- Adventures of Tron
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 70/100
- Colorful graphics and a decent variety of enemies. A Donkey Kong wannabe. A bit too frustrating.
- Rating: 70/100
- Amidar
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 70/100
- A Pac-Man clone where you must surround all the boxes in a stage to move on. Nice graphics but Pac-Man's the better game.
- Rating: 70/100
- Asteroids
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- Fight inertia to keep your ship from crashing into the asteroids and flying saucers. Blast all the 'roids to continue. Too bad this version's so easily mastered.
- Rating: 80/100
- Astroblast
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- Space Invaders on Jolt. Ships nosedive into the planet's surface and if you can't shoot them you have to try to stay out of the way. Nice look and a very fast pace.
- Berzerk
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 90/100
- Work through a labyrinth, blasting robots before they can do the same to you. As close as the 2600 gets to Smash TV.
- Bowling
- Game Type: Bowling
- Rating: 70/100
- It's no Ten Pin Alley, but Bowling should provide some fun for the easily amused.
- Boxing
- Game Type: Boxing
- Rating: 80/100
- Nice graphics, and it's a blast with two players. The best game on 2600 for venting your hostilities on a friend.
- Breakout
- Game Type: Ball and Paddle
- Rating: 80/100
- Hardly competition for Super Breakout, and players weaned on Arkanoid will be underwhelmed, but at least this has that cool mode where the ball blasts through everything in its path.
- Burger Time
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 30/100
- The gameplay might be good, but I'm not sure since the hideous graphics distract from it so much. Stick with the NES version.
- Centipede
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 90/100
- Awesome, colorful graphics and the gameplay's none too shabby. Wish I'd gotten to play with a trackball but it's not too bad with the joystick.
- Commando
- Game Type: Overhead-View Action
- Rating: 50/100
- More game than the 2600 was equipped to handle. Maneuver your foot soldier through an awful-looking landscape of bunkers, evading pixelized soldiers and the occasional bullet. Your next step isn't always clear.
- Commando Raid
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- A decent game with nice graphics and slick presentation. You rotate a turret at the center of the screen to shoot down planes and paratroopers.
- Congo Bongo
- Game Type: Isometric-View Platform
- Rating: 70/100
- A bit too ambitious graphically at the expense of gameplay (to a degree). If you can't find the Coleco version it might be worth a look.
- Cosmic Ark
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- Gun down asteroids approaching your ship until you can get within range of a planet. Then take the landing saucer out, beam the natives aboard while dodging lasers, and hurry back to the mothership. Decent graphics and unique gameplay, definitely worth a try.
- Crystal Castles
- Game Type: Isometric-View Action
- Rating: 50/100
- Isometric games just don't work on the 2600! If you can put up with the awkward look the game itself isn't too bad, at least.
- Defender
- Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- Nice graphics and the gameplay is great if you're not the type who flips about the lack of a reverse button. Nearly every 2600 owner had one.
- Demon Attack
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 90/100
- Excellent graphics, intense play, and lots of cool enemies. A must see.
- Desert Falcon
- Game Type: Isometric-View Shooter
- Rating: 50/100
- If Zaxxon's just not the same for you unless it's in isometric view this might be worth a look, but otherwise the gameplay and graphics are just too awkward.
- Donkey Kong
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 90/100
- The graphics are as good as can be expected and the gameplay is intact. Not all the levels are here, unfortunately. The Coleco and NES versions are much better translations but this one's worth a play as well simply because it's the version so many fondly remember.
- Donkey Kong Junior
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 90/100
- Like DK the Coleco and NES versions are much better but by itself the 2600 version is a great game. Very similar to DK in graphic style.
- E.T.
- Game Type: Adventure
- Rating: 50/100
- Cryptic goals and bizarre gameplay. Don't even attempt this without a manual. I played the hell out of this when I was younger because there was nothing better but now I won't go near it.
- Enduro
- Game Type: 3D Racing
- Rating: 80/100
- Very impressive graphics and decent gameplay. Finding a copy may be tough but your efforts will be rewarded. Pole Position who?
- Fast Food
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 95/100
- Race around munching flying junk food while dodging purple pickles. This game is awesome! Simplistic, fast-paced, and perfectly geared to the 2600's graphic abilities. It's worth buying a 2600 just for this.
- Fire Fighter
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 70/100
- Decent graphics and gameplay but nothing especially remarkable.
- Fishing Derby
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 80/100
- I would go fishing more often if it were this exciting. Compete with an opponent to catch the most fish within a given time. Steer your hook around the obstacles to get the biggest catch you can.
