Time Pilot is a 1982 multidirectional shooter arcade game released by Konami in Japan and Centuri in North America.
Quick Facts
| Title | Time Pilot |
| Year | 1982 |
| Manufacturer | Konami (Japan) / Centuri (US) |
| Designer(s) | Yoshiki Okamoto, Hideki Ooyama, Masahiro Inoue |
| Genre | Multidirectional Shooter |
| Hardware | Original arcade release used Konami’s hardware platform. Distributed by Centuri in North America and Atari in PAL regions. |
| Ports | 10 ports, including ColecoVision, Atari 2600, and MSX — see Ports section |
History
Time Pilot was designed at Konami by Yoshiki Okamoto, a graphic artist who had been asked to build a driving simulator but instead based his own idea loosely on the earlier arcade shooter Bosconian, which he personally admired. Rather than risk his boss rejecting the concept outright, Okamoto had his team quietly develop Time Pilot while keeping the assigned driving game running in parallel as cover. When his boss finally asked to see the driving project, Okamoto showed him Time Pilot instead; a location test proved the gamble justified, and Konami moved forward with the release. Centuri licensed the game for North American distribution, while Atari brought the cabinet to PAL territories in Europe and elsewhere.
The finished game became a genuine commercial hit. It ranked as Japan’s fifth highest-grossing arcade title for 1982, and by February 1983 it had climbed to the top of Play Meter’s U.S. arcade earnings chart. Home conversions followed quickly, landing on ColecoVision, Atari 2600, and MSX systems within a year of the arcade debut, with the ColecoVision release widely regarded as the strongest home translation. Konami revisited the concept in 1984 with a direct sequel, Time Pilot ’84, which replaced the era-hopping structure with a single scrolling science-fiction landscape and added player-guided missiles. The original has since resurfaced through Hamster’s Arcade Archives line on Switch and PlayStation 4, and a 2002 Game Boy Advance port added a hidden sixth era featuring pterodactyls.
Gameplay
Time Pilot keeps the player’s fighter jet fixed at the center of the screen at all times; rather than the ship moving across a static backdrop, the eight-way joystick rotates the jet to face any of eight directions while the background scrolls beneath it to simulate motion. The objective across each of the game’s five time periods, spanning 1910, 1940, 1970, 1982 or 1983 depending on the ROM revision, and 2001, is to shoot down waves of era-appropriate enemy aircraft, rescue parachuting allied pilots for bonus points, and defeat a mothership boss before the level advances to the next date. A single fire button handles combat in whichever direction the jet currently faces, so tight turns and double-back maneuvers to dodge missile-firing enemies matter more than reflexive button work. A player must down 56 regular enemy aircraft to summon the mothership, then land seven direct hits on it before the era clears and the jet advances to the next time period, with the whole five-era cycle repeating at higher difficulty once completed.
- Fixed-center ship with eight-directional rotation and a scrolling background
- Five time-period stages from 1910 to 2001, each with a distinct enemy aircraft set
- Rescuable parachuting pilots that award bonus points
- Mothership boss encounters that must be cleared to progress to the next era
Cabinet & Hardware
The original arcade release ran on Konami’s own hardware platform of the era, built around two Z80 microprocessors paired with two AY-3-8910 programmable sound generators, driving a 19-inch vertical monitor with amplified mono sound through an eight-way joystick and single fire button. Regional partners handled distribution rather than manufacturing separate boards: Centuri managed the North American release under a Konami license, while Atari distributed cabinets across PAL territories in Europe and beyond. The standard cabinet was an upright weighing roughly 274 pounds, and operators could also install the game as a conversion kit onto existing hardware.
Ports & Re-releases
| Platform | Year |
|---|---|
| ColecoVision | 1983 |
| Atari 2600 | 1983 |
| MSX | 1983 |
| PlayStation | — |
| Nintendo DS | — |
| Game Boy Advance | — |
| PlayStation 2 | — |
| Xbox 360 | — |
| Nintendo Switch | — |
| PlayStation 4 | — |
Hamster Corporation’s Arcade Archives line brought the original coin-op version to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, preserving the unmodified arcade experience alongside the game’s various collection appearances on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2. Check the ColecoVision and Atari 2600 platform pages for details on those specific ports.
Where to Play Legally Today
- Arcade Archives release of Time Pilot on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4
- 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 Time Pilot cabinet on their floor
Collector Value
Original Time Pilot cabinets are less common on the secondary market than the biggest golden-age hits, making well-preserved uprights with intact marquees and side art a moderately sought find among Konami-era collectors. Standalone PCBs circulate for enthusiasts who already own a compatible cabinet shell and want to swap boards rather than track down a complete unit. The early home ports on ColecoVision, Atari 2600, and MSX are comparatively easy to find and offer a lower-cost way to own a piece of the game’s history without committing to a full-size cabinet.
FAQs
Who made Time Pilot?
Time Pilot was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto along with Hideki Ooyama and Masahiro Inoue, and was manufactured by Konami in Japan, with Centuri handling North American distribution.
What year did Time Pilot come out?
Time Pilot came out in 1982, and by early 1983 it had topped Play Meter’s U.S. arcade earnings chart.
What genre is Time Pilot?
Time Pilot is a multidirectional shooter in which the player’s jet stays centered on screen while rotating to face eight directions as the background scrolls around it.
Did Time Pilot get a sequel?
Yes, Konami released a direct sequel, Time Pilot ’84, in arcades in 1984.
Has Time Pilot been ported to home consoles?
Yes, Time Pilot has been ported to at least ten platforms, including the ColecoVision, Atari 2600, and MSX in 1983, plus later releases on PlayStation, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.
See also the related Gyruss arcade page, another Yoshiki Okamoto shooter for Konami, and browse the Golden Age of Arcade Games hub for more classic shooters.
Sources
Facts on this page last verified 2026-07-15.