Galaxy Invasion
Hold the bottom of the screen, fire up at the descending alien grid, and protect your eroding cover bunkers.
How to play
- Move with the arrow keys, A/D, the on-screen buttons, or by dragging anywhere on the screen.
- Press Space, tap Fire, or tap the screen to shoot straight up at the alien grid.
- Duck behind the three cover bunkers, but they wear down from hits on both sides, yours and theirs.
- The grid marches faster the fewer aliens remain, and steps closer to you every time it bounces off an edge.
- Clear the whole grid to start a tougher wave with fresh bunkers. Lose all your lives, or let the grid reach your line, and the run ends.
Game facts
- Genre: Fixed-grid shooter
- Difficulty: Medium
- Controls: Keyboard, mouse or touch
- Players: 1
- Price: Free, no download
A fixed-grid arcade shooter with real destructible cover
Galaxy Invasion is a shooting arcade game built in the spirit of the classic fixed-grid arcade shooters that defined the genre: you move along the bottom of the screen and fire straight up while a rectangular grid of aliens sweeps side to side above you, stepping down a row and reversing direction every time it touches an edge. The three cover bunkers between you and the grid aren't a health bar, they're made of real destructible blocks, and both your own shots and the grid's return fire chip a visible crater out of whichever blocks they actually hit. Lean on the same bunker too long and it opens up completely, on either side.
The grid's marching speed recalculates constantly based on how many aliens are still alive, so a thinning grid sweeps noticeably faster than a full one, the genre's signature building-tension mechanic, matched by a low marching blip that speeds up right along with it. Clearing every alien in a wave doesn't end the session, it starts a tougher one: more rows, a faster starting march, and quicker return fire, with your bunkers rebuilt to full so every wave begins on fair footing. Lose all three lives, or let the grid march down far enough to reach your line, and the run ends with your score and wave reached on the board.
Galaxy Invasion is the baseline entry in AnonArcade's fixed-grid shooter series. For a denser starting grid that descends faster and chews through bunkers in fewer hits, try Galaxy Invasion: Mega Swarm. For the exact same fight rendered in a glowing green phosphor scanline look, try Galaxy Invasion: CRT Arcade. Looking for a different kind of classic arcade action? AnonArcade's maze chase series has four original mazes: Maze Muncher: Neon Grid, Maze Muncher: Candy Factory, Maze Muncher: Space Station, and Maze Muncher: Haunted Manor.
Frequently asked questions
How do I control Galaxy Invasion?
Move with the arrow keys or A/D on a keyboard, drag anywhere on the screen with your mouse or finger, or use the on-screen left and right buttons. Press Space, tap the Fire button, or just tap the screen to shoot straight up.
Why do my cover bunkers wear away?
Every bunker is made of real destructible blocks. Both your own shots and the alien grid's return fire chip a visible crater out of whichever blocks they actually hit, so a bunker you lean on too hard eventually opens up completely.
Why does the alien grid speed up as I clear it?
The grid's marching speed is tied to how many aliens are left. As you thin it out, the survivors sweep side to side faster and faster, the classic building-tension mechanic of this genre. Listen for the low marching blip, it speeds up right along with them.
What happens after I clear a wave?
Clearing every alien in the grid starts a tougher next wave: more rows, a faster starting march, and quicker return fire. Your cover bunkers are rebuilt to full for the new wave, so you always start the next fight with fresh cover.
Is Galaxy Invasion free with no account needed?
Yes. It's free with no download and no account, and your best score saves only in your own browser.