5200 Menu

Atari 5200 - 1983

This strange prototype first surfaced in 2003 in a batch of common 5200 prototypes (well as common as prototypes get anyway). As the name implies, this prototype is nothing more than a menu that displays the names of several early 5200 games. Of the games listed three immediately stand out from the rest. The control in this prototype is bit odd, it appears that only controller 4 has any function. Pressing the buttons on the keypad causes the list to scroll down to a specific game. Unfortunately the games themselves are not on this prototype...

A.E.

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - January 4, 1984

A port of the classic computer game, A.E. (Which stands for Anti Environmental) is a most unusual 5200 prototype. It was never announced by Atari nor was it mentioned in any internal documents. A.E. is an arcade style shooting game in which you have to shoot down waves of evil flying mechanical stingrays in order to save your planet. The Atari 5200 version only has four levels as opposed to ten that the computer versions boast. The loading times for the levels are also longer due to hardware constraints of the Atari 5200.

The Activision Decathlon

Atari 5200 - Released - March 13, 1983

The Activision Decathlon is a series of Olympic games similar to the Epyx games series. Up to four players can compete in the ten different events of a real-life decathlon, either in sequence or individually. Included are the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter race, 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1500-meter race. The flat running events involve simple joystick waggling, which must be balanced with accurately-timed button presses to clear the hurdles - hitting them or breaking stride causes a loss of momentum and thus time. For jumping...

Adventure II

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - May 7, 2007

This homebrew Atari 5200 cartridge is a direct, yet unofficial sequel to the Atari 2600 action role-playing classic Adventure. The player controls an unnamed knight on a quest to return the stolen chalice to the Seashore Kingdom's Castle. Like the original, Adventure II is played from top-down perspective, with player roaming the large game world.. The player character can carry one item at a time which are used to solve puzzles. While the main player graphic remains a square, the world of Adventure II is far larger and more robust than the original. The game's 32k cartridge features 4...

The Analog Collection

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - 2004

Stargunner Ken's ports of Atari computer games from Analog magazine to the 5200. It has LiveWire, Elevator Repairman and Deathzone. Later versions added Filler'up 2, Popcorn and Blast.

Archon: The Light and the Dark

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - 1983

Archon: The Light and the Dark is a strategic board game with some similarities to chess. Two sides, a light one and a dark one, consisting of 18 pieces each compete on a board divided into (9 by 9) squares. You win the game by having one of your units on each of the five powerpoint squares, by removing all opposing pieces from the board or by imprisoning the last remaining creature of the opposing side. The Atari 5200 is a homebrew port from the 8-bit computer series and was never officially released on the Atari 5200 platform.

Asteroids

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - May 11, 1982

Trapped in space somewhere between the planets Ortanus and Earth, your ship is suddenly surrounded by a field of massive asteroids. And, as if that weren't enough excitement for one day, a group of alien saucers stage a surprise attack. Quickly you take over the controls to save your ship from imminent doom. You must thrust away from the path of the oncoming asteroids. Put up shields to protect the ship. Hyperspace into thin air. Flip over and get the asteroids attacking from behind. It's all in your hands now. Good luck! Thought to have been planned to be a launch title for the Atari 5200...

Astro Chase

Atari 5200 - Released - January 1, 1982

As pilot of a spaceship, your job is to save the planet Earth! Eight mega mines are slowly homing in, and you need to destroy them all before they reach Earth. Trying to stop you are a variety of flying saucers which will constantly be chasing you around the planet. Your ship is equipped with lasers which can be used to destroy enemy saucers and the mega mines. Located throughout the space around Earth are eight shield depots; if you fly through one of these, you will temporarily become invincible. Your spaceship also has a limited energy supply; if you get too low on energy, it can be...

Astro Grover

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - August 8, 1983

Astro Grover (along with Muppet Go-Round and Big Bird’s Hide and Seek) was part of Atari’s planned children’s line of games for the Atari 5200. These titles would have utilized the 5200 Kid’s Controller, which was actually just a giant keypad that would have easy for children with small hands to use. However, while the 2600 children’s line was released (featuring completely different games), the 5200 games and controller never saw the light of day. The games were however eventually released by CBS on the Atari 8-bit computers and the Nintendo Entertainment System, although some were...

Atlantis

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

Only you can save the lost city of Atlantis, one of the greatest civilizations man has ever known. You command the three defense posts that guard the skies. As the dreaded Gorgon Fleet descends on Atlantis, you must destroy them, or perish! One or two players can help defend the submerged city of Atlantis. The longer you last, the faster they come. Some enemy ships fly slowly but steadily over Atlantis. Others streak across the sky. Knock out a Bandit Bomber and annihilate its entire Gorgon squad! Blitz them! Atlantis was never released for the Atari 5200 but a homebrew version was created...

Attack of the Mutant Camels

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - July 15, 1983

The player controls a small jetplane and has the task of killing giant yellow camels before they reach the home base. Doing so requires several dozens of shots. The camels retaliate by shooting fireballs from their mouth. Each camel required several shots to destroy; if a camel reached the base, the game was over. Once all camels on a level had been killed, the player had to survive a "hyperspace" sequence which required avoiding high-speed missiles. Upon successful completion, the next level presented a new wave of camels, with slightly harder gameplay. This game was never released for...

B.C.'s Quest for Tires

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

Cute Chick is in trouble! She is being held captive by the dinosaur, and it is up to Thor to ride his trusty wheel to the rescue. There are many obstacles in the way which Thor will need to jump and duck, including rocks, trees, rivers, lava pits, cliffs, and of course Fat Broad. When you duck, the character bounces up and down, so don't duck too soon. BC's Quest For Tires is a side scrolling action game resembling Moon Patrol in some ways, featuring characters from the comic strip BC.

