This extremely simple project is actually the minimum possible version of the Breakout Arcade game made on a 64 pixel display.
Recently in one of my projects I presented you a simple way to make a Tetris game on an 8x8 LED display. This time I will use the same hardware and case, and I will try to explain to you an equally simple way to make another legendary arcade game - Breakout.
Breakout is an arcade video game developed and published by Atari, and released on 1976. The player controls a paddle at the bottom of the screen. The objective is to use the paddle to bounce a ball into a wall of bricks at the top of the screen. Hitting a brick causes it to disappear, and the player earns points. The game has been ported to numerous platforms over the years, ensuring its continued popularity.
The version I present to you this time is probably the simplest possible and is played on a display with a resolution of only 64 pixels. However, it has almost all the options of the original, and even has three levels.
As before, the construction is extremely simple and the device consists of a minimum number of components:
- Arduino Nano microcontroller board
- Buzzer
- this time I use two Buttons
- optionally battery with voltage regulator
- and 8x8 Led Matrix with WS2812B Leds
I should mention that if the device is powered by an external 5VDC source, it should be capable of delivering a current of at least 1Ampere. All components used are standard except the LED matrix which can be found on the market in several versions. They all differ in the way and order of connecting the LEDs in them (zigzag horizontally, then vertically, snake connection, etc.). It is obvious that we cannot make hardware changes, so for this purpose I created a part of the code where any version of these matrices can be selected.
We need to select one by one of these 4 connection methods until we get the correct image on the matrix display. As for the rest of the code, although seemingly simple, there were problems with frequent repetition of an identical path of the ball, making it impossible to destroy some of the bricks, which is a consequence of the extremely small display. However, after a long experiment, I solved this part with some randomization of the ball, so the game became even more interesting. And like last time, you can see that the code is designed in such a way that all the game parameters can be changed very easily, so we can quickly adapt the game to our own needs.
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Now let's follow the way the game works. Immediately after turning on the game, a MINI BREAKOUT scrolling text appears on the display. Immediately after that, the game begins. The first level is the easiest, so in this level the paddle is the largest and is 3 pixels wide.
When we hit any brick with the ball, it disappears and we get one point for that. The entire game is accompanied by appropriate sounds. If we hit all the bricks, the game moves to the second level where the width of the paddle is now two pixels.
Similarly, in the third level the width of the paddle is only one pixel and now it is the most difficult to follow the ball.
After completing the game, the score appears in the form of scrolling text, and at the end a smiley figure appears. Now by pressing any of the buttons a new game is started.
And finally a short conclusion: This extremely simple project is actually the minimum possible version of the Breakout Arcade game made on a 64 pixel display, but still with all the standard options and sound effects. As I mentioned previously, the case is from one of my previous projects and is made of 5mm thick PVC material and has the shape of a classic arcade game console where this game was most often played many years ago. It is covered with self-adhesive wallpaper.
