Namco Wiki
Advertisement

TThis page contains a list of ports and rereleases of Galaga.

Note that if a specific port saw a rerelease (such as the PlayStation port being used in Namco Museum 64), it will be included in that port's respective section.

Sord M5 (1982)[]

Galaga was released on the Sord M5 in 1982 under the name Galax (ギャラックス Gyarakkusu?). It was the fourth game to be released for the home computer. The port was developed by Takara and published by Sord Computer Corporation.

This port lacks many of the features present in its arcade counterpart; for instance, the game does not include any Challenging Stages or a high score table.

PV-2000 (1983)[]

Galaga was released on the PV-2000 in 1983. Aside from the name change, this port is identical to the Sord M5 version.

SG-1000/SC-3000 (1983)[]

Galaga was released on the SG-1000 and SC-3000 in 1983 under the name Sega-Galaga (セガ・ギャラガ Sega Gyaraga?). The port was developed by Sega's Personal Computer Division and published by Sega in Japan.[1]

This version of the game is near identical to the Sord M5 port, with only two major revisions being made. The first is a new title screen that tells players how to start the game, and the second is the addition of a scrolling background reminiscent to that of the arcade original.

Sega-Galaga is the only Namco game to release on the SG-1000 and SC-3000.

Rereleases[]

  • A Master System of Sega-Galaga was released exclusively in South Korea. It was published by Samsung.[1]

MSX (1984)[]

Galaga was released on the MSX on May 30, 1984. The port was developed and published by Namco. Four years later, in 1988, the game would be published in the United Kingdom by Bug-Byte Software.

Although it is graphically similar to the ports preceding it, the MSX version restores most of the missing features from the arcade original, such as the inclusion of Challenging Stages and the transformed Galaga. However, like its predecessors, it does not contain a high score table.

Rereleases[]

Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System (1985)[]

Galaga was released on the Famicom on February 15, 1985. Three years later, in 1988, the game would be released on the Nintendo Entertainment System for North American and European markets. The game was published by Bandai in North America under the name Galaga: Demons of Death. In Europe, the game was published under its original title.

The Famicom version of Galaga has all gameplay features of the MSX port, with the biggest difference being updated graphics that more accurately reflect the arcade original.

Rereleases[]

The Famicom/NES port of Galaga has been rereleased multiple times:

  • The game was rereleased for the Famicom Disk System on June 22, 1990.
  • The port was released on Wii Virtual Console in 2007. Players could obtain the port by purchasing it on the Wii Shop Channel. Following the Wii Shop Channel's closure in 2019, this port can no longer be purchased, but it can still be played if it was purchased before the shutdown.
    • The port was also released on Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2013. Like their Wii counterpart, these ports had to be purchased on the Nintendo eShop before they could be played. In 2023, Nintendo shut down the Wii U and 3DS eShops, making it impossible to purchase the Virtual Console release of the Famicom/NES port.
  • The NES port of Galaga was included in Namco Museum Collection 2, a compilation released for the Evercade. It, alongside Namco Museum Collection 1, was released exclusively in Europe on June 8, 2020. In 2023, Blaze Entertainment discontinued production of Namco Museum Collection 2 cartridges, marking it as an Evercade Legacy title.
  • The Famicom port of Galaga is included as a DLC title for the Japan-exclusive Namcot Collection. It was made available to purchase on June 18, 2020. Players can buy the game itself or as part of DLC Set 1. The port was also one of twelve games that were included on the—now discontinued—physical release of Namcot Collection.
    • The port was also included in Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2, which released for North American and European audiences on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on June 18, 2020. Unlike Namcot Collection, players do not need to purchase any DLC to play Galaga.

PC-9801 (1985)[]

Galaga was released on the PC-9801 in April 1985. The port was developed and published by Dempa Shimbunsha. It is compatible with the PC-9081F, PC-9801E, PC-9801m, and PC-9801U.[2]

FM-7 (1985)[]

Galaga was released on the FM-7 in July 1985. The port was developed and published by Dempa Shimbunsha. Toshihiko Kurebayashi is credited as the port's programmer on its box art and on the title screen.