Ballblazer

Atari 5200 - Released - March 1, 1984

Ballblazer is a simple one-on-one sports-style game bearing similarities to basketball and soccer. Each side is represented by a craft called a "rotofoil", which can be controlled by either a human player or a computer-controlled "droid" with ten levels of difficulty. (The game allows for human vs. human, human vs. droid, and droid vs. droid matches.) The basic objective of the game is to score points by either firing or carrying a floating ball into the opponent's goal. The game takes place on a flat, checkerboard playfield, and each player's half of the screen is presented in a first-person...

Barroom Baseball

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

Barroom Baseball is an interesting prototype in that it was never intended for home use. As the name suggests Barroom Baseball was a special version of Realsports Baseball modified for use in 5200 arcade units. These special 5200's were modified to run off of a coin operated timer and were intended for use in bars and in Latin American countries where such machines were popular. It is unknown if any of these units were actually produced, but according to internal company memos at least one may have been field tested. To date no other specially modified games have been found.

Battlezone

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - September 15, 1983

An unreleased port of the arcade game Battlezone for Atari 5200. Like the arcade game you drive a tank around and shoot enemy tanks while trying to avoid their fire in a 3d environment. It was unfortunately never released and only exists in prototype form. The prototype seems mostly finished but the hit detection seems off at times and not perfected. It also replaces some of the vector based graphics of the arcade with raster likely due to limitations of the Atari 5200. You can also play this with two joysticks which is said to help with controlling the game versus single if you get used to...

Beamrider

Atari 5200 - Released - July 15, 1983

Beamrider takes place above Earth's atmosphere, where a large alien shield called the Restrictor Shield surrounds the Earth. The player's objective is to clear the Shield's 99 sectors of alien craft while piloting the Beamrider ship. The Beamrider is equipped with a short-rage laser lariat and a limited supply of torpedos. The player is given three at the start of each sector. To clear a sector, fifteen enemy ships must be destroyed. A "Sentinel ship" will then appear, which can be destroyed using a torpedo (if any remain) for bonus points. Some enemy ships can only be destroyed with...

Beef Drop

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - January 1, 2004

This game is a homebrew attempt to bring a better version of the coin-op game BurgerTime to the Atari 8-bit computer and any version to the Atari 5200 and Atari 7800. The game play is the same as the coin-op game. You, the chef, must make burgers by walking on the parts so they drop down to plates below. You are pursued by Mr. Yolk (a fried egg), Mr. Dill (a pickle slice) and Frank (a hot dog). If you are cornered, you can throw pepper on the food to stop it for a short time. If you can catch them in some burger parts, you get bonus points. Occasionally, a bonus item, like an ice cream cone,...

Berzerk

Atari 5200 - Released - February 1, 1984

After a routine space exploration mission goes awry, you find yourself marooned on the planet Mazeon. To add insult to injury, the robotic residents are out to kill you. Now you're forced to fend off these relentless robots as you move through endless mazelike environments. In Berzerk, the goal is to make your way past the electrified walls forming each screen while using your laser gun to blast the hostile threats known as Automazeons. Firing your weapon involves pointing the joystick in one of eight directions and pressing a button. You can also lead robots into walls and even into their own...

Black Belt

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

This unreleased, unfinished game is similar to Broderbund's famous game, Karateka. Select your black belt level (difficulty level) and fight your way through eight rooms. The keypad is used to execute a variety of karate moves, although the game has no collision detection so you can't really fight your enemies. While the game looks promising, you cannot progress beyond eight rooms because you can't defeat your enemies.

Blaster

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1984

Blaster developed by Vid Kidz for Williams was released for the arcades and is quite obscure. What is interesting however is that the Atari 5200 version that was not released was actually made before the arcade game. An unofficial sequel to Robotron 2084 (As it takes place in 2085) Blaster is a 3d style shooter with impressive graphics for the time. In it the player takes the view from a spaceship cockpit so moving in the different directions shifts the entire screen. There are four levels you will play through avoiding obstacles, saving humans, and defeating alien enemies. Upon beating the...

Blue Print

Atari 5200 - Released - January 1, 1983

Your girlfriend Daisy is in trouble! Ollie Org is chasing her across the top of the screen, and you need to come to the rescue. To stop Ollie before time runs out, you need to construct a machine. The blueprint for the machine is at the bottom of the screen, so all you need to do is locate the parts which are hidden in the numerous houses in a maze like town. When you locate a part, drag it back and place it on the blueprint. When all parts have been located, press the start button and the machine is ready to go! To make your task more difficult, there are several obstacles that get in the...

Boulder Dash II: Rockford's Revenge

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - April 30, 2005

In part two of the "Boulder Dash" series, game design hasn't changed compared to part one, so you still have to mine diamonds while avoiding falling rocks and cave monsters of all sorts. As in part one, later levels become more difficult because many puzzle elements are added.

Bounty Bob Strikes Back!

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

Bounty Bob Strikes Back! is the sequel to Miner 2049er and features similar gameplay. As Bounty Bob, your goal is to claim every inch of 25 challenging mines. To do this, you must walk over each segment of the framework in the mines. To reach each segment of framework, you will need to figure out a way to jump, climb, or use one of the many devices occasionally available to get there. To your help you get around (or sometimes hinder progress) are ladders, slides, suction tubes, cannons, transporters, and other devices. Wandering about the mines are many dangerous mutants. If you come in...

Bristles

Atari 5200 - August 21, 2004

The object of this game is to paint all the rooms of a building without losing your paint brushes (lives) and before time runs out. You and up to three friends can select from any of eight player sprites, male or female. There are six skill levels with eight buildings per level. After you finish a building, you will be given part of a special message. There are six messages, one per skill level. You get from floor to floor by way of elevators. Be sure the elevator is at your floor when you board or you will fall down the elevator shaft. There are also three ladders out of the basement....

