Rescue Raider 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 Rescue Raider this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Rescue Raider. 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.
