30 Best Atari Games, Ranked

Long before PlayStation, Xbox, Wii and even the classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the various consoles produced by the Atari Corporation were the undisputed champs of home-based gaming. Atari culture was synonymous with early-’80s popular culture and found its way into TV shows, movies and even pop music of the era.

Although the gaming world has long since moved on from Atari, the company still remains in business today, mostly in the retro-nostalgia sector. And speaking of nostalgia, we went back through the neon wormhole to unearth the best Atari games of past years. Our choices are based on commercial success, longevity and some good old-fashioned staff choices.  

30. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

Release date: December 1982

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Atari 2600

*Note: For our purposes, certain “release dates” are when the game was imported to the Atari home system versus its debut at the arcade.

Bottom Line: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

In any poll of the most frustrating games of all time, “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” has to rank near the absolute top of the heap. The rumors and myths about this quickly produced Atari “adventure” game are legion, and even four decades later, a rather vocal segment of gamers out there still talk about how “E.T.” was basically impossible to “finish.” 

And yet as tough as it was, players just couldn’t help themselves in trying to help the little alien piece together an improvised device to “phone home.” 

29. Demon Attack

Release date: 1982

Developer: Imagic

Publisher: Imagic

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Commodore 64, Intellivision, Magnavox Odyssey 2, PC, TRS-80, TRS-80 Color Computer, TI-99/4A, VIC-20

Bottom Line: Demon Attack

Silly outer-space aliens, always trying to muck up things for our terrestrial heroes. Good thing the hero of “Demon Attack” was on the case and looked to send those destructive beasties to another dimension (meaning kingdom come). 

“Demon Attack” was notable for being a “platform shooter” game, the first of a great many to come. “Demon Attack” was great for hours of fun, which was a good thing considering it was rather repetitive — aka addictive.

28. Warlords

Release date: 1980 

Developer: Atari 

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600

Bottom Line: Warlords

In the late-’70s, Atari was into the arcade game business before it got in on the home-console action. Naturally, one of the first titles the company brought forth from the arcade to its own console was “Warlords,” in which players compete with one another to become the king of a magical realm. 

Gameplay involved trying to destroy an “enemy” castle with various weapons, including bouncing fireballs that penetrated the castle wall. It didn’t exactly have a great “story,” but it was a simpler time.

27. Night Driver

Release date: June 22, 1980

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600, Commodore 64

Bottom Line: Night Driver

“Night Driver” beat “Knight Rider” to the scene by several years, so perhaps David Hasselhoff and crew might yet see some legal action from Atari, especially considering that both titles featured a rather slick driver who had to avoid other cars and act all heroic and stuff (alas, “Night Driver” didn’t have a talking automobile — nor a Hasselhoff). 

The Atari programmers upped the ante for the home version, adding in color and snazzier graphics for a more thrilling “driving” experience.   

26. Kaboom!

Release date: July 1981

Developer: Activision

Publisher: Activision

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200

Bottom Line: Kaboom!

Sometimes, the name of the game tells you absolutely nothing about the game itself, and then sometimes you get a title like “Kaboom!” that gives you everything you need to know before ever plugging the cartridge into the console. The gameplay had you try to stop a “mad” bomber from throwing explosive devices all over the place. 

You did this by “catching” the bombs inside of a bucket, which is either filled with water or some super high-tech anti-bomb juice. Really, it’s best not to think about it too much. 

25. Montezuma’s Revenge

Release date: 1984

Developer: Utopia Software

Publisher: Parker Brothers, Micro Smiths 

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Apple II, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, IBM PC Master System

Bottom Line: Montezuma’s Revenge

Right up front, let’s get past the fact that the name of the game is incredibly funny. But given that it’s called “Montezuma’s Revenge,” it’s also necessary that we get out of the way that the game doesn’t circle around anything to do with traveler’s diarrhea.

Actually, this was a rather intricate adventure title, involving mazes and puzzles and dungeons (no dragons, alas). Meaning you had to think as you played, rather than simply zapping bad guys. Many games of this type followed on later platforms.

24. River Raid

Release date: Dec. 13, 1982

Developer: Activision

Publisher: Activision

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Intellivision, MSX, IBM PCjr, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64

Bottom Line: River Raid

It’s true, the graphics look incredibly dated, but you have to put yourself into the mindset of a gamer in late 1982 when “River Raid” was all the rage. The side-scrolling action had the player piloting a fighter jet that went up against all manner of bogies, stationary objects, fuel tanks and much more. 

Along the way, as you flew above said river, you had to nuke bridges, thus stopping the bad guys from we’re not quite sure what — but we did it anyway.

23. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Release date: November 1982

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Atari 2600 

Bottom Line: Raiders of the Lost Ark

It was the early days of home-based video games based on blockbuster movies, and there wasn’t a bigger early-’80s flick than “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” which introduced us to one Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr. in his first of a great many adventures in movies, comic books, TV shows and, of course, video games. 