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

Fast and furious racing game taking place on a futuristic racetrack. Guide your spaceship between the pylons and shoot down other enemy racers. Based on the arcade game (which is even more loosely based on the Buck Rogers comic strips).

Captain Beeble

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - 2004

A horizontal scrolling shoot 'em up. Control Captain Beeble through a series of tunnels and caves by directing the thrust of his jet-pack, similar to the control in Asteroids. A light gravity effect is the only external force moving Captain Beeble. Exterminate enemy bugs while moving blocks to retrieve a crystal and return it to the Crystal Processing Unit. Beeble's task is complicated by limited jet-pack fuel and the volatility of the crystal. If he carries the crystal too long it explodes. Levels get progressively harder with the introduction of more obstacles, narrower tunnels, more bugs,...

Castle Blast

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - August 10, 2002

Castle Blast is shoot'em up based on the 5th screen of Atari's 2600 Phoenix where you take on the mothership. Castle Blast is Ronen Habot's first foray into programming the Atari 5200. Ronen used this experience as a means to write a tutorial on Atari 5200 programming to assist others who might want to write games for the system. Castle Blast made its debut at the 2002 Classic Gaming Expo, where it was sold with a box, manual and cart. AtariAge held a Castle Blast Label Contest in April, 2002. Castle Blast may be ordered directly from the author, Ronen Habot, by visiting the Castle Blast...

Castle Crisis

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - April 25, 2004

This is a self-published game by Bryan Edewaard that is a version of the Atari coin-op game Warlords. The game is designed to look and play as much like the coin-op version as possible. Use your shield to deflect fireballs away from your castle and towards your opponents. You can also capture fireballs and launch them at your opponents with even greater force.

Caverns of Mars

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

An excellent arcade-style shooter, Caverns of Mars is a downward-scrolling game where players must pilot their craft through a series of five underground levels filled with alien ships, narrow passageways and a variety of obstacles, including blue diamonds, force field barriers and floating space mines. Fuel must be collected along the way, and at the bottom of the last level a Martian base must be destroyed. Horizontal sections provide variety, scrolling is smooth, and the fast paced, though methodical shooting action is intensely enjoyable, making this a truly addictive game. This game...

Centipede

Atari 5200 - Released - 1982

The player moves the character about the bottom area of the screen and fires laser shots at a centipede advancing from the top of the screen down through a field of mushrooms. Shooting any section of the centipede creates a mushroom; shooting one of the middle segments splits the centipede into two pieces at that point. Each piece then continues independently on its way down the board, with the first section of the rear piece becoming a new head. If the head is destroyed, the section behind it becomes the next head.

Chicken

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1982

The player controls a small chicken with a cart at the bottom of the screen. A fox-like creature at the top of the screen will randomly place eggs upon a conveyor belt from the egg stash in the top left corner. These eggs will then fall through the conveyor belt, and the player must catch them in their cart by moving horizontally. There are a total of 15 egg drops per level, and after 15 drops the player moves to a harder difficulty level. If the player drops an egg, they farmer comes and takes their cart, and the player loses a life. If 3 eggs are dropped, it's game over. This game was...

Choplifter!

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1984

In this prototype version of Choplifter for the Atari 5200, the player assumes the role of a combat helicopter pilot. The player attempts to save hostages being held in prisoner of war camps in territory ruled by the evil Bungeling Empire. The player must collect the hostages and transport them safely to the nearby friendly base, all the while fighting off hostile tanks and other enemy combatants.

Claim Jumper

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - January 1, 1982

Two players each control a "cowboy". A gold bar appears randomly on the screen, and if either cowboy takes it to the assay office at the top of the screen, the goal vanishes and a ten dollar bill appears nearby. Each player has his own bank in which to deposit the money, and after ten bills have been deposited, the player receives a house worth 20,000 points. A second house is worth 30,000 additional points. The two cowboys can shoot each other, the victim going to one of two hospitals in the upper corners of the screen. Following the two cowboys are snakes and tumbleweeds; the snakes follow...

Clowns and Balloons

Atari 5200

Clowns & Balloons is a clone of the 1978 Bally/Midway arcade game CLOWNS, which itself was a clone of the 1977 Exidy arcade game CIRCUS. Your mission is to bounce your clown off of a moving trampoline and try to burst all of the balloons. The longer you keep him jumping, the higher (and faster) he will go, which you need to do in order to burst the highest balloons. You get bonus points for completing each row of balloons as well.

Combat 2: Advanced

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - 2003

This is the game Combat Two ported to the Atari 5200 with additional features in the "advanced" version. You still can use tanks to shoot each other but now you have game variations with helicopters, jet planes and submarines. Each vehicle has two weapon modes, a primary and secondary. Also, you can play with up to three friends, simultaneously.

Congo Bongo

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

In the first of three screens, you must climb the cliffs of Jungle Mountain in order to get to Congo Bongo, the jungle gorilla. You must also cross a bridge and jump a chasm. Along the way, Congo will throw coconuts at you, and monkeys will try to jump on your back. The monkeys slow you down tremendously, but a couple of jumps will send them scurrying.

Countermeasure

Atari 5200 - Released - 1982

We've just received word that terrorists have seized one of our missile silo complexes and are threatening to blow up Washington, D.C. These lunatics aren't fooling! They've wired the missiles to a silo computer and started the launch sequence timer. In just 10 minutes the missiles will lift off for Washington... unless YOU stop them. Destroy all the silos in the complex with your long-range turret gun before the timer runs out. If you complete this mission, you'll win the Congressional Medal of Honor... along with 10,000 bonus points and a bonus life. If the timer runs out before you...

