Apocalypso!
Steve has no weapon, just a jump. Cross 100 screens and ten different apocalypses, collect all 250 golden tins, then…
The home of ZX Spectrum gaming
Play ZX Spectrum games online, free
Seven brand-new Spectrum games, room for your own tapes, and Speccy: a real 48K and 128K emulator in your browser. No downloads, no sign-up: press Play and the 1980s load in seconds.
- Free, no sign-up
- Real 48K and 128K emulation
- Works on phones and tablets
- Your tapes stay on your device
Seven new Spectrum games, ready to play
Every game here was written from scratch for the ZX Spectrum in 2026, in Z80 assembly, and runs on a real 48K or 128K. Press Play and you're in.
Crypt Caper
Pick a Knight, a Wizard or a Squire and search a 60-room keep for three shards, each guarded by a creature only its own…
Gemquake
Mine 25 crystal caverns with a pod and a ball. Catch falling capsules for multiball, lasers, fireballs and a wider pod…
Mothfall
Fly the Lamplighter through caves that narrow zone by zone, blasting glimmer, dart and spore moths without touching the…
The Gullrock Light
Autumn 1897. The keeper is missing and the light is dark. Relight the lamp on Gullrock before the steamer Marigold…
Jelly Storm
Defend the moon base from waves of space jellies. Watch for the red divers that break formation and swoop straight at…
What is the ZX Spectrum?
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit home computer made by Sinclair Research and launched in Britain in April 1982. It was cheap, small and colourful, and it turned a generation of children into gamers and programmers.
Thousands of games were written for it, many by teenagers working in their bedrooms, and the machine helped start the British games industry. Four decades on, people are still writing new Spectrum games, including the ones in our arcade.
You don't need the original hardware to play. An emulator recreates the Spectrum in software, right down to its quirks, so the games run exactly as they did on the real thing.
Got an old Spectrum tape? Play it here
Open a TAP, TZX, Z80 or SNA file and Speccy loads it through the real Sinclair ROM, just like typing LOAD "". The file never leaves your device.
The ZX Spectrum guide
Play, load, buy and understand the Spectrum, explained plainly.
01
Play online
You can play ZX Spectrum games in any modern web browser, on a computer, tablet or phone…
02
Load your own tape
Got a Spectrum game as a TAP, TZX or Z80 file? Open it in Speccy and it loads through the…
03
TAP, TZX and Z80 files
Spectrum games turn up as TAP, TZX, Z80 and a dozen other file types. Here is what each…
04
History of the Spectrum
How a small, cheap computer with rubber keys became the machine a generation of Britons…
05
Spectrum models compared
From the rubber-keyed 16K of 1982 to Amstrad's +3 and today's remakes: how to tell the…
06
48K vs 128K
The 128K Spectrum added memory and a real sound chip. Here is what that changed for…
07
Attribute clash
Spectrum colours are set for each 8×8 block, not for each pixel. That one design decision…
08
Tape loading explained
LOAD "", press Play, and wait five minutes of screeching. Here is what was actually…
Four ways to play a Spectrum today
From the original 1982 machine to modern remakes, every one of them runs the games in our arcade.
An original Spectrum
The real 1980s hardware, rubber keys and all. Charming, collectable and sometimes in need of repair.
The Spectrum
Retro Games Ltd's full-size remake plugs into a modern TV by HDMI and loads games from a USB stick.
Spectrum Next
An FPGA machine that behaves like real Spectrum hardware, with faster modes, more colours and an SD card.
In your browser
No hardware at all: play here on a computer, tablet or phone, with keyboard, gamepad or touch.
A short history of the Spectrum
Ten years of Sinclair and Amstrad machines, and a community that never stopped.
1982
The ZX Spectrum launches
Sinclair Research unveils the rubber-keyed 16K and 48K machines in April.
1984
Spectrum+
A new case with a proper keyboard, a reset button and the same insides.
1985–86
The 128K arrives
More memory and an AY sound chip, launched first in Spain and then in the UK.
1986
Amstrad takes over
Amstrad buys Sinclair's computer business and launches the +2 with a built-in tape deck.
1987
The +3
A built-in 3-inch disk drive for the last of the family line.
2017–today
New machines, new games
The Spectrum Next, The Spectrum and a steady stream of brand-new games.
How to play a Spectrum game here
It takes about ten seconds.
- 1
Pick a game
Choose a cabinet in the arcade, or open a game's page to read about it first.
- 2
Press Play
Speccy starts as a 128K Spectrum with the game already loaded.
- 3
Use your controls
Keyboard, a USB or Bluetooth gamepad, or the on-screen pad on a phone.
- 4
Beat your best
Your high scores and save slots are kept in your browser for next time.
From the journal
All articles
News ·
Welcome to Spectrum Arcade: Seven New ZX Spectrum Games
Spectrum Arcade is open. Seven brand-new games written for the ZX Spectrum, a real emulator in your browser, and room for your own tapes.
Developer diaries ·
Developer Diary: Building the 100 Screens of Apocalypso!
Ten apocalypses, 250 tins and one jump. How we designed and tested a 100-screen platformer that fits in a 48K Spectrum.
Developer diaries ·
Beeper vs AY: Hear the Difference in Our Seven Games
Every game in our arcade has two soundtracks: beeper on the 48K and AY music on the 128K. Here is how one tape does both, and what each chip can do.
ZX Spectrum questions, answered
Can I play ZX Spectrum games online for free?
Yes. All seven games in our arcade are free to play in your browser, with no download or sign-up. They run in a real 48K and 128K Spectrum emulator on computers, tablets and phones.
Do I need to download an emulator to play Spectrum games?
No. A browser emulator runs inside the web page, so you just press Play. If you want disk support or developer tools, see our pick of the best desktop emulators.
Can I play Spectrum games on my phone?
Yes. On a phone or tablet Speccy shows an on-screen joystick and fire button, plus a keyboard when a game needs one. Turn the phone sideways for a bigger screen. Buzz Bee only needs a tap.
How do I load a TAP or TZX file in my browser?
Open Speccy, our emulator, press Load and choose the file. It loads through the real Sinclair ROM, as if you had typed LOAD "". Our guide to loading your own tapes covers every step.
What is the difference between TAP and TZX?
A TAP file stores only the data blocks of a tape that uses the standard Sinclair loader. A TZX file also records exact timings, so it can preserve custom and copy-protected loaders. See Spectrum file formats explained.
When did the ZX Spectrum come out?
Sinclair Research launched the ZX Spectrum in the UK in April 1982, at £125 for the 16K model and £175 for the 48K. Read the full history of the ZX Spectrum.