BATTLECITYPLAY / FIELD GUIDE

35 maps. A different defence each time.

Stage numbers only mean something alongside a game version. Explore the original Battle City (J) atlas below; the Tank 1990 H capture remains a separate collection.

All 35 original Battle City levels

Study the original Battle City (J) maps, enemy rosters and map-based defensive plans. These are reference maps, not the Tank 1990 modes in our player.

Level 01

Brick columns

Six tall brick columns divide the opening field. The central steel block interrupts the upper middle, while lower brick pillars narrow the return to headquarters.

Level 02

Broken columns

Scattered steel blocks break the brick corridors; forest interrupts sight on the left and around the middle-right. A solid brick mass sits above the base.

Level 03

Opposite forests

Forest fills the upper-left and lower-right areas. A central horizontal steel strip separates the open upper lanes from the lower brick passages.

Level 04

Brick fortress

A large rounded brick formation dominates the centre. Small water pockets interrupt the outer routes, and steel anchors the corners.

Level 05

River junctions

An irregular river cuts across the middle-left and upper-right. Thin steel pieces on the right and brick near home create abrupt changes in route width.

Level 06

Forest spine

A vertical forest spine runs through the centre, with more cover on the right. Steel groups form shelves near both sides of the lower middle.

Level 07

Steel maze

Steel dominates the diagonal middle structures. There is little destructible cover to reshape, and a narrow forest seam crosses the central metal.

Level 08

Two river belts

Two mostly horizontal rivers divide the map into upper, middle and lower bands. Their gaps are offset, while forest hides parts of the middle-right and bottom-left.

Level 09

Steel islands

Small steel-and-forest islands leave broad gaps between them. The sparse brick cover near the base does not divide the lower field into safe compartments.

Level 10

Brick shell and water

A short central water shelf sits above a dense lower brick shell. Forest covers the lower rim and the upper central pocket.

Level 11

Diagonal woodland

A broad diagonal forest band links the upper-right to the lower-left. Brick and scattered steel break the visible routes around it.

Level 12

Water zigzags

Stepped water barriers create several offset crossings. Steel and brick make the centre more constrained than the relatively open lower strip.

Level 13

Forest enclosure

A central forest patch is surrounded by brick, with a steel strip along its lower interior. Long side routes connect it to the bottom field.

Level 14

Island above the river

A round brick-and-forest island fills the upper centre. Short rivers sit on either side below it, with a much more open lower half.

Level 15

Dense woodland

Forest threads through dense irregular brick and short steel fragments. Concealed bends extend almost to the lower-right corner.

Level 16

Sparse cover

A thin forest pattern crosses a mostly open field. The lower-left stair of brick and steel contrasts with the concealed lower-right edge.

Level 17

Ice diagonals

Large ice patches connect the upper-right to the lower-left. Brick interrupts those patches, so a slide can carry you toward a wall or exposed junction.

Level 18

Diagonal barricades

Brick and steel form diagonal pockets, including enclosed shapes at the upper-right and lower-left. Forest occupies small pockets rather than a continuous screen.

Level 19

Metal rungs

Two rows of steel caps divide vertical brick columns in the upper half. A wide forest belt crosses the middle and leads into lower brick lanes.

Level 20

Bent river

A bent river links the upper-left area to the right side, then descends near the lower-right forest. Brick and steel subdivide the dry middle.

Level 21

Brick portrait

A broad forest-filled brick outline encloses open space and two internal steel columns. Heavy lower brickwork and steel steps restrict the return from that enclosure.

Level 22

Scattered forest clusters

Small forest diamonds and steel centres are scattered across open ground. There is no continuous wall dividing the lower approaches.

Level 23

Steel crown

A crown-like central steel shape is threaded with forest. The lower half is mostly open, with isolated steel near the bottom sides.

Level 24

Ice reservoir

Ice fills most of the right half below the middle. The left edge is a narrow brick-and-forest route with several obstructions.

Level 25

Fragmented brick maze

Uneven brick segments and isolated steel create many short bends. There are no water or forest areas to explain away a missed sight line.

Level 26

Diagonal fragments

Thin brick and steel fragments run diagonally through the middle, with water near opposite corners and forest along the sides.

Level 27

Steel channels

Long steel segments create an irregular network of narrow channels. A few brick joins and forest patches interrupt the central connections.

Level 28

Ice mountain

A triangular ice area widens toward the base, edged by forest. Only a few brick and steel blocks interrupt the upper-right approach.

Level 29

Water islands

Small rectangular water pools are scattered among forest and steel. Routes weave around several independent barriers rather than one river.

Level 30

Forest canopy

Forest covers almost the whole middle and lower field. Water and short steel fragments are embedded inside it; only the top and the base approach are relatively clear.

Level 31

Water labyrinth

Water forms a dense maze of short horizontal and vertical barriers. Small forest patches and brick joins sit at the turns.

Level 32

Ice mask

A broad ice field surrounds a symmetric brick-and-steel pattern. The lower central steel strip restricts a straight upward approach from home.

Level 33

Steel diagonal

Scattered steel squares and a forest diagonal leave large open areas on the right and lower field. There is no brick to remove for a new route.

Level 34

Brick lattice

Irregular brick shapes occupy the centre and both lower approaches. No steel, water, forest or ice complicates the initial geometry: every obstruction is destructible brick.

Level 35

Final water fortress

A dense brick, water and forest formation fills the middle, with a broad open strip above the base. Two small steel blocks anchor the upper centre.

Which map collection are you looking at?

Original Battle City (J), 1985: the atlas uses stage-numbered disassembly data, checked against two other representations. Every page shows its sources and distinguishes fixed enemy types from dynamic battle behaviour. The maps are data-rendered references; the tactics are our analysis of their geometry, not claims of a cartridge play-through.

Currently playable: Tank 1990 modification. Use the lettered menu option and stage number together when identifying its layout. We have not established a mode-by-mode correspondence with the original atlas. Starting our player does not start the original level you are reading. The captured H opening below is not original level 1.

See the version history and current playable version before transferring a route plan between versions.

Three places to inspect on any new layout

The last approach to the base. Follow every open corridor upward from headquarters. A long clear line can become dangerous before an enemy reaches the bottom.
The turn behind cover. A wall may protect you while facing one direction and trap you when a fast tank appears around the corner. Keep a retreat lane.
The route to a pickup. Ask what happens at home while you travel. A valuable item at the far edge can cost more than it gives.

The tactical diagram below is an original explanation of these responsibilities, not a tile-accurate reconstruction of a numbered level.

TANK H · Stage 1: protect the lower approaches

This atlas describes original Battle City (1985), available on the 1985 page. Home, Online and NES run Tank 1990: its lettered modes and maps are different. Opening a player starts its normal menu, not the selected atlas stage. The H-mode screenshot below is not original stage 1.

The headquarters sits in the bottom centre with brick around its approaches. Before removing cover, decide whether the opening helps you intercept a tank or extends an enemy's line toward home. Keep a return route through the lower field; pushing too far upwards can leave you too far away to respond.

With two players, leave one defender close enough to cover the base while the other changes lanes. The pictured enemy positions are a moment during the run, not fixed spawn points or a guaranteed enemy route.

Tank 1990 TANK H first-stage battlefield with large upper brick blocks, narrow passages and the headquarters at the bottom — **TANK H · Stage 1**Actual Tank 1990 capture: TANK H, stage 1. Enemy positions show one moment, not fixed spawn points. This is not an original Battle City map.

Share the defenceOriginal tactical schematic: two interception lanes and a shared fallback near the base. Not a numbered level map.