Crystal Castles

Atari 5200 - January 1, 1983

Bentley Bear is trapped in the Crystal Castles! To get out, he will need to collect all of the gems located throughout the castle. The game is played with an isometric view of the multi platformed castle.

Defender

Atari 5200 - Released - 1982

Defender is a two-dimensional, side-scrolling shooting game set on the surface of an unnamed planet. The player controls a space ship as it navigates the terrain, flying either to the left or right. A joystick controls the ship's elevation, and five buttons control its horizontal direction and weapons. The object is to destroy alien invaders, while protecting astronauts on the landscape from abduction. Humans that are successfully abducted return as mutants that attack the ship. Defeating the aliens allows the player to progress to the next level. Failing to protect the astronauts, however,...

Demon Attack

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

Demon Attack is an arcade action game with gameplay similar to Phoenix. You control a laser canon at the bottom of the screen, and need to destroy wave after wave of brightly colored demons. The demons bounce around the screen in bizarre patterns, and try to destroy your canon with bombs or lasers. When you shoot a demon, it will be replaced with another or will split into two smaller demons depending on which wave you are playing. When the required number of demons for the current round is finally destroyed, you can move on to the next, more difficult round. Demon Attack was never released...

Dig Dug

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

The objective of Dig Dug is to eliminate underground-dwelling monsters by inflating them until they pop, or by dropping rocks on them. There are two kinds of enemies in the game: Pookas - A race of round red monsters (said to be modelled after tomatoes) who wear yellow goggles. Fygars - A race of green dragons who can breathe fire. The player's character is Dig Dug, dressed in white and blue, and able to dig tunnels through destructible environments. Dig Dug is killed if he is caught by either Pooka or Fygar, burned by a Fygar's fire, or crushed by a rock. A partially inflated monster...

Donkey Kong

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

In Donkey Kong, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape later became two of Nintendo's most popular characters. The game is divided into four different one-screen stages. Each represents 25 meters of the structure Donkey Kong has climbed, one stage being 25 meters higher than the previous. The final screen occurs at 100 m.

Donkey Kong Junior

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

Mario has gone mad! He's turned the tables on Donkey Kong and locked him in a cage. It's up to you, as Donkey Kong Jr., to rescue your father by stealing Mario's set of keys. But it won't be easy. You'll have to fight off ape-eating Snapjaws, jump onto moving islands and break through a jungle of vines to get to the keys that will free Donkey Kong. Can you handle the action? Because this off-the-wall monkey business will have you going bananas!

The Dreadnaught Factor

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

The Zorban Dreadnaughts are spaceships that are 140,000 feet long and weigh 970 megatons, making them the largest, most heavily armoured spaceships ever created. A fleet of these large battlecraft are now heading towards your home planet, and it is your job to stop them! The game is played from a side scrolling overhead point of view as your small but agile spaceship flies past the dreadnaughts. On each pass your spaceship makes, you need to try and bomb as many of the energy vents as possible. When all energy vents on a dreadnaught are destroyed, that dreadnaught will explode. Time is...

Final Legacy

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1984

This is a battle on three fronts. You are the captain of the ship Legacy. Your ultimate goal is to destroy the Warmongers' missile bases but you must also protect your cities. You begin the game in command mode. You select your other modes with the joystick. Up for navigation, down for torpedo, left for sea-to-air and right for sea-to-land. Navigation In navigation mode, you will see an overhead map of the world. You will note that there is a black dot in a black circle. This is you and the circle represents your effective range. You move the circle about the screen to target ships or...

Frisky Tom

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - July 4, 1983

A prototype game that was never officially released for the Atari 5200, Frisky Tom is a port of the obscure Nichibutsu coin-op of the same name in which you play a plumber who must climb up and fix broken pipes to keep a steady stream of water flowing from the tank at the top of the screen to the reservoir at the bottom. Unfortunately this house is infested with mice which roam the screen, gnawing through pipes and generally causing problems for our man Tom. Once a mouse gnaws through a pipe, you'll see the flow of water stop and a pipe piece will fall to the ground. To repair the pipe...

Frogger

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

Your task in this arcade conversion is to guide a frog across a treacherous road and river, and to safety at the top of the screen. Both these sections are fraught with a variety of hazards, each of which will kill the frog and cost you a life if contact is made.

Frogger II: Threeedeep!

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

In Frogger II, you need to guide your frog to safety in three different locations. Starting out underwater, reach the top of the pond while avoiding dangerous alligators and fish (you can ride a turtle for safety!). Once on top of the pond, hop across logs, birds, and even a whale to the life preserver trailing behind a tugboat. In the third location you have to hop across a flock of birds to reach a cloud at the top of the screen. Each frog has a time limit to safely reach one of the homes on each of the three screens. You move on to the next level when a frog has safely reached each of the...

Galaxian

Atari 5200 - Released - 1982

Galaxian expanded on the formula pioneered by Space Invaders. As in the earlier game, Galaxian featured a horde of attacking aliens that exchanged shots with the player. In contrast to Space Invaders, Galaxian added an element of drama by having the aliens periodically make kamikaze-like dives at the player's ship, the Galaxip.

Gateway to Apshai

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

Turmoil rocks the land and the only salvation lies in the magic of the Temple of Apshai. Unfortunately the location of this temple has gotten lost in time. Furthermore, many heros dispatched to seek it have been slain. A legend speaks that only the blood of the greatest hero of Apshai's greatest hero will be able to reclaim the lost Temple of Apshai. Unfortunately this "greatest hero" has also perished. But all hope is not lost, for the wise man, Merlis has found the hero's son, whose blood is still able to fulfill the prophesy. With great haste, Merlis brings the youngster to the dungeon pits...

