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Star Hawk
星鹰
Star Hawk is an arcade action game released by Cinematronics in 1981. Players pilot a spacecraft and engage in combat against waves of enemy ships, shooting them down while avoiding incoming fire. The game supports two players, allowing a second player to join the action. Using a joystick and fire button, players navigate their ship and blast enemies across successive waves that increase in difficulty. The visuals use vector graphics, a common display technology for Cinematronics titles of the era. Enemy formations attack in patterns, requiring players to anticipate movement and aim accordingly. Points accumulate as enemies are destroyed, and the challenge escalates as waves progress.
- Developer
- Cinematronics
- Released
- 1981
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 2P
- Rating
- 4.3 / 5 (2.3K)
- Last updated
Star Hawk Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Star Hawk 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.
Star Hawk Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Star Hawk 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
"Star Hawk" Arcade longplay 1981
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Star Hawk released?
Star Hawk was released in 1981 for the Arcade.
Who developed Star Hawk?
Star Hawk was developed by Cinematronics, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Star Hawk support?
Star Hawk supports up to 2 players, ideal for couch co-op or competitive sessions on the Arcade.
What type of game is Star Hawk?
Star Hawk is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Star Hawk for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Star Hawk runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Star Hawk in the browser?
No. Star Hawk streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Star Hawk?
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 Star Hawk 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 Star Hawk this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Star Hawk. 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.