Sharp MZ-1500 (1985)[]

Galaga was released on the Sharp MZ-1500 in July 1985. The port was developed and published by Dempa Shimbunsha.

Sharp X1 (1985)[]

Galaga was released on the Sharp X1 in October 1985. The port was developed and published by Dempa Shimbunsha. Noboru Gankou is credited as the port's programmer on its box art.

Sharp MZ-2500 (1985/6?)[]

The Sharp MZ-2500 port of Galaga was developed and published by Dempa Shimbunsha. The exact release date for the port is currently unknown; however, it most likely released sometime between late 1985 and early 1986. Noboru Gankou is credited as the port's programmer on its box art.

Atari 7800 (1986)[]

Galaga was released on the Atari 7800 in 1986.[3] The port was developed by General Computer Corporation and published by Atari.

Game Boy (1995)[]

Galaga was ported to the Game Boy through Galaga & Galaxian (ギャラガ&ギャラクシアン Gyaraga & Gyarakushian?), a two-game compilation that included it and Galaxian. Galaga & Galaxian released in Japan on July 14, 1995. It was developed by TOSE and published by Namco. The game was later published outside of Japan by Nintendo under the name Arcade Classic No. 3: Galaga / Galaxian. It released in North American territories in September 1995 and in European territories that same year.

Due to the Game Boy's smaller screen size, all the sprites, such as those of the Fighter, are redrawn to be smaller. In addition, the player's score is no longer always visible. It can be seen only when starting the game, switching between players in 2 Player mode, completing a Challenging Stage, or getting a Game Over. When the game is played through a Super Game Boy, it receives a custom color palette and a custom wallpaper mimicking the original Japanese cabinet's bezel art.

Rereleases[]

  • The Game Boy port of Galaga is included in Namco Gallery Vol. 1, also developed by TOSE. Both versions are largely similar to each other, but there are two major differences. The first is that 2 Player mode has been removed and replaced with a Help section. The second is that the game's custom Super Game Boy wallpaper now depicts a red planet outside of an asteroid belt.

Namco Classic Collection Vol. 1 (1995)[]

Galaga is one of three Namco series to be represented in Namco Classic Collection Vol. 1, with the other two being Xevious and Mappy. When Galaga is selected from the main menu, the player can choose to play either the original game or Galaga Arrangement.

Depending on the cabinet's settings, the game will either continue endlessly like the original or end after a set number of rounds.

PlayStation (1995)[]

Galaga was ported to the PlayStation as part of Namco Museum Vol. 1. It can be accessed either by entering the Galaga game room or by selecting it from the game selection menu on the title screen.

The PlayStation port has three different visual settings. The first, Simulated Arcade (Horizontal), resembles previous ports of the game; the game itself takes up most of the screen while the score, lives counter, and level counter are all shown separately on the right margin. The second, Wide (Horizontal), places the three aforementioned elements within the game window, reflecting how Galaga appeared in an arcade cabinet. The wallpaper, contained within the screen's margins, is a recreation of Galaga's original Japanese bezel art. The third, Arcade (Vertical), rotates the game screen by 90° counterclockwise. It is meant to be played by placing the TV monitor on its side.

The PlayStation port also has a DIP switch menu that lets players alter details such as the current visual setting, the number of lives they start with, the thresholds for getting extra lives, and whether sound effects play during the attract mode demo.

Rereleases[]

Most console releases of Galaga during the early 2000s use the PlayStation port. All of these rereleases use the Wide (Horizontal) visual setting, with no options to alter it. The DIP switch menu is also absent, having been replaced with a simpler menu that allows players to control the number of lives they start with, the thresholds for earning extra lives, and the game's volume.

Note that all of the following Museum compilations were released exclusively in North America:

  • The port is included in Namco Museum 64 and Namco Museum for the Nintendo 64 and Sega Dreamcast respectively.
  • The port is included in Namco Museum for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox.
    • The port is also included in Namco Vintage, a 2004 compilation released exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade. The compilation itself is a stripped down version of the Xbox port of Namco Museum.