Gorf

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

The game itself consists of four levels: •The first level has you behind a defensive shield, defending against an alien attack. The level is a top-down view, with your ship & shield on one side and the aliens on the other side; •The second level is similar to the first, only your defensive shield is gone, and the enemies tend to swoop down over the level as opposed to those row formations. Bonus ships also tend to appear in this level; •The third level is a change, and has you entering hyperspace. Your only goal is to survive to the end of your journey. The viewpoint switches from a...

Gremlins

Atari 5200 - Released - 1986

Gremlins is an action game based on the Steven Spielberg movie of the same name. The game takes place just after midnight when there are Gremlins and Mogwai running around Billy's living room! You control Billy from a 3rd person point of view. On each level, your goal is to catch all of the Mogwai and return them to their cage (located in the upper right corner of the screen) and to destroy all of the Gremlins with a sword. Each level has a time limit - at 6:00 am when the sun rises. You move on to the next level by completing your tasks or just surviving until 6:00, although more points are...

Gyruss

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

Three billion miles is a long way from home. But there's no shorter route from outer Neptune to Earth. As if that weren't enough...it's got to be a shoot-out all the way. You alone in your rapid-firing spaceship, swirling in a circular flight pattern...orbiting to the right...arcing to the left...trying to mow down wave after wave of enemy plane formations, rocketing meteors and run-away satellites. Stops at Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars will mark your progression towards Earth. Each one's a short visit, though. Then it's off again to the next planet--and the next wave of enemies. Reach...

H.E.R.O.

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

There is trouble in the mines! Volcanic activity has trapped numerous miners, and it is your job to save them. As Roderick Hero, you need to make your way through the dangerous mineshaft avoiding the dangerous creatures and lava, and find out where the miners are located before you run out of energy. To help on your mission, Roderick Hero has several useful types of equipment. A prop pack will allow you to hover and fly around the mineshaft and (hopefully) avoid the many dangers within. Your helmet features a short range microlaser beam which can be used to destroy the bats, spiders, snakes,...

Haunted House II 3D

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - July 23, 2002

A homebrew "sequel" to Haunted House originally for the Atari 5200 by Mean Hamster. You enter a mansion with thirty or sixty rooms, depending of your selection. You are searching for treasure but beware of the ghosts and creeps that haunt the mansion. You can turn on a light in any rooms to find hidden items. Somewhere in the maze of rooms is a sword that will make you immune to most bad guys. Once you have the treasure, make your way to the south wall of the starting point to exit and win.

Intellidiscs

Atari 5200 - Released

James Bond 007

Atari 5200 - Released - November 2, 1984

When it comes to fast-paced action and intrigue, nobody does it better than Bond. James Bond. But you can try when you reenact scenes from four great James Bond movie classics. 007's specially designed vehicle will take you on the ride of your life--over land, in the air, and under the sea! Through it all you must avoid obstacles, avert enemies, and accomplish four different missions!

Jawbreaker

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - January 1, 1982

You're loose in a candy factory! Quickly move the chomping set of teeth to eat up all the candy bars. Be careful, the happy faces may get you! Clear the screen and it's time for some quick hygiene - a tooth brush will clean your teeth to get you ready for your next romp through the candy factory.

John Anderson's Rally Speedway

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

This racing game is viewed from above, with the circuits comprising junctions, multiple paths and a variety of corner types. There are also hazards off the road to accelerate and steer your vehicle away from. Icy and wet roads are available, which affect the car's handling. There are 5 available maximum speeds, 3 levels of acceleration, and an 'Only on a computer mode' in which the hazards are merely decoration to drive through. A track editor is also on offer.

Joust

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

In Joust, players take control of a knight with a lance who rides their flying ostrich (or stork, for Player 2) to do battle against computer-controlled evil knights who ride atop vultures. Players must flap their steed's wings to hit the enemy from a higher jousting point to destroy the vulture and its rider. Once the enemy has been hit, an egg falls to one of the platforms below. The heroic knights must destroy the eggs before they hatch and release new and increasingly more difficult knights. The three strengths of enemy knights are Bounder (red knight), Hunter (white knight), and Shadow...

Jr. Pac-Man

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - February 28, 1984

Jr.Pac-Man was never released for the Atari 5200, however a prototype does exist. In this Pac-man spin off you now take control of junior who has to contend with much more than his parents did! The mazes are so large now they require the screen to scroll. On top of that the items that appear will cause the dots to enlarge. This gives Junior more points when he eats them but also slows him down a bit making it difficult to avoid the ghosts. What's worse is if they hit a power pellet they will destroy it! Like other Pac-Man games intermissions are shown between levels. They mainly have to do...

Jumpman Junior

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

Jumpman Junior is the sequel to Jumpman and features similar gameplay with all new levels. As Jumpman, your goal is to disarm all of the bombs on the level before time runs out. Each level consists of a variety of platforms, ladders, and ropes you will need to jump and climb to reach the bombs. To make the game more challenging, a bullet will fire on the screen from time to time which will cause Jumpman to lose a life if hit. Each level has a different theme to it, and a few also have additional dangers as well. You will encounter deadly fires, the bouncing hellstones, moving ladders,...

Jungle Hunt

Atari 5200 - Released - July 15, 1982

Jungle Hunt offers four unique adventure experiences, which repeat with greater difficulty once all four have been survived. If you don't survive these adventures, you will not only lose your own life but that of the lovely Penelope, who has been captured by cannibals! The first part challenges your Tarzan skills - can you swing on the vines without plummeting to your doom? The second part pits you against a whole bunch of nasty crocodiles in a mighty river. Fortunately, you have a knife to fight back with. Don't forget to go up for air! In the third part, you face a battle against oncoming...

Kaboom!

