Play Lemmings online
1 player · with spectators and arcade high scores How online multiplayer works
Dig, build, block… and don't let a single one walk off the cliff.
Free, right in your browser, nothing to install.
- Year
- 1991
- Manufacturer
- Data East
- Players
- 1 player
- Genres
- Puzzle games
- Decade
- '90s arcade games
On UsuArcade, Lemmings plays online on the Data East arcade machine: tap a skill on the panel and then a lemming, on your phone or with a click on your computer, while the rest of the arcade can watch you save your crew.
It's the Lemmings you know, the little green-haired critters marching nonstop toward disaster, but in coin-op form: a clock, credits and a high score table with your initials.
History
Lemmings came out in 1991 on the Amiga, made by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis, and it was a massive hit. That same year Data East built this arcade version with a trackball for each player, but it never went on sale: it's a prototype that survived and that you can play today thanks to MAME.
The title screen spells it out: the original game is by Psygnosis and the coin-op is by Data East. It has a training mode plus beginner, hard, very very hard and mystery levels.
How to play
Pick a skill on the bottom panel (climb, float, blow up, block, build, bash, mine or dig) and give it to a lemming. Get at least as many as the level asks for to the exit door.
The game runs on time: you start with 3 minutes, whatever you have left on each level carries over, and you earn bonus time for a good job. You pick your starting level at the beginning. On UsuArcade you tap or click the screen to move the cursor and select, or move it with the arrow keys like the original trackball. Every lemming you save is one point.
Fun facts
- The cabinet had two trackballs, one per player, and two buttons: SELECT and HURRY, which speeds the game up.
- The ROM itself has an attract demo that teaches you skill by skill, with lines like "Bombers blow up".
- With two players, each had their own lemmings, blue or green, and whoever saved more won.
- When time runs out you get "Out of TIME" and 15 seconds to keep going with another credit.
In the arcade
Just like the arcade, but from home: grab a seat at the Lemmings machine in the Puzzle & Skill zone, drop your coin and start saving lemmings. Nothing to install: it runs in your browser, on your phone or computer.
Your friends can drop in to watch and take the next turn when you're done, and your saved lemmings go on the arcade's high scores. Right next to it are Shanghai III, Puzzle Bobble and Tetris.
Arcade high scores for Lemmings
- mua 25 points
FAQ
Was there really a Lemmings arcade game?
Yes, but only as a prototype: Data East built it in 1991 and it never went on sale. The version on UsuArcade is that US prototype.
How do you play without a trackball?
Tap the screen on your phone or click on your computer: the cursor jumps there and selects. You can also move it with the arrow keys or a gamepad.
How many levels does it have?
56 numbered levels in four difficulty groups, plus training and a set of mystery levels.
How does scoring work on UsuArcade?
Every lemming that reaches the exit is one point, and they all add up over the whole game.