In addition, Namco Museum Vol. 1 was rereleased on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable as a PSOne Classics title. It released in Japan on December 11, 2013, and in North America and Europe on September 30, 2014. In 2021, Namco Museum Vol. 1, along with the other PS1 Museum games, were delisted from the PlayStation Store.

Philips CD-i (1996)[]

Galaga is one of three games included in Arcade Classics. It was developed by Philips Media. Unlike the other two games—Galaxian and Ms. Pac-ManGalaga is presented within a small game window, with the player's score, the level counter, and the lives counter contained within separate windows. Surrounding the game window is a wallpaper based on the game's loading screen. The CD-i version itself is similar to the NES port presentation-wise; however, its sprites are recreations of the originals, and its sound effects come from the PlayStation port.

Windows[]

Namco History Vol. 4 (1998)[]

Galaga is one of six titles included in Namco History Vol. 4; the game is accessed by selecting "Namco History Vol. 4" from the Programs menu and then selecting "Galaga." In addition to the game itself, Namco History Vol. 4 includes a guide on how to play the game and a sound test. The port is compatible only with the Windows 9x series of operating systems.

Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (2005)[]

Galaga is also included in Namco Museum 50th Anniversary. The PC version is compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista. This port is nearly identical to the original; the only major difference is that all the game's sound effects have been pitched up.

Arcade Game Series (2016)[]

On April 19, 2016, a standalone port of Galaga was released as part of Bandai Namco's Arcade Game Series. It was developed by Gotch Technology.

The port contains many of the customizable settings found in other ports of the game; examples include the amount of lives the player starts with, the extra life thresholds, the size of the game screen, and the ability to select a stage to start on. The port also has two background wallpapers that the player can choose from. New to this port is the ability to switch between the original version of the game and a later revision. The later revision, labeled in the settings as "New," removes a bug that could prevent the Galaga from firing at the player.

Galaga is also one of three games to be included in the Arcade Game Series 3-in-1 Pack, with the other two being Pac-Man and Dig Dug. The port is compatible with Windows 7 and all subsequent Windows operating systems.

Ms. Pac-Man / Galaga (2000)[]

Galaga is one of three games included in Ms. Pac-Man / Galaga, an arcade cabinet that was released in 2000. It was developed by Cosmodog and published by Namco-America in celebration of Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga's 20th anniversaries.

In addition to the original game, Ms. Pac-Man / Galaga also offers a version of the game with rapid fire enabled. Players can toggle this mode on and off by entering the code Left, Right, Left, Right, Up, Up, Up, Fire on the game select screen.

Rereleases[]

In 2004, Namco-America released Pac-Man 25th Anniversary, an arcade cabinet created in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Pac-Man. It has the same game lineup as Ms. Pac-Man / Galaga, with Pac-Man, a secret game in the original, now being selectable from the game select screen. The code to enable and disable rapid fire also works in this version.

Game Boy Advance[]

Namco Museum (2001)[]

Galaga is included in Namco Museum for the Game Boy Advance. Presentation-wise, it is based on the PlayStation port's Simulated Arcade (Horizontal) visual setting, with the score, lives counter, and level counter shown on the right margin of the screen. Like the Game Boy version of Galaga, the sprites have been redrawn to better fit the Game Boy Advance's smaller screen. All of the game's sound effects are compressed samples, and some are pitched up from the original.

As with all of the games in Namco Museum, opening the pause menu grants the player access to the Settings menu—which allows them to alter how many lives they start with and the thresholds for earning extra ones—and the Tips sections—which gives advice on how to play the game.

Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (2005)[]

Galaga is also included in the GBA's port of Namco Museum 50th Anniversary. Unlike the aforementioned port, this version of Galaga uses the entire screen to preserve the size of the player and enemy sprites; however, this means that most of the other graphics, such as text, are stretched horizontally. The player also has the option to display the game vertically, mimicking how the game appears in an arcade cabinet. Unlike the previous port, the sound effects are not sampled, instead being created with the GBA's sound chip.

