The Rarest Atari 2600 Games (& How Much They’re Worth)

Because of the Web, video video games from each and every technology have change into simple to replicate and keep. Alternatively, bodily copies and cartridges will also be extremely onerous to come back via, which is why museums and personal creditors installed numerous effort and time to seek out and keep those items of historical past.

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The Atari 2600 used to be the primary truly a success cartridge-based house gaming console, and it has a large library of titles with some extremely treasured cartridges. As a result of whilst some video games have been bestsellers with copies which can be simple to seek out even now, others infrequently offered any cartridges and feature change into uncommon collector’s pieces as a substitute.

13 Karate ($24)

Again in 1982, video video games have been nonetheless new sufficient that builders may just escape with generic titles like Karate. Reviewers panned this combating sport each on the time and in retrospective critiques, however then creditors do not care a lot about sport high quality. What is extra vital is that two other publishers would launch the sport: first Ultravision, after which Froggo.

Ultravision would hand distribution over to Froggo quickly after Karate got here out, so there are a ways fewer copies with the Ultravision title on them in movement. So, whilst the indexed costs are honest for Froggo editions of the sport, an Ultravision reproduction can promote for $1,000 or much more.

12 E.T. ($45)

Reporters have written so much about E.T. at the Atari 2600, focusing most commonly on its high quality (or lack thereof). Nonetheless, players should not assume any much less of programmer Howard Scott Warshaw. Warshaw advanced the sport in slightly over a month, a breathtakingly brief time-frame when moderate construction cycles on the time have been anyplace from seven months to a 12 months. It additionally did not lend a hand that E.T. calls for that avid gamers gather telephone portions to telephone house in the event that they wish to whole the sport. Maximum Atari 2600 titles have avid gamers repeat the similar job at the similar display screen again and again to reach a prime rating, which is far more uncomplicated to program.

The tale of E.T.‘s launch and the surprise it dealt to the video games trade is widely known. Ultimately, Atari would gather the unsold and returned copies and throw them right into a wasteland landfill, there to be misplaced without end. When corporate Gas Industries in spite of everything unearthed the landfill in 2014, they discovered 9 hundred copies of E.T., at the side of different Atari video games. Gas Industries introduced a number of hundred of them to public sale, the place they jointly offered for over $100,000. With a duplicate now sitting within the Smithsonian Establishment, E.T. has grew to become out to have fairly the most important legacy.

11 Gauntlet ($59)

Whilst Atari would make a fable arcade sport known as Gauntlet in 1985, this sport for the Atari 2600 is totally unrelated. In it, avid gamers lend a hand Sir Robert Wittenbottom via a gauntlet of stumbling blocks to end up his price to a far flung tribe within the Amazon jungle. In contrast to maximum different Atari 2600 tiles, which have been to be had in retail outlets, players may just simplest get Gauntlet via mail order without delay from the developer, Resolution Instrument.

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The truth that the sport used to be by no means industrially produced provides to its price, which, when it first resurfaced offered for round $3,000. Alternatively, the cost has declined fairly somewhat since then as creditors have discovered extra copies.

To not be perplexed with the notorious online game adaptation, Additional Terrestrials used to be made via a Canadian circle of relatives who sought after to profit from the online game craze. Unfortunately, on the other hand, they joined in slightly too overdue. Their corporate, Talent Display screen Video games, did not end Additional Terrestrials till after the large marketplace crash.

To check out and salvage their funding, the sport used to be reportedly offered door-to-door in the community, with just one hundred copies ever produced. The sport would not resurface till 2011, and in 2019 a non-public supplier put a copy on eBay for $90,000. They did not get the overall asking worth, however the selection of identified unique copies continues to be within the unmarried digits. As such, maximum creditors can simplest be expecting to shop for museum-funded recreations.

9 Gamma Assault ($299)

It might not be the costliest, however Gamma Assault is fairly in all probability the rarest Atari 2600 sport ever made. Reportedly, only a single authentic original copy exists, and its whereabouts are widely known. One collector has it, they usually refuse to phase with it for the rest lower than part one million bucks.

Thankfully, there are methods for different creditors to get copies of this sport. The unique developer created a limited-release version of the sport after Gamma Assault‘s rediscovery in 2008, and that is the model creditors can in finding indexed via on-line dealers. They might not be unique, however they are nonetheless bodily examples of gaming historical past.

8 Superman ($389)

The Guy of Metal has no longer had the most productive success with online game diversifications. Alternatively, his first access fared higher than maximum of his follow-ups, and it is vital for being each one of the most first approved video games and one of the most first action-adventure video games to function a number of places. In reality, the landmark sport Journey would not pop out till a 12 months later.

