First Color Arcade Game: Computer Space by Nutting Associates (1971)

The first arcade game to incorporate color was Computer Space, manufactured by Nutting Associates and released in November 1971.

Key Details

• Color Implementation: A red player ship on a black-and-white starfield (via a color overlay on the CRT). Not full-color graphics.
• Gameplay: Single-player space duel against two flying saucers; Newtonian physics, difficult controls.
• Commercial Outcome: ~1,500 units sold — considered a failure due to steep learning curve.
• Legacy: Created by Nolan Bushnell & Ted Dabney → founded Atari → Pong (1972) → arcade boom.

First Full-Color Arcade Game

Wimbledon (1973, Atari) or Gotcha (1973, Atari) used color overlays for green court/red ball. True RGB color arrived with Space Invaders (1978, Taito) via colored cellophane strips, then Galaxian (1979, Namco) with hardware RGB sprites.

Computer Space remains the historic "first color" milestone, however modest.