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

Kaboom! is an unauthorized adaptation of the 1978 Atari coin-op Avalanche that was re-themed to be about a character known as the "Mad Bomber" who's randomly dropping bombs across the screen. The player uses a paddle controller to move buckets back and forth near the bottom of the screen to catch the bombs before they reach the bottom. As the game progresses, the Mad Bomber traverses the top of the screen much more erratically, dropping bombs at increasingly higher speeds, making each of the seven higher levels more difficult. Kaboom! was well-received and successful commercially, selling...

Kangaroo

Atari 5200 - Released - 1982

Baby Roo has been kidnapped by monkeys, and it's up to Mama Roo to come to the rescue! Your kangaroo starts out at the bottom of the screen. You need to guide the kangaroo up the various ladders and platforms to the top where Baby Roo is being held captive. The monkeys will be trying to stop you by throwing or dropping apples and knocking you off the platforms. Your kangaroo has boxing gloves, however, and can knock out the monkeys with a single punch! Along the way various types of fruit can be collected to earn bonus points.

Keystone Kapers

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

Keystone Kapers is a video game published by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1983, and later ported to the Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, and MSX. Inspired by Mack Sennett's slapstick Keystone Cops series of silent films, the object of the game is for Officer Keystone Kelly (the player) to catch Harry Hooligan before he can escape from a department store.

Klax

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - 2003

Klax features a conveyor belt at the top of the screen. It constantly rolls toward the playing area, delivering a steady supply of blocks. The player controls a small device which sits at the interface between the conveyor belt and the playing area, and can be moved left and right to catch the blocks and either deposit them in the playing area or push them back up the conveyor belt. The device can hold up to five blocks. A block which is not caught and placed in the playing area or pushed back up the belt is considered a drop. The blocks are solid colours, but there is also a flashing block...

Koffi: Yellow Kopter

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - February 24, 2003

Koffi is a little kopter so when the emergencies came, the big kopters wouldn't let him go. But now he has heard that Pyro the thundercloud is using lightning to start fires in the forest. The fire needs to be put out, the animals need saving. Koffi wasn't allowed to help the big kopters but he can't just ignore this until they return. You, as Koffi, must gather water from the raindrops or snowflakes and destroy Pyro. You destroy him by bumping into him but watch out for his lightning. After Pyro is gone, you must hover close to the fire then press your button to release water to put out. If...

K-Razy Shoot-Out

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

K-Razy Shootout is an arcade action game similar to Berzerk. You are in a maze filled with dangerous robots. Your goal is to shoot as many of the robots as you can to earn points. If you collide with a robot, robot fire, or the maze walls you lose a life. The game ends when all of your reserve lives have been lost. Each sector of the game has a timer bar; if you complete a sector while the bar is in the green or yellow section, bonus points are earned. If the timer runs out, you lose a life. Each sector will have one or more exits in the maze; you may exit a maze at any time, but if you leave...

K-Star Patrol

Atari 5200 - Homebrew - 1982

An original horizontal-scrolling space shooter. While on patrol over a mysterious alien planet, your team of star ships in brutally attacked by an onslaught of enemy forces. Only you and your lead star ship can safely defend the squadron. Blast your way through the alien attack ships and outmaneuver their dangerous low-level avoidance system! The game was published and released by CBS in 1982 for the Atari 8-bit computer series and with a homebrew ported to the 5200 platform. A prototype version of this also exists without any of the CBS Software branding.

The Last Starfighter

Atari 5200 - May 8, 1984

"Greetings Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada." It's not just a tag line, it's also the instructions! Yes, you've been recruited to help the Star League destroy Xur and his forces once and for all. To accomplish this, you'll have to travel to the Procyon system and destroy the Ko-Dan in their own galaxy. However, while you're off playing cowboy in a distant galaxy, the Ko-Dan armada are planning their own attack on your home system of Celos IV. So not only must you defeat the whole Ko-Dan empire single handed,...

Looney Tunes Hotel

Atari 5200 - 1983

Looney Tunes Hotel was a nearly completed video game that was going to be released for the Atari 5200. Players were to play on a set of hotels, but Atari never got to finishing the game.

Magical Fairy Force

Atari 5200 - Homebrew

Fairy Land is in Trouble! Welcome to beautiful Fairy Land, a peaceful place ruled by the wise and just Queen Sugar. Everything was perfect here until one day, the evil appeared. It was small at first. Things started to go missing, people stopped trusting each other. Then the people started to vanish! Entire towns in the farther reaches of the land were wiped out. What was going on? It didn't take long for Queen Sugar's worst fears to be confirmed. On a small island to the northeast of Fairy Land a dark fortress had been erected, and the flag that flew over its walls was known to the...

Mario Bros.

Atari 5200 - Released - July 1, 1983

Mario Bros. features two plumbers, Mario and Luigi, having to investigate the sewers of New York after strange creatures have been appearing down there. The objective of the game is to defeat all of the enemies in each phase. The mechanics of Mario Bros. involve only running and jumping.

Meebzork

Atari 5200 - November 16, 1983

An unfinished prototype game that was originally planned as a shooter but the last available version ends up being more an action/adventure game. There is an early build available of the shooter as well. You are a warrior named Meebzork who can practice or play through 6 different levels (not including another level that was going to be after you completed a board and would allow you to choose a next one). All 6 levels are different in what they require. While unfinished and unpolished you can see a lot of potential.

Megamania

Atari 5200 - Released - June 1, 1983

MegaMania is an arcade action game with gameplay similar to Space Invaders. You control a spaceship at the bottom of the screen and need to defend yourself from numerous waves of attackers. But in MegaMania, the attackers much more bizarre than invading aliens. There are hamburgers, diamonds, steam irons, bow ties, space dice, and more! You need to earn points by destroying as many of these strange attackers as you can before your energy supply becomes depleted.

