Qix
Qix is a 1981 puzzle video game developed and published by Taito for arcades. Designed by husband and wife team Randy and Sandy Pfeiffer, Qix is one of a handful of games made by Taito's American division. At the start of each level, the playing field is a large, empty rectangle, containing the Qix, an abstract stick-like entity that performs graceful but unpredictable motions within the confines of the rectangle. The objective is to draw lines that close off parts of the rectangle to fill in a set amount of the playfield.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1981
- Developer
- Taito
- Platforms
- 2 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 31 December 1981 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Taito |
| Publisher | Taito |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy |
| Genres | action game |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q1953575, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Qix? How long to beat it
Total play time for Qix is about 20.5 hours to do everything, and around 0.7 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 0.7h | 22 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 0.8h | 3 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 20.5h | 2 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Qix sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Qix lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 30ahead of 0% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 32ahead of 74% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Qix
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where Qix appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Qix qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Common questions about Qix
What platforms is Qix on?
Qix is available on Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy. It first released in 1981.
Who made Qix?
Qix was developed by Taito and published by Taito.
How long does it take to beat Qix?
about 0.7 hours for the main story, 0.8 hours with the main extras, 20.5 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.