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Tank Battalion
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About Tank Battalion
Namco developed this maze-based shooter where players navigate a tank through a multi-directional playfield. To complete a level, you must destroy 20 enemy tanks that enter from the top of the screen. While engaging these enemies, you must also defend your base, represented by an eagle, from being destroyed by the pursuing tanks.
Player layout in our catalog: 2P alt.
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 Tank Battalion. 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.
Tank Battalion — play guide
What Tank Battalion wants from you
Tank Battalion (Namco) is a top-down tank maze shooter: defend the base, destroy enemy tanks, and respect bullet geometry that punish open-field greed. Charging every kill as if the base never dies empties lives mid-board. Your job is base honesty—peek corners, shoot when the angle is true, and stop treating Namco tank fantasy like a demolition derby. Continues buy map memory; the exam is still boards with the base alive under early Namco paint.
First minutes in Tank Battalion
First board: practice short advances with turret peeks before inventing full-boost tourism into every enemy. Protect the base first; diving for vanity kills while a shot reaches HQ is expensive. Early boards are angle labs under Tank Battalion dressing. One clean clear with the base intact beats three HQ deaths that looked aggressive until a tank you ignored arrived.
Core systems in Tank Battalion
Drive, aim, enemy tanks, bricks/mazes, and base health define Tank Battalion. Advances are commitments—leave cover and the nest pins. Later boards tighten density; the same ram religion fails. Military art sells toughness; the stick still wants peek-and-shoot discipline under Namco maze rules that lead toward Tank Force / Battle City lineage.
Score, continues, and resources in Tank Battalion
Boards cleared with base and lives left beat kill tourism that loses HQ mid-pack. Continues while base deaths repeat; cut them once corner 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 tanks, not after open charges that still lose the base.
Mistakes that burn credits in Tank Battalion
Open-field rams into every nest, ignoring the base, and freeze-aiming without peeks burn Tank Battalion credits. Players also chase one kill while a second tank chips from behind the ridge. Holding a vanity ram fantasy through a packed flank ends the life early. Tunneling on score flash while the base dies unprotected is classic tilt. Next run: peek flanks first, protect the base, ram when clear—leave flashier open-field rams for empty ridges.
Next steps after Tank Battalion
Battle City / Tank Force lineage is Namco if Tank Battalion’s base peeks still feel opaque—same HQ-defense gospel under clearer later rules. Sarge keeps Midway tank arena literacy warm under denser packs. Robotron is Williams once arena honesty sticks and you want twin-stick chaos instead of maze tanks. Stay in tank mazes until open-ram religion stops losing the base every board.
Sources cited below under Further reading.
Cabinet dossier
Tank Battalion is filed in our catalog as a 1980 release.
Player layout on this cabinet: 2P alt.
Genre tags on Classic Arcade Games: Maze.
Credit line lists Namco as developer.
Screenshots
Next cabinets
Nearby cabinets you may also open from this hall (each on its own play page):Tank Force (US, 2 Players), Vs. Battle City, Dig Dug (rev 2), Dig Dug (Gakken), New Rally X, Rally X (32k Ver.?), Super Pac-Man, Boxy Boy (World, SB2), Dig Dug II (New Ver.), Exvania (World), Grobda (New Ver.), Marchen Maze (Japan)
Explore more on this site
Same series
How to play Tank Battalion 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 — Namco
Namco 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.
Tank Force (US, 2 Players) · Dig Dug (rev 2) · Dig Dug (Gakken) · New Rally X · Rally X (32k Ver.?) · Super Pac-Man · Boxy Boy (World, SB2) · Dig Dug II (New Ver.)
Questions about Tank Battalion
Can I play Tank Battalion free in a browser?
Yes. Classic Arcade Games hosts Tank Battalion 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 Tank Battalion 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.
Are there other games in the same series as Tank Battalion?
Yes — related series cabinets on this site include Tank Force (US, 2 Players), Vs. Battle City. Each has its own play page with the same browser emulator path.
Further reading
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