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Tailgunner
尾炮手
Tail Gunner is a first-person space shooter released by Cinematronics in 1979. The player takes the role of a gunner defending a spaceship from the rear, targeting enemy fighters that approach from the distance and grow larger as they close in. The game uses vector graphics to render wireframe spacecraft against a starfield background. Players control a targeting reticle to shoot down incoming enemies before they can fly past or collide with the ship. Enemy attack patterns increase in speed and frequency as the game progresses, raising the difficulty over time. The cabinet featured a dedicated joystick for aiming and a fire button. Tail Gunner was later ported to the Vectrex home console, bringing its distinctive vector visuals to living rooms.
- Developer
- Cinematronics
- Released
- 1979
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 1P
- Rating
- 4.5 / 5 (4.9K)
- Last updated
Tailgunner Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Tailgunner 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.
Tailgunner Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Tailgunner 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
"Tailgunner" Arcade longplay 1979
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Tailgunner released?
Tailgunner was released in 1979 for the Arcade.
Who developed Tailgunner?
Tailgunner was developed by Cinematronics, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Tailgunner support?
Tailgunner is a single-player Action game for the Arcade.
What type of game is Tailgunner?
Tailgunner is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Tailgunner for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Tailgunner runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Tailgunner in the browser?
No. Tailgunner streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Tailgunner?
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 Tailgunner 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 Tailgunner this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Tailgunner. 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.