This port of Galaga also has a Settings menu that allows the player to choose how many lives they receive and how many points are needed to earn extra ones; however, unlike the previous Namco Museum, there is no Tips section.

PlayStation Portable (2005)[]

Galaga was first ported to the PlayStation Portable through Namco Museum. The port was later brought to North American and European audiences through Namco Museum Battle Collection.

Pressing the start button opens a menu that allows the player to start a 1 Player game, start a 2 Player game, continue from a previous game, or open the Options menu. The Options menu contains several customizable settings, including the ability to change the screen orientation and ratio. Like in Namco Museum Vol. 1, the player has the option to play the game in horizontal or vertical mode, the latter of which forces the player to physically rotate their Portable. The screen ratio settings determine how much of the screen is taken up by the game itself. While the game itself is normally displayed within a window set on top of a wallpaper, the player can change the settings so that the game takes up the entire screen. Other settings and features found in the Options menu include the number of lives the player starts with, the thresholds for earning extra lives, the ability to save manually, and a sound test. In addition, Namco Museum Battle Collection adds a new setting that allows sound effects to play during the attract demo.

Galaga, along with the rest of the original games in the compilation, could be sent to another player via the Portable's Game Sharing feature. Once shared, the game would become available to the receiver until they turned off their handheld.

PlayStation 2/GameCube (2005)[]

Galaga is included in Namco Museum 50th Anniversary. Both the PS2 and GCN versions of the compilation are functionally identical to the PC version.

Xbox[]

Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (2005)[]

Galaga is included in Namco Museum 50th Anniversary. The Xbox version of the compilation is functionally identical to PC, PS2, and GCN versions.

Xbox Live Arcade (2006)[]

Galaga was released on Xbox Live Arcade on July 25, 2006. It is compatible with all Xbox consoles and can be purchased for $4.99.

To accommodate widescreen TVs, the game is displayed in a window with a custom wallpaper surrounding it. The port also contains an online leaderboard, a set of achievements, and a tutorial for the game, all of which are accessible from the title screen.

Rereleases[]

Nintendo DS (2007)[]

Galaga is included in Namco Museum DS. The game itself is displayed on the top screen, with the bottom screen being used for the settings menu. Pausing the game allows the player to change game settings, such as the number of lives they have, button configurations, and screen settings, such as whether the game is displayed horizontally or vertically. This port of the game also allows the player to use rapid-fire; it is mapped to the X button by default.

PlayStation 3 (2009)[]

Galaga is included in Namco Museum Essentials. Like in Namco Museum Battle Collection, pressing start opens a menu that allows the player to start a game (here called High Score Attack), choose which Stage they would like to start on, and customize the wallpaper that surrounds the game window.

Namco Museum Essentials—and the Galaga port with it—was compatible with PlayStation Home. By completing achievements in Essentials, players could unlock various Namco-themed items for their avatar and virtual space. One of these rewards was a Galaga arcade cabinet that allowed players to access the game directly from their personal space; it was unlocked by rescuing a Captured Fighter in Galaga.

Rereleases[]

  • The port was rereleased on the Wii through Namco Museum Megamix. The Megamix version is largely identical to the original, but there are two major differences. 2 player mode can now be selected directly from the game start menu, and the wallpaper that borders the game screen can no longer be customized.
    • The port was also included as one of three playable arcade games in Pac-Man Party. The wallpaper in this version is tinted purple.

Wii (2009)[]

Galaga was released as a Japan-exclusive Virtual Console Arcade title on November 24, 2009. The port is almost identical to the original, with the only difference being that the copyright notice was changed to reflect Namco's merger with Bandai. The port can no longer be purchased as a result of the Wii Shop Channel's closure in 2019.

Pac-Man's Arcade Party (2010)[]

Galaga is included in Pac-Man's Arcade Party. The only notable difference in this port is that the music and sound effects are pitched up. Galaga is available on all versions of the cabinet.

Nintendo 3DS (2011)[]

Galaga is included in Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions. Upon selecting the game from the main menu, the player has the option to play with either a black background or with one of two wallpapers: one resembling the bezel of an upright cabinet and one resembling a tabletop cabinet. Pressing start opens a menu that allows the player to start the game, choose a stage to start on, open an options menu, or return to the previous menu.

