River Raid: 6 Open Source Clones Compared
Most of these clones are only partially functional per their own listed status — Console-RiverRaid and River Raid (VHDL) are marked semi-playable, while River Raid 2k and Ruby Raid are marked unplayable. River/Covid Raid 2020 is the one marked fully playable: a Python recreation built specifically as a reinforcement-learning environment, shipping scripts to train and watch an AI agent play, alongside a separate COVID-themed bonus game. Ruby Raid, in its unfinished state, reimagines the concept thematically — casting the player as a locomotive battling enemies themed after rival programming languages, with each stage meant to teach a Ruby tip.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- None
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 6y ago
- Stars
- 13
- Contributors
- 3
- License
- GPL-3.0
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoThis is a recreation built for reinforcement learning research; no original assets required.
Availability
- Status
- Unplayable
- Platforms
- None
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 16y ago
- Stars
- 13
- Contributors
- 4
- License
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
Availability
- Status
- Unplayable
- Platforms
- Web
- Play in browser
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 4y ago
- Stars
- 11
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- MIT
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoThis is an independent remake with its own assets; no original game assets required.
Availability
- Status
- Semi-playable
- Platforms
- None
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 7y ago
- Stars
- 3
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
Availability
- Status
- Semi-playable
- Platforms
- None
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 3y ago
- Stars
- 2
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoOriginal Atari River Raid assets not required; remake built from scratch in C++.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Atari
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Not tracked
- Last updated
- Not tracked
- Stars
- Not tracked
- Contributors
- Not tracked
- License
- Not tracked
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
| Title | River/Covid Raid 2020 | Ruby Raid | River Raid 2k | River Raid (VHDL) | Console-RiverRaid | River Raid Disassembly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Unplayable | Unplayable | Semi-playable | Semi-playable | Playable |
| Platforms | None | None | Web | None | None | Atari |
| Play in browser | No | No | No | No | No | |
| Mobile | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Project health | ||||||
| Development status | Halted | Halted | Halted | Halted | Halted | Not tracked |
| Last updated | 6y ago | 16y ago | 4y ago | 7y ago | 3y ago | Not tracked |
| Stars | 13 | 13 | 11 | 3 | 2 | Not tracked |
| Contributors | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Not tracked |
| License | GPL-3.0 | — | MIT | — | — | Not tracked |
| Compatibility | ||||||
| Requires original assets | NoThis is a recreation built for reinforcement learning research; no original assets required. | — | NoThis is an independent remake with its own assets; no original game assets required. | — | NoOriginal Atari River Raid assets not required; remake built from scratch in C++. | — |
| Preview | | | |
Frequently asked questions
Are the River Raid clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
What license do these River Raid clones use?
River/Covid Raid 2020 (GPL-3.0); River Raid 2k (MIT).
Do I need to own the original River Raid to play these clones?
River/Covid Raid 2020, River Raid 2k, and Console-RiverRaid run standalone, no original files needed.
Can I play any of these River Raid clones directly in a browser?
Yes — River Raid 2k has a browser-playable build linked in the comparison table above, no install required.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to River Raid.