Intel 8080 Space Invaders Emulator

A cycle-accurate Intel 8080 CPU emulator running the classic Space Invaders arcade game from 1978.

Motivation

Built as an educational project to understand low-level CPU emulation, retro gaming hardware, and cross-platform development. This emulator accurately recreates the original arcade experience while demonstrating clean separation between emulation, machine, and platform layers.

Build Status

Screenshots

Tech/Framework Used

Built with:

• C11
• SDL2 (graphics and input)
• CMake (build system)

Features

• Cycle-accurate 8080 emulation - Runs at authentic 2MHz clock speed
• Original arcade color overlay - Red, white, and green screen zones
• Cross-platform - Windows and Linux support via SDL2
• Configurable input - Customize controls through input.cfg
• Developer tools - Disassembler, hex dump, and CPU diagnostic test
• Clean architecture - Three-layer design (emulator/machine/platform)

Installation

Download pre-built binaries from Releases.

Windows:

1. Extract i8080-spaceinvaders-windows-x64.zip
2. Double-click spaceinvaders.exe

Linux:

1. Extract i8080-spaceinvaders-linux-x64.tar.gz
2. Run ./spaceinvaders

Building from Source

Prerequisites:

• CMake 3.10+
• C compiler (MSVC, GCC, or Clang)
• Git

Build steps:

git clone https://github.com/JMit-dev/i8080-spaceinvaders-emulator.git
cd i8080-spaceinvaders-emulator
git submodule update --init --recursive
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build --config Release

Run:

./build/Release/spaceinvaders          # Windows
./build/spaceinvaders                   # Linux

How to Use

Running the game:

Just double-click the executable or run from command line:

spaceinvaders              # Launch game directly
spaceinvaders run          # Same as above

Default controls:

• Arrow Keys - Move left/right
• Space - Shoot
• C - Insert coin
• 1 - Start (Player 1)
• 2 - Start (Player 2)

Configure controls:

Edit input.cfg to customize keyboard mappings:

P1_LEFT=LEFT
P1_RIGHT=RIGHT
P1_SHOOT=SPACE
P1_START=1
COIN=C

Developer commands:

spaceinvaders test                    # Run CPU diagnostic test
spaceinvaders dump output.txt         # Hex dump ROM
spaceinvaders disasm output.txt       # Disassemble ROM

Credits

References:

• Emulator101 - Excellent 8080 emulation tutorial
• Computer Archeology - Space Invaders hardware documentation
• Superzazu's 8080 emulator - Reference implementation

License

GPL v3.0

This project is for educational purposes. Space Invaders is © Taito Corporation.