The game is contained entirely within the 3DS' top screen. The bottom screen displays an array of sixteen achievements; earning an achievement unlocks a sprite, all of which come from games in the Galaxian series.

PlayStation 4[]

Arcade Game Series (2016)[]

A standalone port of Galaga was released on April 19, 2016 as part of Bandai Namco's Arcade Game Series. It was developed by Gotch Technology and is identical to the Windows release. The Arcade Game Series 3-in-1 Pack, which Galaga is a part of, was also released on PS4.

Arcade Archives (2023)[]

Galaga was released as a standalone title through Arcade Archives on January 5, 2023.

This version of the game has two Original Modes, one for the early revision and one for the final revision, both of which are selectable from the title screen. The game settings include options that affect how many lives the player starts with, the thresholds for earning extra ones, whether audio plays during the attract demo, and the game's difficulty among other settings. Options within the preference settings include the ability to skip the game’s kill screen, change the game’s difficulty, and display the 1P score with eight digits. The display settings allow the player to change the size and position of the game window; they also allow the player to add a scan line filter and disable the default wallpaper.

Hi-Score Mode changes depending on which version is chosen. If the early revision is chosen, the game will be set on Rank A (the easiest difficulty setting) with the option to skip the game’s kill screen turned on. If the final revision is chosen, the game will be set on Rank D (the hardest difficulty setting). Caravan Mode uses the final version with its difficulty set to Rank A. The setting to display the 1P score with eight digits carries over into Hi-Score Mode and Caravan Mode.

Xbox One (2016)[]

A standalone port of Galaga was released on April 19, 2016 as part of Bandai Namco's Arcade Game Series. It was developed by Gotch Technology and is identical to the Windows and PS4 releases. The Arcade Game Series 3-in-1 Pack, which Galaga is a part of, was also released on Xbox One.

World's Largest Pac-Man (2017)[]

Galaga was added to World's Largest Pac-Man on February 4, 2017 via Update 1.33.[4] It, like the base game, was developed by Raw Thrills. It is identical to the original.

Nintendo Switch[]

Namco Museum (2017)[]

Galaga is included in Namco Museum for the Nintendo Switch. When Galaga is selected from the main menu, the player has the option to choose between Normal Mode, the actual port, and Challenge Mode.

This port's settings retains all of the features from the earlier Arcade Game Series port, including the ability to switch between revisions. In addition, it also adds new settings, such as the abilities to enable HD Rumble, rotate the screen by 90°, and, most notably, the ability to create and load save states. The wallpaper used for this port is based on promotional art for the original game.

Just like the rest of the arcade titles, this version of Galaga offers an additional Challenge Mode. In this mode, players must rescue as many Captured Fighters as they can within a three minute time limit. The player is given an infinite amount of lives, allowing them to die as many times as they need to. In addition, the 2P score counter is replaced with a "Norma" counter, which indicates how many Fighters the player must rescue in order to complete a stage. If they meet this goal, the players gets bonus points for every remaining Galaga, and one minute is added to their timer. The player starts on Stage 1, and then plays every tenth stage upon completing it. After three stages are completed, the "Norma" counter increases by 1. The mode ends when the player either runs out of time or defeats all the Boss Galaga without meeting the stage objective.

Arcade Archives (2023)[]

Galaga was released as a standalone title through Arcade Archives on January 5, 2023. The Switch version is identical to the PS4 version.

Pac-Man's Pixel Bash (2018)[]

Galaga is included in Pac-Man's Pixel Bash. This port is identical to the arcade release, and it is included in all versions of Pixel Bash. In 2024, Bandai Namco released a variant of the cabinet titled Ms. Pac-Man / Galaga (Pixel Bash Edition). As its name suggests, it is themed around Ms. Pac-Man / Galaga. The cabinet's exterior is redesigned to reflect the original, but it is otherwise identical to all other versions of Pixel Bash.

References[]

Advertisement