- Freeway
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 80/100
- Any chicken crossing this road has to be crazy. Lane after lane of high speed traffic stands between you and the other side. Unlike Frogger you can only move up and down, but the appeal is much the same. Two players can compete simultaneously.
- Frogger
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 90/100
- Dodge cars on a highway, then hop logs on a raging river to try and reach your lily pad. Decent graphics and stellar gameplay.
- Frogs and Flies
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 80/100
- You and an opponent jump sky-high to catch flies hovering overhead. The player with the most after time runs out wins. You don't control the direction of your jump, just the timing. Not for everyone but it's worth a try. The graphics are great.
- Galaxian
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- Obviously the graphics are nowhere near those of the arcade but the gameplay is right on the mark. Space Invaders has nothin' on this.
- Gorf
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 30/100
- When stripped of its graphics Gorf's gameplay faults become glaringly apparent. Offers lots of variety but not much else.
- Grand Prix
- Game Type: Overhead-View Racing
- Rating: 80/100
- Surprisingly good graphics and a very fast pace. Dodge cars and obstacles to get the best time.
- Gremlins
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 60/100
- Passable gameplay but the graphics just try to do too much. Might be worth a try but I can't recommend it.
- Haunted House
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 70/100
- The atmosphere is genuinely creepy despite the cute main "character". Be sure to get the manual with this game or you'll be lost at first.
- Ice Hockey
- Game Type: Hockey
- Rating: 90/100
- Two on two hockey, one of the best two player games on the 2600. Nice graphics and great gameplay.
- Infiltrate
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 80/100
- Elevator Action fans may want to check this out. Race from floor to floor, dodging enemies and ducking bullets. Not perfect but worth a play.
- Journey Escape
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 80/100
- Aside from the music I fail to see what this has to do with Journey. Still, the action is fast and the control is good, even if the game is a little strange.
- Joust
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 90/100
- A fantastic two player game, since you can team up against enemies or try to take each other out. (Or both. "Oops, sorry, Glen, the controller slipped...") Awesome graphics, too.
- Jr. Pac-Man
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 95/100
- One of the best games 2600 has to offer. All the action of Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man but the mazes are bigger and more varied, the play is faster, and the audio and graphics are infinitely better.
- Jungle Hunt
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 50/100
- More a graphics showcase than a solid game. It does offer a variety of sub-games but there's not much else to recommend it.
- Kaboom
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 90/100
- Use the paddles to catch the falling bombs before they go off. Extremely fast-paced and highly recommended to anyone looking for an adrenaline rush.
- Karate
- Game Type: 2D Fighting
- Rating: 10/100
- I no longer fear Hell, for I have seen Froggo's Karate. OK, so maybe the 2600 is ill-equipped to handle a fighting game, but I know it can do better than this. Hideous graphics and zero gameplay. Avoid, avoid, avoid!
- Keystone Kapers
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 80/100
- Try to catch up to an escaping robber while dodging the bouncing balls, toy planes, etc. that he throws to slow you down. The concept works quite well and it's worth a play.
- Kool-Aid Man
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 70/100
- A decent game despite the shameless endorsement. Try to keep the malevolent Thirsties from draining your reservoir of Kool-Aid. Cute graphics and decent gameplay.
- Krull
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 40/100
- Pretty visuals and not much else. Don't attempt it without a manual.
- Kung Fu Master
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 50/100
- That's right, the same as Kung Fu on the NES. They actually attempted it on the 2600 and the result is as good as can be expected (i.e. not very). Impressive graphics, awful gameplay.
- Laser Blast
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 90/100
- A shooter, sort of. Unique control and gameplay make it hard to classify. At least the plot is familiar - shoot them before they shoot you. Decent graphically and pretty addictive, well worth a look.
- Mario Bros.
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 90/100
- The Super Mario series we all know and love begins to take shape in this game. Knock enemies off their feet from below, then kick them off the playfield. Nice graphics and it allows two players at once.
- Masters of the Universe
- Game Type: Side-View Shooter
- Rating: 70/100
- A mix of several sub-games, with none of them done especially well. The graphics are passable, at least.
- Megamania
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 90/100
- Blast wave after wave of descending ships. (Sound familiar?) Megamania is distinguished, however, by its incredible variety of enemies and colorful graphics. A must-play.
- Midnight Magic
- Game Type: Pinball
- Rating: 90/100
- It's no match for the NES' Pinball, but this is the best pinball game available for 2600. The graphics put Video Pinball (and some games from completely different genres) to shame.
- Miniature Golf
- Game Type: Golf
- Rating: 80/100
- The graphics are hideous but the game is otherwise highly playable. Worth a try, especially since later systems don't exactly have dozens of mini golf games.