Meteorites

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

Meteorites is an arcade action game featuring gameplay similar to Asteroids. You control a spaceship surrounded by numerous asteroids; your goal is to destroy them! Each time you shoot an asteroid, it will break up into smaller asteroids. Eventually the pieces will be small enough that you can destroy them. When you have destroyed all of the asteroids, you will move on to the next, more difficult level. To make the game more difficult, a flying saucer will also appear from time to time and try to shoot your spaceship. To get out of trouble quickly, your spaceship also may enter hyperspace...

Microgammon SB

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - August 15, 1983

An unreleased prototype game created by Steve Baker. Originally released for the Apple II he decided to port it to the Atari 5200 since it had a similar high resolution mode. Which only allowed it to be black and white. Luckily this is perfect for Backgammon!

Millipede

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1984

An prototype conversion of the arcade game Millipede. It was completed in 1984 but never released due to Atari abandoning the 5200 near it's completion. A homebrew version was released in 2017 by Atariage. The goal is to survive wave after wave of various insects while trying to destroy a Millipede that makes its way down the screen towards your player. While very similar to Centipede it adds quite a few new quirks such as new insects to contend with and DDT bombs that when shot will destroy what is around them.

Miner 2049er

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

Miner 2049er is a platform video game created by Bill Hogue that was released in 1982 by Big Five Software. It was developed for the Atari 8-bit family and widely ported to other systems. As Bounty Bob, the player's goal is to inspect every section of each mine in search of the evil Yukon Yohan while avoiding the radioactive creatures that inhabit the mine. As Bounty Bob walks over a section of flooring, it fills with color. To complete the level, every section of flooring must be colored. Each level is timed and must be completed before the player runs out of oxygen.

Miniature Golf

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - February 10, 1983

Unreleased prototype game by Steve Baker for the Atari 5200. However it was completed and is fully playable. Due to the Hi-Res mode used the game has some odd choices for colors but other than that is quite well done and simulates Miniature Golf very well. Control is handled entirely by the keypad, so the non-centering 5200 joystick doesn't hinder the gameplay. Pushing the # and * keys changes the direction the ball will be hit (represented by an arrow) and the 1-9 keys are used to indicate the power of the swing (1=lowest and 9=highest).

Missile Command

Atari 5200 - Released - January 1, 1982

The game is played by moving a crosshair across the sky background and launch a counter-missile from the appropriate battery. Counter-missiles explode upon reaching the crosshair, leaving a fireball that persists for several seconds and destroys any enemy missiles that enter it. There are three batteries, each with ten missiles; a missile battery becomes useless when all its missiles are fired, or if the battery is destroyed by enemy fire. The missiles of the central battery fly to their targets at much greater speed; only these missiles can effectively kill a smart bomb at a distance.

Montezuma's Revenge

Atari 5200 - Released - July 1, 1984

The player controls a on-screen character called Panama Joe, moving him from room to room in the labyrinthine underground of the 16th century Aztec temple of emperor Montezuma II, filled with enemies, obstacles, traps, and dangers. The objective is to score points by gathering jewels along the way. Panama Joe must find keys to open doors, collect and use equipment such as torches, swords, amulets, etc. without losing his life. Obstacles are laser gates, conveyor belts, disappearing floors and fire pits.

Moon Patrol

Atari 5200 - Released - July 1, 1983

The player takes the role of a Luna City police officer assigned to Sector Nine, the home of the "toughest thugs in the galaxy." The top portion of the screen shows a timeline-style map of the current course, and three indicator lights. The top light indicates upcoming enemy aerial attacks, the middle one indicates an upcoming minefield, and the bottom one indicates enemies approaching from behind. The map shows five different checkpoints labeled E, J, O, T and Z. Similar to racing games, the time spent during between each checkpoint is compared to the average which determines the number of...

Mountain King

Atari 5200 - Released - June 1, 1983

Deep within a multi platformed diamond mine is a valuable crown. Your goal is to locate and retrieve the crown, then make it to the top of the mine alive! There are several steps that need to be completed before you can retrieve the crown. First you need to collect enough diamonds to earn 1,000 points. After you have enough points, you need to locate the flame spirit which is hidden somewhere within the mine. Since the mine is rather dark, you carry a flashlight with you which can be used to locate objects (such as treasure chests full of diamonds and the flame spirit.) Once you have the flame...

Mr. Cool

Atari 5200

You as a cube jump on the pyramid built with color-changing platforms. You have to make all platforms of the same color, but the flying comets disturb you. But if the comets became the balls then cube can collect them painlessly.

Mr. Do!'s Castle

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

Mr. Do's Castle is an arcade game created by Universal in September 1983. The Asian title of the game is Mr. Do! versus Unicorns. Though marketed as a sequel to the original Mr. Do! released one year earlier, the game bears a far closer resemblance to Space Panic. It is the second of the Mr. Do series of video games, although it wasn't intended to be. It began life as a game called "Knights vs. Unicorns", but the U.S. division of Universal persuaded the Japanese arm to modify the graphics into a Mr. Do! game, taking into account the first game's popularity.

Ms. Pac-Man

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

The gameplay of Ms. Pac-Man is largely identical to that of the original Pac-Man. The player gathers points by eating dots and avoiding ghosts (contact with one loses a life). Power-pellets or energizers change the ghosts, which reverse their course and can be eaten for bonus points. Fruit bonuses can be consumed for increasing point values, twice per level.

