Qix is a 1981 puzzle arcade game by Taito in which players draw lines to claim territory while dodging an unpredictable geometric shape.
Quick Facts
| Title | Qix |
| Year | 1981 |
| Manufacturer | Taito |
| Designer(s) | Randy Pfeiffer, Sandy Pfeiffer |
| Genre | Puzzle |
| Hardware | Museum of the Game lists Qix as a Taito “Wide Release” cabinet from 1981; detailed board specifications were not available from the primary record for this page. |
| Ports | 11 ports, including Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200, and Commodore 64 — see Ports section |
History
Qix was designed by the husband-and-wife team of Randy and Sandy Pfeiffer within Taito America, the company’s US development arm, which produced only a handful of original titles. The game reached North American arcades in October 1981, with Japanese and UK releases following in November and an Australian release in early 1982. Unlike most coin-ops of the era, Qix borrowed nothing from existing shooter or maze templates; later critics likened its closest analog to an Etch A Sketch toy rather than a typical arcade game.
The Museum of the Game catalogs Qix among Taito’s roughly 490 recorded arcade releases and classifies it as a “Wide Release” puzzle title. In Japan it ranked as the fifth highest-grossing arcade release of 1981, and Taito’s own sales expectations were reportedly exceeded once it reached cabinets. Commercial interest cooled once the drawing mechanic’s novelty wore off, a pattern Taito’s creative staff later acknowledged; the abstract concept proved harder to master than more reflex-driven contemporaries. Even so, Qix earned a 1984 Arkie Award for its audio-visual effects and remains ranked among the notable titles of the era by longtime arcade historians.
Its territory-claiming concept proved durable. Taito produced direct sequels including Qix II: Tournament and the widely ported Volfied, while Super Qix and numerous unlicensed clones carried the formula into the following decade. It remains cited as one of the most frequently cloned video games ever made, and elements of its enclosure-drawing mechanic surfaced again decades later in the adult-oriented Gals Panic series.
Gameplay
Players steer a diamond-shaped marker along the edges of a mostly empty rectangular playfield, pushing inward to draw a line called a Stix that seals off a section of the screen once it reconnects with the border. Filling in enough of these enclosed sections to reach 75% coverage of the playfield clears the level and advances the player to the next, more difficult board. The constant threat comes from the Qix itself, an erratically moving line-based shape confined to the uncaptured area; touching it while a line is still being drawn costs a life, as does contact with the Sparx, smaller enemies that patrol the claimed borders and the player’s unfinished lines.
Two drawing speeds add a risk-reward layer to territory claiming. Slow Draw moves the marker cautiously but doubles the point value of captured area, while Fast Draw completes lines quickly at the cost of reduced scoring. Trapping the Qix into a shrinking remaining space, then sealing the final gap with a Slow Draw line, became the key technique players used to maximize points before a board’s Qix grew too dangerous to approach.
- Draw enclosing lines (Stix) to claim playfield territory toward a 75% completion goal
- Choose between Slow Draw (double points, higher risk) and Fast Draw (faster, lower risk)
- Avoid the erratically moving Qix shape and the border-patrolling Sparx enemies
Cabinet & Hardware
Detailed CPU and board-level specifications for the original Qix cabinet were not available from the primary data source for this page. The Museum of the Game catalogs the machine as a standard Taito upright released under a “Wide Release” distribution class in 1981, alongside contemporaneous Taito titles such as Colony 7 and Alpine Ski, and its control panel used a joystick paired with dedicated Fast Draw and Slow Draw buttons to switch between the game’s two drawing speeds.
Ports & Re-releases
| Platform | Year |
|---|---|
| Atari 8-bit | 1983 |
| Atari 5200 | 1983 |
| Commodore 64 | 1983 |
| FM-7 | 1983 |
| Amiga | 1989 |
| Apple II | 1989 |
| MS-DOS | 1989 |
| Game Boy | 1990 |
| Apple IIGS | 1990 |
| NES | 1991 |
| Atari Lynx | 1991 |
The 1990 Game Boy conversion is the most unusual entry in the port history: it added Mario-themed intermission sequences licensed from Nintendo, and one costume design from those sequences was later reused decades afterward as an unlockable outfit in Super Mario Odyssey. See the Game Boy, NES, Atari 5200, and Atari Lynx platform pages for more on those specific releases.
Where to Play Legally Today
- Original home ports on Atari, Commodore, and Apple systems, where still functional on owned original hardware or through licensed digital storefronts offering those platforms’ libraries
- MAME, run only with legally owned ROM dumps from a cabinet or licensed source you own
- Arcade museums and retro arcade venues that keep a working Qix cabinet on their floor
Collector Value
Original Qix cabinets are less commonly seen than blockbuster contemporaries like Pac-Man or Asteroids, since Taito America’s total output was small, making surviving upright units a moderately scarce find for collectors seeking early-1980s puzzle-genre hardware. Standalone PCBs occasionally circulate for collectors who already own a compatible Taito-era cabinet shell. Home computer and console ports from the 1983 and 1989-1991 waves, including the Commodore 64, NES, and Game Boy versions, are generally inexpensive and provide an accessible way to experience the game’s mechanics without pursuing a full cabinet.
FAQs
Who made Qix?
Qix was designed by Randy Pfeiffer and Sandy Pfeiffer and released by Taito in 1981.
What year did Qix come out?
Qix was released in 1981.
What genre is Qix?
Qix is a puzzle arcade game in which players enclose sections of the screen with drawn lines while avoiding a moving geometric enemy.
How do you win at Qix?
Players must claim at least 75% of the playfield by drawing enclosing lines with the diamond-shaped marker, using Slow Draw for double points or Fast Draw for speed, all while avoiding the Qix and the Sparx enemies.
Has Qix been ported to home consoles?
Yes, Qix has appeared on at least eleven platforms since 1983, including the Atari 8-bit line, Atari 5200, Commodore 64, FM-7, Amiga, Apple II, MS-DOS, Game Boy, Apple IIGS, NES, and Atari Lynx.
See also the related Elevator Action arcade page, another early-1980s Taito release, and browse the Golden Age of Arcade Games hub for more classic puzzle titles.
Sources
Facts on this page last verified 2026-07-15.