“Raiders” for Atari was actually more complicated than most games, as it required the player to use two controllers for different activities. But if you’re cool like Indy, you could, to quote a song of the era, “whip it good.”

22. Atlantis

Release date: 1982

Developer: Imagic

Publisher: Imagic

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, VIC-20, Intellivision, Magnavox Odyssey 2

Bottom Line: Atlantis

One of the great things about video games is that not only did they invent worlds, but they also looked to earth-bound mythologies for their storylines. As but one example, 1982’s “Atlantis” had the Atari player protecting Atlantan culture from a race of bad guys called the Gorgons, who were out to sink (sorry) the legendary city — never mind that the ocean would take care of it for them. 

Players were actively encouraged to take a photo of their high score and send them in for publication — which was the social media of its day. 

21. Adventure

Release date: July 1980

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Atari 2600

Bottom Line: Adventure

The adventurous plot of “Adventure” goes something like this: You are charged with finding the Enchanted Chalice (not called the Holy Grail for obvious reasons) that a naughty wizard ran off with and then bringing it back to the Golden Castle to return balance to creation. 

Along the way you have to battle “dragons” (please forgive the primitive graphics) and find your way through various mazes. You know, because when the game’s name is “Adventure,” it better deliver!

20. Crystal Castles

Release date: July 8, 1983

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari ST, Arcade, Apple II, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC

Bottom Line: Crystal Castles

Atari foisted upon gamers both the arcade and home version of “Crystal Castles” during the summer of 1983. The gameplay required the player to round up a number of precious gems in order to “finish” one castle before moving on to the next. 

In the 2-D world of Atari, designer Scott Fuller and programmers Franz X. Lanzinger and Sam Lee challenged gamers’ minds by expanding the puzzles the player had to solve into three dimensions graphically. And for some reason, when you cleared each castle, a piece of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” would play.

19. The Empire Strikes Back

Release date: 1982 

Developer: Parker Brothers

Publisher: Parker Brothers 

Platforms: Atari 2600, Intellivision

Bottom Line: The Empire Strikes Back

Everyone expected the “Star Wars” sequel to be called Part II or similar, but lo and behold, George Lucas named it “Episode V,” meaning we came into the middle of the story in 1977! No matter, as “The Empire Strikes Back” cleaned up at the box office and revealed that Darth Vader is, in fact, Luke Skywalker’s dad (seriously, you didn’t know?!). 

Parker Brothers got its Force on by translating “Empire” into Atari format — but notably, the game only includes Luke battling the AT-ATs on Hoth and left the rest of the movie’s plot alone. 

18. Yars’ Revenge

Release date: May 1982

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Atari 2600, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color

Bottom Line: Yars’ Revenge

It’s a rather rare video game that lets you play as a giant bug, but that’s precisely what “Yars’ Revenge” was all about. Why precisely the Yar was out for a dish best served cold wasn’t precisely explained in detail, but to make his enemies pay, Yar would shoot his “Zorlon Cannon” and chew his way through some barriers to fight his enemies, who were called the Qotile, from wreaking further havoc on Yar and his people. 

Oh, the game also had a hidden Easter egg, which you can learn more about here.

17. Mario Bros.

Release date: April 4, 1983

Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Intelligent Systems 

Publisher: Nintendo

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 2800, Arcade, PC-88, FM-7, Commodore 64, NES, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Game & Watch, Game Boy Advance

Bottom Line: Mario Bros.

Mario and his bro Luigi have been in dozens of games together, but they had to start somewhere. After Mario’s first solo adventure trying to rescue the princess from Donkey Kong (more on this later), he teamed up with his plumber brother for the deceptively simple “Mario Bros.,” in which they battle with goons emerging from the sewers. 

Unlike their later games, where they jump on top of bad guys, this time Mario and Luigi had to bump their enemies from underneath, then kick them off the playing board. 

16. Dig Dug

Release date: April 1982

Developer: Namco 

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, Apple II 

Bottom Line: Dig Dug

Little Dig Dug may have been a humble fellow, but he packed an absolutely awesome weapon! The hero of this self-titled adventure was out to rid each successive board of Pookas and Fygars, the latter of which could spit fire at our hero. 

Dig Dug would “spear” the creature with an air hose that you pumped up until the enemy creature exploded — wicked cool! You could also drop boulders on them, too. But don’t get cocky, as both the Pookas and Fygars could actually walk between walls and chase you if you weren’t careful. 

15. Pole Position

Release date: Nov. 30, 1982

Developer: Namco

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600

Bottom Line: Pole Position

Racing games are insanely fun, especially when you avoid the real-world dangers of crashing from the safety of your couch. Atari imported this arcade favorite for the home console market, and it maintained the arcade game’s format of racing both the clock and computer-generated opponents as the player zoomed around an 8-bit track.