Pacific Coast Hwy

Atari 5200 - Unreleased

Pacific Coast Highway is a Frogger variant that makes a few changes from the arcade original. The objective is still to guide an animal (here a tortoise or a rabbit depending on what instructions you read) across first a highway where various cars have to be avoided and then a river where the turtle has to jump between boats passing by. Unlike the arcade game the road and river sections take place on different screens but are still considered a single level. Once both have been completed the game moves on to the next difficulty level. From the second level the sidewalk in the middle of the...

Pac-Man

Atari 5200 - Released - November 1, 1982

One of the most popular and influential games of the 1980's, Pac-Man stars a little, yellow dot-muncher who works his way around to clear a maze of the various dots and fruit which inhabit the board. Pac-Man's goal is continually challenged by four ghosts: The shy blue ghost Bashful ("Inky"), the trailing red ghost Shadow ("Blinky"), the fast pink ghost Speedy ("Pinky"), and the forgetful orange ghost Pokey ("Clyde"). One touch from any of these ghosts means loss of a life for Pac-Man. Pac-Man can turn the tables on his pursuers by eating one of the four Power-Pills located around the...

Pac-Man Arcade

Atari 5200 - ROM Hack - 2007

Everyone's familiar with the now infamous version of Pac-Man that Atari unleashed to its legions of 2600 fans. If you've ever wished for a version of Pac-Man truer to the original, Rob Kudla has modified the much better Ms. Pac-Man and turned it into the Pac-Man Atari should have released. This is a fairly significant hack, and here are the changes Rob made to Ms. Pac-Man: Changed the graphics Altered the theme music Changed audio code to improve authenticity Changed playfield color and layout Got rid of extra tunnel and three extra mazes Made fruit sit in the middle of the screen...

Pengo

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

The player uses a joystick and a single button as controls. Pressing the button while pushing the joystick will cause Pengo to push forward the ice block he is facing, which will slide until it hits a wall or another ice block, crushing any intervening Sno-Bees. Crushing more than one Sno-Bee at once will increase the number of points awarded. There are a total of sixteen levels, which repeat in order starting on the seventeenth round. As the player crushes those on patrol, new Sno-Bees hatch from eggs located within ice blocks. At the start of each level, blocks that contain these eggs are...

Pitfall II: Lost Caverns

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

Pitfall Harry has unlimited time and lives, making it impossible to "lose" the game; when Harry touches a dangerous creature, he simply loses points as he floats back to the last continue point (marked with a red cross) he touched.

Pitfall!

Atari 5200 - Released - January 24, 1983

The player must maneuver a character known as Pitfall Harry through a maze-like jungle in an attempt to recover 32 treasures in a 20-minute time period. Along the way, he must negotiate numerous hazards, including pits, quicksand, rolling logs, fire, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and crocodiles. Harry may jump over or otherwise avoid these obstacles by climbing, running, or swinging on a vine to avoid them. Treasure includes gold and silver bars, diamond rings, and bags of money. Under the jungle there is a tunnel which Harry can access through ladders found at various places. This is required to...

Pole Position

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

Pole Position is a Formula 1 racing game. Enter the Grand Prix, race against other racing cars to achieve the highest score possible in the shortest amount of time. Before the player can enter the Grand Prix, the player must first qualify by competing in the Qualifying Lap within 73 seconds or less. If the player, however, does not qualify in the Qualifying Lap, the player may continue to race until the Race Timer runs after 90 seconds. The player will score 50 points per 5 meters and additionally 50 points for every racing car passed. When the time runs out - Game Over. The player will...

Popeye

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

As Popeye, you are trying to win Olive Oyl's love! She is at the top of the screen dropping tokens of her love, and you need to collect them before they hit the ground. After you have collected the required number of items, you can move on to the next, more difficult level. There are many obstacles trying to stop you from completing your task, though! Brutus wanders around the screen and is constantly trying to catch you. If you collect a can of spinach, you can temporarily knock him out, otherwise Brutus will knock you out. Other objects such as bottles or birds are also flying around the...

Q*bert

Atari 5200 - Released - 1983

Q*bert is an isometric platform game with puzzle elements where the player controls the titular protagonist from a third-person perspective. Q*bert starts each game at the top of a pyramid of cubes, and moves by jumping diagonally from cube to cube. Landing on a cube causes it to change color, and changing every cube to the target color allows the player to progress to the next stage.

QIX

Atari 5200 - Released - 1982

In this game, you guide a marker which must draw rectangles and other weird objects in order to claim your territory, and you can either draw these rectangles fast or slow. Drawing the rectangles using the "slow" method awards you the most points. Once a rectangle has been made, it will be colored in to show that you have claimed your territory. While drawing the rectangles, you need to watch out for Qix (pronounced "kicks"), a series of colored lines that crawl the screen. In addition to Qix, you also need to avoid the Sparks who travel around the border, as well as any lines that you have...

Quest for Quintana Roo

Atari 5200 - Released - 1984

Help Yucatan Sam explore the dozens of terror filled chambers that create the mystical temple of the Mayan god Quintana Roo. You must use your supplies as well as your cat-like reactions to avoid the sleeping snakes, overcome the mummy's curse, and eliminate the other adversaries while attempting to solve the mystery that will deliver the hidden treasure to you and Yucatan Sam. Since a different solution is required each time the game is started, you will be assured hours of mind-challenging, reflex-testing entertainment.

Ratcatcher

Atari 5200 - Homebrew

The city sewer needs a cleaning! Rats have infested the city’s sewer system! Biff, Buzz, and Pork-Chop have been hired by the mayor to deal with the problem, but the sewers are a dangerous place! Nasty alligators prowl the pipes, choking gas drifts about, charges of ball lightning spark up in the darkness, and mysterious sewer gremlins love to play pranks! The water system has been diverted to a back-up tank, but if the pressure gets too high the tank will discharge a dangerous flow of water. Can the ratcatchers use this water to their advantage, or will it ruin their day when it...