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No longer each and every version of Superman is price so much, however the restricted Sears tie-in version with a yellow name can fetch a number of thousand bucks. Different variations, like the one who got here in a blue field as a substitute of the standard pink, too can command an important sum, making Superman one of the crucial pricey video games for the Atari 2600.

7 River Patrol ($832)

River Patrol got here out in arcades and on a number of different consoles, however it is the Atari 2600 model that creditors covet. Avid gamers have to avoid wasting NPCs on a river whilst warding off hazards alongside the best way. It is not the one sport of the technology to have avid gamers navigate a river, however this one is set saving other folks as a substitute of destroying boats and helicopters.

The arcade model got here out in 1981, however developer Tigervision launched the Atari 2600 port in 1984. This used to be unhealthy timing since the nice online game crash were occurring for a 12 months via that time. The deficient efficiency because of the crash is the foremost reason why for the sport’s shortage.

6 Mangia ($1,249)

Mangia method “devour” in Italian and completely describes the sport’s mechanics. Avid gamers are pressured to devour plate after plate of spaghetti till their abdomen explodes. To stop this sport over, avid gamers should feed some meals to their canine or cat with out their mom taking a look.

The graphics are unusually excellent for an Atari 2600 sport, however the easy sport loop and unsightly finish state are most likely why the sport by no means offered smartly. At the brilliant facet, deficient gross sales have made the North American model of Mangia one of the most rarest Atari 2600 video games in lifestyles.

5 Pepsi Invaders ($3,500)

Other people whinge about commercials in sports activities video games at all times, however even again within the Atari 2600’s day, there have been instances when whole video games have been necessarily simply interactive commercials. As an example, Pepsi Invaders is a clone of House Invaders made via the Coca-Cola corporate.

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On this name, avid gamers wreck ships that spell out Coca-Cola’s major competitor, Pepsi. They just made about 125 copies, and the corporate gave them out at no cost throughout conventions, which is why Pepsi Invaders is among the most precious Atari 2600 video games. Pepsi would not reply to this sport till 1999’s Pepsiman, an unending runner starring the titular mascot.

4 Eli’s Ladder ($5,419)

Eli’s Ladder is the only rarest tutorial online game in lifestyles. The sport used to be advanced and printed via Simage in 1982, and, like maximum Atari 2600 titles, the gameplay is unassuming. Avid gamers should carry out elementary mathematics to lend a hand the alien Eli climb again into his spaceship and move house.

What makes Eli’s Ladder this kind of collector’s merchandise is the truth that the field got here with a dozen other extras like stickers, worksheets, wall posters, directions, and extra. So, whilst the cartridge by itself is price so much, creditors pays much more for a boxed model that also has each and every final sticky label.

3 Out of Keep an eye on ($6,008)

Excellent investments steadily change into deficient concepts as soon as everybody catches wind of them, and it will go away latecomers within the lurch. That is the case with Avalon Hill, a board sport corporate that determined to enter online game publishing simply because the trade crashed.

As a sport, Out of Keep an eye on is not anything particular. Avid gamers merely fly a boat via house after which land it to finish the missions. Alternatively, because of the corporate’s timing, each and every Avalon Hill sport is uncommon, and Out of Keep an eye on is well some of the rarest video games for the Atari 2600.

2 Pink Sea Crossing ($10,400)

The tale in the back of this sport is as mysterious because the biblical tournament that impressed it. Steve Slack at Inspirational Video Ideas advanced Pink Sea Crossing and it depicts Moses parting and traversing the Pink Sea whilst leaving Egypt. The corporate simplest made 100 copies, they usually all apparently disappeared with out a hint.

It could take 30 years for Pink Sea Crossing to resurface, and, even now, simplest two authentic copies are identified to exist. One reproduction used to be offered in 2012 for $10,400. According to PriceCharting the one sale since then used to be a remake offered on eBay for $137.06.

1 Air Raid ($33,433)

A whole boxed model of this shoot-em-up offered for smartly over $30,000. The curious T-shape design of the cartridge is a large contributor to this price and explains why even the cartridge by itself is price an absolute fortune.

Not up to 5 gross sales of this sport have taken position, making it a Holy Grail for Atari 2600 creditors. Whilst the cartridge form has a realistic price (players can use it as a take care of to plug it into and pull it out of the console), additionally it is very uncommon, and developer Males-A-Imaginative and prescient simplest ever created Air Raid. In combination, those elements give an explanation for why Air Raid is the costliest Atari 2600 sport in the world.

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