While it can’t be proven, perhaps “Pole Position” explains why a great many ’80s kids failed their driver’s test the first time around.

14. Defender

Release date: February 1981

Developer: Williams

Publisher: Williams, Atari, Atarisoft

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Apple II, BBC Micro, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, VIC-20, Intellivision, TI-99/4A, IBM PC, Adventure Vision, SAM Coupé, ZX Spectrum

Bottom Line: Defender

Remember, the Atari consoles weren’t super powerful, and their graphics could be rudimentary, so it was crucial to keep the gameplay as simple as it was in “Defender.”  The player channeled a character whose mission was to stop yet another race of evil aliens from getting their grubby, green-hued hands on Earth. 

“Defender” was a bona fide hit for Atari, and it even inspired a rather infamous earworm thanks to the band Buckner & Garcia — whom we haven’t heard from again in some time now. 

13. Frogger

Release date: September 1981

Developer: Konami

Publisher: Sega/Gremlin Industries

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 2600 Supercharger, Commodore 64, Apple II series, Macintosh, IBM PC, TRS-80 Color Computer, Intellivision, ColecoVision, TI-99/4A, VIC-20

Bottom Line: Frogger

Poor Frogger. All the little amphibian wanted to do is get to the other side of the highway — perhaps to maybe find out whatever happened to that legendary chicken. And yet our froggie friend has to dodge cars, trucks, racing vehicles and various other street-ready craft.

Frogger has returned in many a sequel over the years, including the overly cleverly entitled “Frogger II: ThreeeDeep!”

12. Pac-Man

Release date: 1982

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600

Bottom Line: Pac-Man

Ghosts keep chasing Pac-Man around a maze, but fortunately, he can eat power pellets that allow him to somehow chow down on those spectral fiends. “Pac-Man” was one of the first hit maze games, inspiring countless imitators that never equaled the singular pleasure that the original game unleashed upon thousands of happy (and frustrated) gamers both in the arcade and at home. 

“Pac-Man” ate up the competition to sell 7 million units during its run, making it the most successful Atari 2600 title ever!

11. Donkey Kong

Release date: July 31, 1981

Developer: Nintendo R&D1

Publisher: Nintendo 

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Game & Watch, Intellivision, ColecoVision, Coleco Mini-Arcade, Famicom/NES, TI-99/4a, IBM PC, Commodore 64, VIC-20, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Nintendo e-Reader, Game Boy Advance

Bottom Line: Donkey Kong

Our old pal Mario (originally called “Jump Man” in Japan) was a simple plumber minding his own business when a giant gorilla by the handle Donkey Kong came around to monkey up the domestic bliss Mario shared with his lady friend. And so Mario had to rescue the distressed damsel again and again and again and again and again in this blockbuster hit. The game got incredibly hard as you went along, and expert players even got to see a “kill screen.” 

Check out the 2007 documentary “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” to learn more about super-duper “Kong” players.

10. Centipede

Release date: June 6, 1981

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Apple II, BBC Micro, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Intellivision, TI-99/4A, VIC-20, Game Boy

Bottom Line: Centipede

Man, those outer-space centipede monsters were hard to kill. The minute you shot a part of one, the monster broke up into several sub-centipedes that all had to then be wiped out. Oh, there were also giant spiders crawling around the gameboard that could put a dent in your day as well. 

The arcade version had the player use a trackball to scroll the heroic ship around the gameboard, but the home-bound Atari version had you using a joystick instead. There’s a lesson here: What works in the arcade might not at home. Or something.

9. Breakout

Release date: Nov. 9, 1978

Developer: Atari 

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600

Bottom Line: Breakout

We’re in the top 10 now, so it’s little surprise that we’re getting into some truly old-school titles, including “Breakout.” This game was one of the first to allow you to play as the bad guy versus the hero, as you helped the anti-hero bust out of jail — with the help of an electronic silver ball that you bounced up against various walls in order to skip the joint. 

This block-breaker format was refined over the years, including in the later, more advanced “Arkanoid.” 

8. Ms. Pac-Man

Release date: 1982

Developer: General Computer Corporation, Midway

Publisher: Midway

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, VIC-20, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, IBM PC, Apple II, TI-99/4A, NES, Sega Genesis, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Atari Lynx

Bottom Line: Ms. Pac-Man

Who says only the male Pac-Men of the species should get to have all the fun? And how woke is the name “Pac-Man” anyways? Well, regardless of nomenclature or “preferred” pronouns, it was Ms. Pac-Man’s time to do the original pellet-eater one better. 

