Classic arcade machines achieved dynamic particle effects through ingenious hardware manipulation rather than software processing. The limited CPU power of arcade cabinets meant developers used dedicated graphics chips for real-time effects. Sprite scaling and rotation chips like those in Sega's System 16 hardware could manipulate multiple particle objects simultaneously without taxing the main processor.

Particle explosions were often pre-rendered as animation frames stored in ROM, triggered through palette cycling that created the illusion of movement and transformation. By rapidly changing color values in the frame buffer, developers simulated sparks, smoke, and debris with minimal processing overhead. The inherent persistence of CRT phosphors provided natural motion blur, making particle movements appear smoother than the actual frame rate suggested.

Some systems used tile-based backgrounds where individual tiles could be reprogrammed on the fly to create particle animations. Neo Geo's multi-layered sprite system allowed hundreds of small particle sprites to move independently through hardware-assisted sprite multiplexing. The result was spectacular effects like the glittering spark showers in Metal Slug or the dramatic explosions in Capcom's beat 'em ups, all running at 60fps on 1980s hardware.