- Missile Command
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 90/100
- Until the release of Arcade Classics - The Atari Collection for Playstation, this was the only incarnation available on consoles, and if you haven't played it you absolutely must. Set off explosions to detonate incoming warheads before they reach your cities. Chain reactions are possible, too.
- Moon Patrol
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 90/100
- Your lunar rover is under attack, and you must avoid rocks, jump pits, and take out enemy fighters overhead - usually all at once. Nice graphics and excellent gameplay.
- Mountain King
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 30/100
- A graphically weak and thoroughly incomprehensible platform game. I didn't have the benefit of an instruction book, make sure you do if you buy it.
- Mousetrap
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 80/100
- An excellent Pac-Man clone where you can toggle trap doors to fence in the cats that are chasing you.
- Mr. Do
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 30/100
- Aaack! Mr. Do is similar to Dig Dug, and a great game in the arcade, but the graphics on this version are inexcusably poor. Look for the SNES or Namco Museum versions instead.
- Ms. Pac-Man
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 90/100
- Improved graphically over the decidedly ugly Pac-Man, and offers more mazes. Pick this up if you can't find Jr. Pac-Man.
- Omega Race
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 70/100
- Requires an unwieldy attachment for the joystick that gives you a second button. A decent game and the graphics are nice but it's hardly addictive.
- Pac-Man
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 80/100
- Pac-Man is one of the greatest games of all time, and offers fast action and great gameplay, but Ms. Pac-Man and Jr. Pac-Man prove that the 2600 can do a better job on graphics and sound than this. A good game, but there's better.
- Phoenix
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- Impressive graphics and decent play. It's no Galaxian but it's still good.
- Pitfall
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 90/100
- You'd better at least have played this as the hidden game in Mayan Adventure. (It's better than the main game...) Pitfall has excellent graphics, challenging gameplay, and more variety of obstacles than almost any other 2600 game...
- Pitfall II
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 90/100
- ...almost. Pitfall II goes way beyond the original with a huge area to explore and actual music. This is as close as the 2600 gets to modern-day platformers.
- Pole Position
- Game Type: 3D Racing
- Rating: 80/100
- An admirable attempt at 3D racing on the 2600, but Enduro's better, and there's no reason to play either once you own Ridge Racer.
- Popeye
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 80/100
- Although an admirable attempt the graphics are virtually unrecognizable compared to the NES version. Still, the gameplay's decent, especially if you like Donkey Kong.
- Q-Bert
- Game Type: Isometric-View Action
- Rating: 90/100
- An excellent Pac-Man-esque game with appealing graphics and surprisingly good control.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Game Type: Adventure
- Rating: 50/100
- A collection of poor quality sub-games. This kept me busy for hours in the 80's but there's nothing to make it worthwhile now. An instruction book is a must if you insist on playing anyway.
- Riddle of the Sphinx
- Game Type: Overhead-View Shooter
- Rating: 50/100
- Trek on foot (no ships but the gameplay is still shooter-style) through the Nile valley in search of items while fending off bandits. You'll need a manual to get anywhere. Not bad but not that great.
- River Raid
- Game Type: Overhead-View Shooter
- Rating: 90/100
- Yes, it's an actual scrolling shooter, and one of a quality rarely seen even today. Race down a river while avoiding the banks and shooting down enemy boats and choppers. Fly over fuel tanks occasionally or you risk running out of gas. Challenging and addictive. A must.
- Seaquest
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 90/100
- Use your sub to rescue divers from water teeming with sharks and enemy subs. Race back to the surface to drop them off and replenish your air. A frenzied pace and addictive play.
- Skiing
- Game Type: Skiing
- Rating: 80/100
- Slalom down a mountain, making sure to hit the gates but not the trees. Excellent control and enjoyable play.
- Smurf
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 50/100
- By no means addictive but my friends and I wasted a sizable portion of our childhoods on this game. Nice graphics and passable gameplay.
- Solaris
- Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter
- Rating: 70/100
- Colorful and highly impressive graphics and the gameplay has potential. It doesn't help that your ship's systems start malfunctioning after you take a hit, though. A manual would be very helpful..
- Space Attack
- Game Type: First-Person Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- Probably the easiest of the 2600's futuristic flight-sim/strategy games to get into. Nice graphics and decent gameplay.
- Space Invaders
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 70/100
- Later games like Galaxian are infinitely better in my opinion. I recommend at least playing this, though, because it practically founded the shooter genre as we know it. It's a decent game, too, with lots of variations like Invisible Invaders.
