Play John Elway's Quarterback Online

Summary

John Elway's Quarterback drops you right onto the line of scrimmage, letting you call the plays, launch the passes and even make the tackles as if you were the real thing. The game’s tagline promises a view "like a quarterback does," and the on‑screen prompts make you feel the pressure of a third‑and‑long situation with the clock winding down.

What really sets it apart is the arcade‑style control: a spring‑loaded joystick that you angle and release to dictate the trajectory of a throw or kick. When the ball changes hands, you simply swap sides of the cabinet and keep the action flowing, while a hidden "normal play" can be unlocked by waiting out the selection timer, delivering a near‑unstoppable burst of speed for the receiver.

Originally an arcade title, the game was rebranded in 1988 after John Elway agreed to endorse it, and it later migrated to the NES and a host of home computers, bringing that high‑octane, quarterback‑centric experience into living rooms across the U.S.