Space Invaders: all version differences
4 documented differences between the releases of Space Invaders, each with a source. Back to the main page for names, releases and where to play.
Category × version
| Category | Arcade (Taito/Midway, early) | Arcade (later) | Arcade (TV/SV/CV revisions) | Arcade (Midway) | Atari 2600 | Arcade (Space Invaders M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphics | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bug fix | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gameplay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Content | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Version differences
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GraphicsArcade (Taito/Midway, early)Arcade (later)
The first Taito and Midway machines had black-and-white screens with orange and green cellophane strips for color; later Japanese cabinets used rainbow cellophane, and later still a color monitor with an electronic overlay.1
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Bug fixArcade (TV/SV/CV revisions)Arcade (Midway)
Taito revised the program several times: later sets fixed bugs, removed diagnostics, added five-digit scores and, in the CV set, hardware color. The Midway set is almost identical to SV revision 2 but does not show the Taito copyright on the title screen.2
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GameplayAtari 2600
The Atari 2600 port has 36 invaders in six rows of six instead of 55 in five rows of eleven, and the hardware rules out the Nagoya attack and the rainbow bonus.3
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ContentArcade (Space Invaders M)
Midway's cabinets, imported into Japan as Space Invaders M, have a different cabinet design and two boards arranged in an L shape.3
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13