GALAGA is a vertical arcade shooter from Namco. You control a space fighter at the bottom of the screen, scrolling left and right to avoid oncoming bombs and kamikaze attacks from alien invaders—and to fire your own missiles to fight back! There are an infinite number of stages to progress through. Every third level is a "challenge stage" in which you have a free chance to shoot as many aliens as possible and rack up bonus points.
The game features various alien types, some with tractor beams that can capture one of your ships. If you're not eliminated, you can try to shoot the alien down and recapture your ship, giving you two ships at once and doubling your firepower. The game ends when all aliens are defeated or when you run out of lives.
A summary screen appears after the game is over, displaying your final score and hit ratio—the number of missiles fired, enemies destroyed, and percentage of targets hit. GALAGA is a challenging and addictive shooter that requires skill and strategy to progress through its endless stages.