Play Game
Sarge
Powered by EmulatorJS · Arcade
- Console
- Arcade
- Release
- 1985
- Players
- 2P sim
- Developer
- Bally Midway
About Sarge
Arcade Video game published 41 years ago:
Sarge (c) 1985 Bally Midway.
- TECHNICAL -
Bally Midway MCR 3 hardware [No. 0B88]
Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 5 Mhz) Sound CPU: Motorola M6809 (@ 2 Mhz) Sound Chips: DAC
Screen orientation: Horizontal Video resolution: 512 x 480 pixels Screen refresh: 30.00 Hz Palette colors: 64
Players: 2 Control: Double 2-way joystick (Vertical) Buttons: 2
- TRIVIA -
Released in October 1985.
Considered by some to be the grandfather of all real-time video battle-games, Sarge was the first coin-op game to give players the ability to deploy multiple vehicles against common adversaries and, of course, each other.
Sarge is also probably the first real 'start-to-finish' design collaboration between artist/animator Brian Colin and programmer Jeff Nauman.
From Brian Colin, Lead Artist on Sarge: "The realistically depicted female soldier featured in the game generated so much interest when it was first introduced that, part-way through it's production run, we slipped a hidden player incentive. With the machine's internal DIP switches set a certain way, players who achieved a rank of Colonel were greeted with a winking, sexy GI Jane wearing little more than a smile. The DIP switches should be set as follows: 0011000100. To see if the switches are set correctly, look at the girl at the start of the game. If she is wearing a low-cut T-shirt, then the 'hidden player incentive' is on.".
- STAFF -
Software: Jeff Nauman Artists: Brian Colin, Sharon Perry Sounds: Bob Libbe, Neil Falconer Hardware: Cary Mednick, Steve Ackerman Mechanical: John Kubik Added support: Jim Belt
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES: Atari 7800: Unreleased prototype.
* COMPUTERS: PC [DOS] (1989)
Player layout in our catalog: 2P sim.
If you are exploring by feel rather than by title, jump from the tags above into the matching genre rooms, or return to the Arcade hall for the full wall.
Open Play on this page to start Sarge. Keyboard, USB/Bluetooth pads, and the on-screen touch gamepad all work inside the emulator bar. Save states and fullscreen live on that same bar so you can pause mid-session and resume later.
Sarge — play guide
What Sarge wants from you
Sarge (Bally/Midway) is a tank combat arena: drive, rotate the turret, destroy rival tanks and bunkers, and respect collisions that punish greed into every pack. Full-speed charges for vanity kills empty lives mid-board. Your job is angle honesty—peek corners, shoot when the turret is true, and stop treating the arena like a demolition derby. Continues buy map memory; the exam is still boards with lives left under military paint.
First minutes in Sarge
First board: practice short advances with turret peeks before inventing full-boost tourism into every enemy. Shoot when the angle is honest; ramming for style is a collision death. Early boards are angle labs under tank dressing. One clean clear with composure left beats three crash deaths that looked aggressive until a bunker you ignored finished you.
Core systems in Sarge
Drive, turret aim, enemy tanks, bunkers/hazards, and arena layouts define Sarge. Advances are commitments—leave cover and the nest pins. Turret lag means you lead shots; freeze-aim at close range still dies to a flank. Later boards tighten density; the same ram religion fails. Military art sells toughness; the stick still wants peek-and-shoot discipline under Midway arena rules.
Score, continues, and resources in Sarge
Boards cleared with lives left beat ram tourism that empties resources mid-pack. Continues while collision deaths repeat; cut them once turret peeks are boring. Farming board one for vanity rams teaches the wrong muscle. Extends follow score when awarded—claim them after angle routes feel honest under denser tank packs.
Mistakes that burn credits in Sarge
Full-speed rams into every bunker, ignoring flanks, and freeze-aiming without turret lead burn Sarge credits. Players also chase one kill while a second tank chips from behind the ridge. Holding a vanity ram fantasy through a packed nest ends the life early. Tunneling on score flash while a bunker finishes you off-angle is classic tilt. Next run: peek corners, lead the turret, clear flanks before the ram—leave flashier charges for empty ridges.
Next steps after Sarge
Commando is Capcom war literacy if Sarge’s cover honesty still feels soft—re-learn trench peeks there first under clearer war gospel. Ikari Warriors keeps SNK rotate-aim company warm on denser trench boards. Guerilla War is SNK once Sarge cover honesty finally sticks and you want denser rotate stress instead of Sarge boards. Death streaks shrink once panic-mash sprays stop mid-trench. Clear one careful stage before vanity sprays return on denser war cabinets.
Sources cited below under Further reading.
Cabinet dossier
Sarge is filed in our catalog as a 1985 release.
Player layout on this cabinet: 2P sim.
Genre tags on Classic Arcade Games: Shooter.
Credit line lists Bally Midway as developer.
Screenshots
Next cabinets
Nearby cabinets you may also open from this hall (each on its own play page):Crater Raider, Spy Hunter, Spy Hunter II (rev 2), Star Guards, Two Tigers (dedicated), Blasted, Kozmik Kroozr, Satan's Hollow (set 1), Wacko, Demolition Derby, Discs of Tron (Upright, 10/4/83), Journey
Explore more on this site
How to play Sarge online
- Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start.
- USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
- On phones, open the on-screen pad from the emulator bar; rotate sits next to fullscreen.
- Save states, load, volume, and fullscreen stay on the emulator bar between credits.
Studio notes — Bally Midway
Bally Midway appears on this cabinet’s credit line. Browse more titles from the same studio on the developer shelf, or stay on this page and try the next cabinets in the same hall.
Crater Raider · Spy Hunter · Spy Hunter II (rev 2) · Star Guards · Two Tigers (dedicated) · Blasted · Kozmik Kroozr · Satan's Hollow (set 1)
Questions about Sarge
Can I play Sarge free in a browser?
Yes. Classic Arcade Games hosts Sarge as a Arcade cabinet you can start on this page. The emulator loads in the browser; you do not need to install a separate app.
What controls does Sarge support?
Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start. USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
What genre is Sarge on Classic Arcade Games?
Our catalog tags Sarge under Shooter. Open those genre rooms from the tags on this page to find more playable cabinets in the same feel.
Further reading
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