Screenshots
World Wars
世界大战
World Wars is an action arcade game released by SNK in 1987. Players control a soldier viewed from a top-down perspective, navigating through battlefield environments while fighting enemy troops, vehicles, and other threats. The gameplay involves moving across the screen, shooting enemies, and avoiding incoming fire. Players can pick up weapons and equipment scattered throughout the stages to improve their combat capabilities. The game progresses through multiple stages set across different wartime locations, each presenting increasing numbers of enemies and obstacles. Controls use a joystick for movement and buttons for firing. The game supports two-player simultaneous co-op, allowing two players to tackle the stages together.
- Developer
- SNK
- Released
- 1987
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Rating
- 4.5 / 5 (2.1K)
- Last updated
World Wars Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for World Wars 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.
World Wars Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of World Wars 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
"World Wars" Arcade longplay 1987
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was World Wars released?
World Wars was released in 1987 for the Arcade.
Who developed World Wars?
World Wars was developed by SNK, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
What type of game is World Wars?
World Wars is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play World Wars for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — World Wars runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play World Wars in the browser?
No. World Wars streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in World Wars?
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 World Wars 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 World Wars this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of World Wars. 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.