/*Arduino BREAKOUT Game on 8x8 Matrix WS2812b
by mircemk, June 2025
*/
#include <FastLED.h>
#define LED_PIN 6
#define NUM_LEDS 64
#define MATRIX_WIDTH 8
#define MATRIX_HEIGHT 8
#define LEFT_BUTTON_PIN 9
#define RIGHT_BUTTON_PIN 10
#define BUZZER_PIN 2
// Game constants
#define MIN_X_SPEED 0.2
#define MAX_X_SPEED 0.35
#define MIN_Y_SPEED 0.25
#define MAX_Y_SPEED 0.4
#define SPEED_DECAY 0.98
// Sound settings
#define TONE_HIT 1200
#define TONE_PADDLE 800
#define TONE_WALL 1000
#define TONE_GAMEOVER 400
#define TONE_DURATION 15
#define TONE_COOLDOWN 50
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
// Game elements
int paddlePos = 3;
int paddleWidth = 3;
float ballX = 4;
float ballY = 6;
float ballSpeedX = 0.2;
float ballSpeedY = -0.25;
bool bricks[3][8];
CRGB brickColors[3][8];
int score = 0;
int level = 1;
bool gameOver = false;
bool levelCompleted = false;
bool newGame = false;
bool displayScoreDone = false;
// Timing control
unsigned long lastFrameTime = 0;
unsigned long lastSoundTime = 0;
const unsigned long FRAME_TIME = 50;
const byte SMILEY[8] = {
B00111100,
B01000010,
B10100101,
B10000001,
B10100101,
B10011001,
B01000010,
B00111100
};
// Font definition for letters and numbers (5x7 font)
const byte font[37][5] = {
{0x7C, 0x22, 0x22, 0x22, 0x7C}, // A
{0x7E, 0x4A, 0x4A, 0x4A, 0x34}, // B
{0x3C, 0x42, 0x42, 0x42, 0x24}, // C
{0x7E, 0x42, 0x42, 0x42, 0x3C}, // D
{0x7E, 0x4A, 0x4A, 0x4A, 0x42}, // E
{0x7E, 0x0A, 0x0A, 0x0A, 0x02}, // F
{0x3C, 0x42, 0x52, 0x52, 0x34}, // G
{0x7E, 0x08, 0x08, 0x08, 0x7E}, // H
{0x00, 0x42, 0x7E, 0x42, 0x00}, // I
{0x20, 0x40, 0x42, 0x3E, 0x02}, // J
{0x7E, 0x08, 0x14, 0x22, 0x42}, // K
{0x7E, 0x40, 0x40, 0x40, 0x40}, // L
{0x7E, 0x04, 0x18, 0x04, 0x7E}, // M
{0x7E, 0x04, 0x08, 0x10, 0x7E}, // N
{0x3C, 0x42, 0x42, 0x42, 0x3C}, // O
{0x7E, 0x12, 0x12, 0x12, 0x0C}, // P
{0x3C, 0x42, 0x52, 0x22, 0x5C}, // Q
{0x7E, 0x12, 0x32, 0x52, 0x0C}, // R
{0x24, 0x4A, 0x4A, 0x4A, 0x30}, // S
{0x02, 0x02, 0x7E, 0x02, 0x02}, // T
{0x3E, 0x40, 0x40, 0x40, 0x3E}, // U
{0x1E, 0x20, 0x40, 0x20, 0x1E}, // V
{0x3E, 0x40, 0x30, 0x40, 0x3E}, // W
{0x66, 0x18, 0x18, 0x18, 0x66}, // X
{0x06, 0x08, 0x70, 0x08, 0x06}, // Y
{0x62, 0x52, 0x4A, 0x46, 0x42}, // Z
{0x3E, 0x51, 0x49, 0x45, 0x3E}, // 0
{0x00, 0x42, 0x7F, 0x40, 0x00}, // 1
{0x72, 0x49, 0x49, 0x49, 0x46}, // 2
{0x21, 0x41, 0x45, 0x4B, 0x31}, // 3
{0x18, 0x14, 0x12, 0x7F, 0x10}, // 4
{0x27, 0x45, 0x45, 0x45, 0x39}, // 5
{0x3E, 0x49, 0x49, 0x49, 0x32}, // 6
{0x01, 0x71, 0x09, 0x05, 0x03}, // 7
{0x36, 0x49, 0x49, 0x49, 0x36}, // 8
{0x26, 0x49, 0x49, 0x49, 0x3E}, // 9
{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00} // Space
};
// Function to get the index of a character in the font array
int getCharIndex(char c) {
if (c >= 'A' && c <= 'Z') {
return c - 'A';
} else if (c >= '0' && c <= '9') {
return c - '0' + 26;
} else {
return 36; // Space
}
}
// Function to scroll text on the LED matrix
void scrollText(const char* text, int delayTime) {
int length = strlen(text);
for (int offset = 0; offset < length * 6 + MATRIX_WIDTH; offset++) {