This time, the gameplay was faster, especially on the arcade console, and “Ms. Pac-Man” is now rightly regarded as superior to the original in pretty much every way. Heck, even Marge Simpson said Ms. Pac-Man “struck a blow for women’s rights.”

7. Q*bert

Release date: Oct. 18, 1982

Developer: Gottlieb

Publisher: Gottlieb, Parker Brothers

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, Game Boy Color, MSX, VIC-20, Intellivision, NES, Odyssey², Mobile, SG-1000, Standalone tabletop, TI-99/4A, ZX Spectrum, Game Boy, IOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Dreamcast

Bottom Line: Q*bert

Forty years later, we still have absolutely no idea what type of creature Q*bert was. But whatever his taxonomy, the cute little critter had his work cut out for him: He had to hop from block to block to make each square change color. Simple, right? Well, it would be were it not for the various creature foes who are out to rain on Q*bert’s hopping parade. 

Q*bert didn’t speak either, but the arcade cabinet had a quote bubble above him containing an indecipherable phrase of symbols. Oh, what we would give to peek into his Q mind.

6. Missile Command

Release date: 1981

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari ST, Game Boy, Lynx

Bottom Line: Missile Command

Long before a guy named Vladimir Putin essentially declared himself Russia’s dictator for life, the United States and the then-Soviet Union were locked in an arms race to determine who had the baddest, most dangerous arsenal of nuclear weapons on Earth. It’s understandable, then, that “Missile Command” came along to capitalize on such fears of mutual nuclear anilization. 

The player controlled an anti-missile device that could shoot incoming warheads out of the sky, thereby saving friendly cities from ruin. Good thing Russia is now an “ally.” 

5. Space Invaders

Release date: March 10, 1980

Developer: Taito

Publisher: Midway, Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5600, MSX, handheld, tabletop, watch, calculator, NES, SG-1000, WonderSwan, VG Pocket, mobile, IOS

Bottom Line: Space Invaders

After a successful debut for the arcade market in 1978, “Space Invaders,” well, invaded the home console market, Atari among them. “Space Invaders” was the very definition of addictive video gaming. No matter how many times you blasted those descending ETs out of the sky, you couldn’t help but play it over and over. The gameplay got more intense the more aliens you blasted, as those remaining came at you with increasing speed. 

To show off your retro cred, pick up one of the many T-shirts out there featuring a Space Invader. 

4. Asteroids

Release date: 1981

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Game Boy

Bottom Line: Asteroids

When all you have is 8-bit computer power, your best bet might be to make objects out of basic shapes, as happened with the extremely successful “Asteroids,” in which you found yourself surrounded by tons of oddly shaped meteors. As soon as you shot them, however, they split up into many smaller space rocks. Oh, and the occasional flying saucer would zoom by, making life even harder for the “Asteroids” astronaut. 

You could even make your ship disappear, but you risked it reappearing right next to a killer asteroid. Don’t you hate it when that happens?

3. Pitfall!

Release date: Aug. 20, 1982

Developer: Activision 

Publisher: Activision

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, MSX, Commodore 64, Intellivision, Apple II

Bottom Line: Pitfall!

“Pitfall!” (yep, it had an exclamation point) was rather notable for being a game developed directly for the Atari home console instead of translated from a previous arcade cabinet. That makes it a true original, and it was so much fun. 

You controlled a jungle adventurer who had to negotiate all manner of, uh, pitfalls, including scorpions and hungry alligators. And, of course, tons of abysses that you had to jump over or use a swinging vine to cross — and not a few of which appeared and disappeared seemingly at will! 

2. Berzerk

Release date: November 1980

Developer: Stern Electronics, Atari, Western Technologies

Publisher: Stern Electronics, Atari, Vectrex 

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Vectrex

Bottom Line: Berzerk

“Berzerk” combined a maze concept with a shoot-em-up game — all set in a futuristic realm of laser beams and robots (“Star Wars” was very “in” at the time, if you recall). You were dropped into a labyrinth where you had to blast away said robots, many of whom had absolutely no compunctions about shooting back. (And in the tried-and-true trope of video games, bad guys’ bullets were inevitably slower.) 

As you reached higher levels, a bouncing smiley face would appear, but rest assured the floating smiley was not your friend and worked in cahoots with the robots!

1. Combat

Release date: Sept. 11, 1977

Developer: Atari

Publisher: Atari

Platforms: Atari 2600

Bottom Line: Combat

What’s more fun than playing a video game? Well, how about one that offered nearly 30 “mini-games”? “Combat” allowed two players to control tanks, planes and jet fighters in one-on-one war to the finish. The tanks were slow, understandably, and the jets were fast, so you had to adjust your strategy depending on which of the many machines of death you — or your opponent — were employing. 

One of the most fun games was the battle that pitted three small jets against one mega-plane: Each had its advantages and its drawbacks, just as in real war. Let the combat commence!