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If you’re a gaming enthusiast or a curious tech lover, here’s a retro treat: the world’s first computer game, SpaceWar!, is now playable for free on modern PCs. Originally developed in 1962 at MIT, SpaceWar! laid the foundation for the entire video game industry. Thanks to modern emulators and preservation efforts, you can now experience this historic game right from your browser or by downloading it to your device. No need for vintage hardware — just a few simple steps and you’ll be piloting a spaceship like it’s the '60s. In this article, we’ll guide you through how to access and play SpaceWar! or free and why this pixelated pioneer still matters in today’s gaming landscape.

SpaceWar – World’s First PC Game

So, back in 1962, some MIT guys – Steve Russell in collaboration with Martin Graetz, Wayne Wiitanen, Bob Saunders, Steve Piner, and others – created Spacewar! on this brand-new DEC PDP-1 computer. It's basically a space dogfight with two ships, “the needle” and “the wedge”, battling it out around a star. You control your ship, spin it, blast off, and fire torpedoes, which takes some real strategy and aiming skills.

SpaceWar Game Download for Free

This game was created for a PDP-1 computer and does not work without an emulator, even if you find the file of the game. However, you don’t need any app or download any game to play SpaceWar on your PC. You can play it for free without even downloading the game on your computer. You just need to follow the steps below:

How to Play SpaceWar On Modern PC without Downloading?

It is quite easy to play SpaceWar in modern PC for Free without downloading.

Step 1: You need to have a PC, the gameplay is not that good on smartphone.

Step 2: Open any web browser on your PC

Step 3: Head to https://masswerk.at/spacewar/ 

Done, now you can play SpaceWar directly in your web browser without installing. Here is the key guide for the game.

SpaceWar Key Configuration on PC

It is a 2 player game, so the keys are set according to Player 1, and Player 2.

PLAYER 1:

A → TURN LEFT

D → TURN RIGHT

S → THRUST

W → FIRE

Q → HYPERSPACE

PLAYER 2:

J or 4 → TURN LEFT

L or 6 → TURN RIGHT

K or 5 → THRUST

I or 8 → FIRE

U or 7 → HYPERSPACE

So now you can run SpaceWar on your PC browser without any issues.