STARCADE!, TV’s first video arcade game show, featured competition on video arcade games between two players (or 2 teams of 2 players each) vying for the Grand Prize, usually a video arcade game of their very own. Contestants on STARCADE! competed: 1) by answering questions about video arcade games; 2) by identifying video game by their game screen; and 3) by playing video arcade games. Prizes included robots, computers, electronic games and video arcade games.

STARCADE! showcased the very latest video arcade games and the classics such as “Space Invaders.” The video game manufacturers provided their brand new games, some still in prototype, for inclusion on STARCADE! as a playing game and/or a grand prize. Today the games of STARCADE! are ‘the classics", the original ‘cute’ games that stressed fun and competition. In all, some 200+ games were featured in game play and/or on the Name the Game board on STARCADE!