fill_solid(leds, NUM_LEDS, CRGB::Black);
for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
int charIndex = getCharIndex(text[i]);
for (int col = 0; col < 5; col++) {
if (i * 6 + col - offset >= 0 && i * 6 + col - offset < MATRIX_WIDTH) {
byte column = font[charIndex][col];
for (int row = 0; row < 7; row++) {
if (column & (1 << row)) {
leds[getPixelIndex(i * 6 + col - offset, row)] = CRGB::White;
}
}
}
}
}
FastLED.show();
delay(delayTime);
}
}
void setup() {
FastLED.addLeds<WS2812B, LED_PIN, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);
FastLED.setBrightness(50);
pinMode(LEFT_BUTTON_PIN, INPUT_PULLUP);
pinMode(RIGHT_BUTTON_PIN, INPUT_PULLUP);
pinMode(BUZZER_PIN, OUTPUT);
delay (1000);
scrollText(" MINI BREAKOUT", 80);
initializeGame();
}
void playSound(int frequency, int duration) {
noTone(BUZZER_PIN); // Ensure the buzzer is off before playing a new sound
tone(BUZZER_PIN, frequency, duration);
delay(duration);
noTone(BUZZER_PIN); // Turn off the buzzer after the duration
}
void initializeGame() {
FastLED.setBrightness(50); // Ensure consistent brightness
for (int row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
for (int col = 0; col < 8; col++) {
bricks[row][col] = true;
brickColors[row][col] = CHSV(random(0, 255), 255, 255); // Random color
}
}
paddlePos = 3;
ballX = 4.0;
ballY = 6.0;
ballSpeedX = 0.2;
ballSpeedY = -0.25;
score = 0;
level = 1;
paddleWidth = 3;
gameOver = false;
levelCompleted = false;
newGame = false;
displayScoreDone = false;
lastFrameTime = millis();
lastSoundTime = 0;
}
void initializeLevel() {
for (int row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
for (int col = 0; col < 8; col++) {
bricks[row][col] = true;
brickColors[row][col] = CHSV(random(0, 255), 255, 255); // Random color
}
}
paddlePos = 3;
ballX = 4.0;
ballY = 6.0;
ballSpeedX = 0.2;
ballSpeedY = -0.25;
levelCompleted = false;
lastFrameTime = millis();
}
void loop() {
unsigned long currentTime = millis();
if (!gameOver && !newGame) {
if (currentTime - lastFrameTime >= FRAME_TIME) {
handleInput();
updateGame();
lastFrameTime = currentTime;
}
drawGame();
FastLED.show();
} else if (gameOver && !displayScoreDone) {
char scoreText[20];
sprintf(scoreText, "SCORE: %d", score);
scrollText(scoreText, 100);
displayScoreDone = true;
displaySmiley();
} else if (gameOver && displayScoreDone) {
if (digitalRead(LEFT_BUTTON_PIN) == LOW || digitalRead(RIGHT_BUTTON_PIN) == LOW) {
delay(300);
initializeGame();
newGame = false; // Reset newGame for the next game cycle
displayScoreDone = false;
}
}
}
void handleInput() {
if (digitalRead(LEFT_BUTTON_PIN) == LOW && paddlePos > 0) {
paddlePos--;
}
if (digitalRead(RIGHT_BUTTON_PIN) == LOW && paddlePos < MATRIX_WIDTH - paddleWidth) {
paddlePos++;
}
}
void updateGame() {
ballX += ballSpeedX;
ballY += ballSpeedY;
// Brick collisions
bool allBricksDestroyed = true;
for (int row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
for (int col = 0; col < 8; col++) {
if (bricks[row][col]) {
allBricksDestroyed = false;
if (ballY >= row - 0.1 && ballY < row + 1.1 &&
