Excited for ‘Rampage’? You can play the arcade game online for free

By Steven Petite April 13, 2018

Image used with permission by copyright holder

To celebrate the theatrical release of Rampage, Warner Bros. has made a neat little site where you can play the original Rampage arcade game for free in your browser.

We checked it out and are happy to report that it’s just as fun and addictive as we remembered. When you boot it up, you have the choice to play as George, Lizzie, or Ralph. Since Rampage is all about climbing buildings, smashing things, and picking up stuff to digest, it works well using minimalistic keyboard controls. You can even smash buildings with a friend, although be prepared to sit extra close as you have to share the same keyboard.

After playing a few rounds on desktop, we wanted to see if it worked on mobile, too. It does! Thanks to on screen buttons, you can play using a red joystick, and two-button control scheme.

Rampage originally released as an arcade cabinet in 1986 from Midway Games. While it didn’t have much of a story behind it at the time, it quickly became a fan favorite thanks to satisfying gameplay loop that can best be described as turning everything you see into smithereens.

After finding success as an arcade game, Rampage was ported to a slew of consoles including the Atari 2600, NES, Sega Master System, and Nintendo 64. Rampage. was later included in multiple compilations such as Midway Arcade Treasures. Most recently, Rampage was included as an easter egg in Lego Dimensions.

What’s unclear about this browser version of Rampage is if it actually ends. The arcade version was a never-ending procession of increasingly challenging levels, but when the game was ported to consoles, it had a traditional ending.

Admittedly, Rampage is one of the strangest video game properties to receive a movie adaptation. As we noted in our review, though, Dwayne Johnson tends to make even the most shaky of concepts a good time. While you’re unlikely to be blown away by Rampage‘s zany narrative arc, it’s an enjoyable ride if you take it for what it is. In that respect, the Rampage adaptation is surprisingly faithful to the original arcade game.

Rampage is in theaters today.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

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