The Atari 2600 may not be the very first video game home console, but it was certainly the first one to cut through to mainstream entertainment in a way gaming had never done before. It’s easy to trace a lineage between the success of the Atari 2600 and the enduring significance that this ever-expanding industry continues to enjoy, even if the system itself ended in rather catastrophic circumstances.
And while the games of the Atari 2600 may feel quite archaic by today’s standards, the system’s very best demonstrate the creativity of developers working within extremely confined limitations. Sometimes compromise does result in great works, and these games are certainly testament to that philosophy.
8Combat
Tank Vs Tank
Once you ignore the constant droning sound that plays throughout the matches of Combat, you will find a tightly designedvehicle-combat gamethat has not lost a shred of its excitement after nearly five decades. After all, blowing up your friend’s tank simply never gets old.
The feeling of perfectly placing a shot that ricochets into the opposing tanks is one of the most satisfying in any Atari 2600 game. The myriad of modes only adds to the replay value of Combat, ensuring the game is still a blast to play all these years later.
7Breakout
Brilliant Brick Breaker Breakout
We all know how this works. There’s a paddle at the bottom of the screen and layers of bricks at the top. It’s your job to use the paddle to bounce a ball to break(out) those bricks and complete the level. It’s simple, it’s timeless, it’s Breakout.
And it still holds up, even on the slightly compromised Atari 2600 port. While controlling the paddle with the joystick can feel a bit loose, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be a Breakout star in no time.
6Missile Command
Bombs Away
In the pantheon of successful arcade-to-home console ports, Missile Command for the Atari 2600 sits right near the top. This is likely down to the fact that Atari Inc. developed both games, but very little of the original’s frenetic energy is lost in the 2600’s translation.
A late-Cold War era military game, Missile Command has you shooting down various enemy weapons before they damage surrounding cities. Interestingly, the manual for the Atari 2600 port states that the war in question is between two alien planets – a detail that was completely absent from the arcade original.
5Warlords
A Fight To Crown The King Pong
Warlords is another favourable arcade port for the Atari 2600 that leaned heavily into the multiplayer aspect of the system. The game puts a clever twist on the Pong/Breakout formula by having you control one of four castles that uses a paddle to try to deflect a flaming ball onto the opposing castles.
The game can quickly become chaotic – but in the same way that a game of paintball can get all sorts of crazy. Warlords is set up for tailormade for memorable multiplayer experiences and is a perfect fit for the Atari 2600’s hardware.
4River Raid
Sending You Down The River
An important historical predecessor to theentire shoot ‘em up genre, River Raid is one of the most polished games you can play on the Atari 2600. The gameplay is simple yet well-executed, as you pilot a warplane down the “River of No Return”, shooting enemies, collecting fuel, and seeing how long you last before you crash into the watery pixels below.
River Raid also holds historical significance for being one of the first major games designed by a woman, Carol Shaw. Her inspired decision to have the titular river randomly generate enemy and fuel placements on each playthrough means that River Raid remains fresh every time you boot it up.
3Adventure
The Legend Of Square
Adventure is, in many ways, the true grandfather of open-world action-adventure games. Sure, the “open-world” in question may only be a handful of screens, and the “action-adventure” mainly involves avoiding dragons that look more like ducks, but the sense of wonder this game evoked back in 1980 was simply mind-blowing.
The three different modes also allowed players to choose their difficulty level if they wished to ease into this, well… adventure. The next time you play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or The Witcher 3, remember that at least some of those games’ design lineage can be traced all the back to Adventure.
2Pitfall!
Harry Of The Jungle
Before Mario was saving the mushroom kingdom from weird turtle dragons, Pitfall Harry was jumping over crocodiles, collecting hidden treasures, and showcasing just how far the Atari 2600 could be pushed. Pitfall is certainly a rudimentary platformer when compared to where the genre is today, but it helped establish the pathway for that genre to achieve greatness.
All of that is to say that Pitfall is still a good time over forty years since its launch. There remains a charm to its simplicity, and going for a new high score yields the same joy it did all those years ago. Honourable mention goes to Pitfall 2: The Lost Caverns, if for no other reason than having one ofthe best sky boxeson the Atari 2600.
1Yars’ Revenge
Bugging You To Play
When simply looking at the Atari 2600 games that remain a fun experience in modern times, then Yars’ Revenge comes out on top. While the game looks simple enough at first glance, Yars’ Revenge masks a sophisticated gameplay loop that highlights a designer – Howard Scott Warshaw – working at the peak of their powers.
There’s a dance that takes place between your playable Yar and the enemy Qotile as you use the limited real estate of the single screen – including the neutral zone – to your advantage. Expertly crafted and timeless in the eyes of many, Yars’ Revenge is the Atari 2600 firing on all cylinders.