ballX >= col - 0.1 && ballX < col + 1.1) {
bricks[row][col] = false;
float dx = ballX - (col + 0.5);
float dy = ballY - (row + 0.5);
if (abs(dx) > abs(dy)) {
ballSpeedX = -ballSpeedX;
} else {
ballSpeedY = -ballSpeedY;
}
ballSpeedX += (random(-15, 16) / 100.0);
ballSpeedX = constrain(ballSpeedX, -MAX_X_SPEED, MAX_X_SPEED);
ballSpeedY = constrain(ballSpeedY, -MAX_Y_SPEED, MAX_Y_SPEED);
score += 1;
playSound(TONE_HIT, TONE_DURATION);
break;
}
}
}
}
// Check for level completion
if (allBricksDestroyed) {
levelCompleted = true;
level++;
if (level > 3) {
gameOver = true;
playSound(TONE_GAMEOVER, TONE_DURATION * 5);
} else {
if (level == 2) {
paddleWidth = 2;
} else if (level == 3) {
paddleWidth = 1;
}
initializeLevel();
}
}
// Wall collisions
if (ballX <= 0 || ballX >= MATRIX_WIDTH - 1) {
ballSpeedX = -ballSpeedX;
ballX = (ballX <= 0) ? 0.1 : (MATRIX_WIDTH - 1.1);
if (abs(ballSpeedY) < MIN_Y_SPEED) {
ballSpeedY += (ballSpeedY > 0 ? MIN_Y_SPEED : -MIN_Y_SPEED) * 0.5;
}
playSound(TONE_WALL, TONE_DURATION);
}
if (ballY <= 0) {
ballSpeedY = abs(ballSpeedY);
ballY = 0.1;
playSound(TONE_WALL, TONE_DURATION);
}
// Paddle collision
if (ballY >= MATRIX_HEIGHT - 2 && ballY < MATRIX_HEIGHT - 1) {
if (ballX >= paddlePos && ballX < paddlePos + paddleWidth) {
ballY = MATRIX_HEIGHT - 2;
float hitPos = (ballX - paddlePos) / paddleWidth;
float angle = (hitPos - 0.5) * PI * 0.7;
float speed = sqrt(ballSpeedX * ballSpeedX + ballSpeedY * ballSpeedY);
ballSpeedX = sin(angle) * speed;
ballSpeedY = -abs(cos(angle) * speed);
if (abs(ballSpeedY) < MIN_Y_SPEED) {
ballSpeedY = -MIN_Y_SPEED;
}
playSound(TONE_PADDLE, TONE_DURATION);
}
}
// Check if the ball collapses next to paddle on the left or right side
if (ballY >= MATRIX_HEIGHT - 1 && (ballX < paddlePos || ballX >= paddlePos + paddleWidth)) {
gameOver = true;
playSound(TONE_GAMEOVER, TONE_DURATION * 5);
}
ballSpeedX *= SPEED_DECAY;
ballSpeedY *= SPEED_DECAY;
if (abs(ballSpeedX) < MIN_X_SPEED) {
ballSpeedX = (ballSpeedX < 0) ? -MIN_X_SPEED : MIN_X_SPEED;
}
if (abs(ballSpeedY) < MIN_Y_SPEED) {
ballSpeedY = (ballSpeedY < 0) ? -MIN_Y_SPEED : MIN_Y_SPEED;
}
ballSpeedX = constrain(ballSpeedX, -MAX_X_SPEED, MAX_X_SPEED);
ballSpeedY = constrain(ballSpeedY, -MAX_Y_SPEED, MAX_Y_SPEED);
if (ballY >= MATRIX_HEIGHT) {
gameOver = true;
playSound(TONE_GAMEOVER, TONE_DURATION * 5);
}
}
void drawGame() {
fill_solid(leds, NUM_LEDS, CRGB::Black);
// Draw bricks
for (int row = 0; row < 3; row++) {
for (int col = 0; col < 8; col++) {
if (bricks[row][col]) {
leds[getPixelIndex(col, row)] = brickColors[row][col];
}
}
}
// Draw paddle
for (int i = 0; i < paddleWidth; i++) {
leds[getPixelIndex(paddlePos + i, MATRIX_HEIGHT - 1)] = CRGB::Blue;
}
// Draw ball
leds[getPixelIndex(int(ballX), int(ballY))] = CRGB::White;
}
void displaySmiley() {
fill_solid(leds, NUM_LEDS, CRGB::Black);
for (int row = 0; row < 8; row++) {
for (int col = 0; col < 8; col++) {
if (SMILEY[row] & (1 << (7 - col))) {
leds[getPixelIndex(col, row)] = CRGB::Yellow;
}
}
}
FastLED.show();
}
int getPixelIndex(int x, int y) {
return y * MATRIX_WIDTH + x;
}