- Spider Fighter
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- A fast-paced and rather tough shooter with decent graphics. Worth a try if you liked Megamania.
- Stampede
- Game Type: Side-View Action
- Rating: 90/100
- Almost a shooter, but your goal is to rope cows before they get past you and escape. Challenging and very playable.
- Star Wars - Return of the Jedi
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 70/100
- Wait for an opening in the Death Star (tm) defense shield and then race through to attack the core, all while fending off enemy ships. Graphically impressive but hardly addictive.
- Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back
- Game Type: 2D Side-View Shooter
- Rating: 60/100
- Take on the massive Imperial Walkers (tm) in your tiny ship. Each one takes dozens of shots to destroy, unless you're lucky enough to find a weak spot. The feel is similar to Defender but it doesn't play as well.
- Starmaster
- Game Type: First-Person Shooter
- Rating: 60/100
- What people played before Wing Commander. Don't even think of trying to play this without a manual; you'll need to use the difficulty switches on the console just to access all the menus. (I was willing to put up with this at the time, but now...)
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Game Type: Activity
- Rating: 50/100
- A friend of mine owns a copy and I'll try anything once... All you do is switch the heads, torsos, and legs around on Strawberry Shortcake and company and then press the button to watch your hideous creation do a little dance. The accompanying music is affected by which parts you chose.
- Super Breakout
- Game Type: Ball and Paddle
- Rating: 90/100
- Aside from Arkanoid this is the best game in the genre. Includes several variations on the theme, including multiball games. Pick descending mode if you really want pressure. Simple but appealing graphics and sound.
- Surround
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 90/100
- The most commonly known incarnation of this is Tron's lightcycles. Steer your wall around a closed arena, and try and avoid crashing into yourself and your opponent's wall. An awesome two player game that for some reason hasn't appeared on any other console.
- Swordquest Earthworld
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 70/100
- Has several decent Frogger-like subgames but the main goal, trying to bring up clues to find hidden words in the accompanying comic book, is simply ridiculous. I (jokingly) hold this game solely responsible for the '83 market crash.
- Taz
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 50/100
- I have trouble believing someone would try to clone a niche game like Fast Food, and even more trouble believing that Atari themselves would do such a poor job.
- Tomarc the Barbarian
- Game Type: 2D Platform
- Rating: 30/100
- Explaining this bizarre game is probably more trouble than it's worth. You switch control between the distressed damsel who must shoot down bats attacking her cage, and the hero who must jump ridiculously high to try and reach her. Nice graphics, awful gameplay, useless without a book.
- Tron - Deadly Discs
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 80/100
- Run around an arena chucking discs at the approaching thugs while dodging their missiles. A simplistic concept but the game is very playable. E-mail me if you want to sell a copy, it's a pain to find!
- Vanguard
- Game Type: 2D Overhead-View/Side-View Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- A scrolling shooter with many different sub-levels and beautiful if somewhat blocky rainbow graphics.
- Venture
- Game Type: 2D Action
- Rating: 70/100
- Work your way around a dungeon shooting monsters and collecting treasure. The graphics aren't the greatest but it plays okay.
- Video Chess
- Game Type: Strategy
- Rating: 80/100
- The computer's actually reasonably smart but it takes 1-2 minutes per move on easy mode and several hours (yes, that's for each move) on difficult. Gimme PC chess over this any day.
- Video Olympics
- Game Type: Ball and Paddle
- Rating: 70/100
- A set of bizarre variations on Pong, some cool, some not. Simplistic graphics aren't a bad thing but the colors are unappealing. At least it allows up to 4 players.
- Video Pinball
- Game Type: Pinball
- Rating: 80/100
- The graphics are way too blocky (square bumpers?) but at least the gameplay is decent. Turn down the tilt detection and you can nudge your way to an incredible score...
- Warlords
- Game Type: Ball and Paddle
- Rating: 90/100
- The game people played at parties when there was no Bomberman. Up to four players use the paddles to repel a ball from their castle walls and protect their king, while trying to take out their opponents. A fantastic game.
- Word Zapper
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- An action game thinly disguised as edutainment. You're briefly shown a word and must shoot letters scrolling by at the top of the screen to spell it out, all while dodging ships zooming by you. Guess learning can be fun.
- Yar's Revenge
- Game Type: Shooter
- Rating: 80/100
- A decidedly strange but fairly playable shooter with interesting graphics. It'd be worth a try even if it weren't for its classic status.
- Zaxxon
- Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter
- Rating: 50/100
- Abandons the isometric view of the arcade version in favor of a behind-the-plane view. It doesn't save the graphics, unfortunately, and the gameplay fails to save the game.
- Rating: 80/100
