Missile Command is a one or two-player game depicting the outbreak of a nuclear war. Players must defend six cities from waves of incoming nuclear missiles by launching their own anti-ballistic missiles (ABMs) from one of three missile batteries. The game is played by moving a cross-hair across the sky and pressing one of three buttons to launch an ABM from the corresponding battery (either Alpha Base, Delta Base or Omega Base). Upon reaching the cross-hair the player's ABM explodes, creating a fireball that lasts for several seconds and destroys any enemy missiles that enter it. Each battery is initially armed with ten anti-ballistic missiles and becomes useless when either all of its missiles have been fired or it's been destroyed by enemy missiles.