It’s time to blow some mud off these cartridges you will have saved within the attic as we try probably the most uncommon Atari video games and the way a lot they’re value!

Atari’s Video Computer System – or VCS – launched in 1977 and have become an absolute phenomenon.

Atari have a fair longer historical past within the video video games business although, having been based 50 years in the past. Check out our Atari 50 evaluation, which seems to be on the just lately launched anniversary compilation, for extra on that!

Rebranded because the Atari 2600 in 1982, it wasn’t the primary residence console to make use of swappable sport cartridges (many consoles on the time merely got here with video games in-built to the {hardware}. But it was undoubtedly the machine that introduced the idea to the mainstream.

The Atari 2600 had a very elongated lifespan, regardless of Atari enjoying an enormous half within the principally US-based online game crash of 1983.

Production of the console resulted in 1992, with the ultimate video games arriving in the identical yr.

So many video games have been launched over these 15 years that some have ended up changing into extraordinarily wanted. 

Whether they have been launched in restricted numbers, have been simply extremely fascinating or have since develop into troublesome to search out in good situation, some Atari titles now promote for eye-wateringly enormous quantities of cash.

Which ones are the rarest and most beneficial although?

Let’s discover out, as we try the ten most uncommon Atari video games and the way a lot they’re value!

Though the title of our quantity ten entry evokes ideas of an early rhythm motion sport, the reality – of what The Music Machine really is – is much stranger.

Developed by Christian Software Development and offered solely in spiritual bookshops, The Music Machine sees gamers answerable for two youngsters, Stevie and Nancy. Gamers try to catch the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ that the eponymous Music Machine drops from the highest of the display screen.

Once every of the various kinds of merchandise – which symbolize ‘good qualities’, similar to a Snail denoting ‘patience’ or, bizarrely, a mustard seed being ‘faith’ – have been collected, a coronary heart drops.

Catch this and also you’ll transfer on to the following stage.

However, the dastardly Mr Pims can also be above the kids. He drops his assistants, The Pudgeons – catch these and it’s a life misplaced!

It’s simply as weird because it sounds, although as with most Atari video games you want the handbook to offer you context for the on-screen motion.

Given its nature as a part of a line of non secular merchandise – together with albums – which featured The Music Machine, this Atari sport is extremely uncommon. 

Price-wise, it has offered for $600 as a unfastened cartridge, as a lot as $1800 full in field and over $5000 new in shrink-wrap!

A belated port of a reasonably obscure 1981 arcade sport (with each the unique and this Atari port developed by Orca Corporation), River Patrol sees gamers answerable for a ship, travelling upriver to rescue drowning individuals whereas avoiding quite a few lethal obstacles and creatures.

Though largely forgotten lately, River Patrol was the eleventh highest grossing coin op in Japan in 1981.

The Atari port was launched by Tigervision, a subsidiary of Tiger Toys – and was certainly one of solely ten video games they launched for the system.

River Patrol didn’t get very broadly distributed and is called a particularly uncommon sport within the Atari 2600’s library. As such, it might fetch costs of near $700 only for the cartridge, $2000 for full in field copies and $3000 for brand spanking new, unopened copies!

Publishers Apollo Inc have been legally compelled to vary the title of their shark-themed online game Lochjaw as a consequence of its similarity to the film Jaws. 

Which meant that Lochjaw was withdrawn from sale and went on to be re-released as Shark Attack. The second model additionally mounted quite a few bugs and is mostly thought-about to be a significantly better sport.

This Pac-Man fashion underwater journey is in fact very uncommon as a consequence of the truth that it was changed by Shark Attack; consequently, unboxed copies have shifted for as a lot as $750. 

No doubt boxed and new copies would fetch extremely excessive costs, however there’s no gross sales knowledge on these as a consequence of how a lot of an endangered species the Lochjaw online game is!

Only the second third social gathering writer for the Atari 2600 (after Activision), Imagic launched 24 video games earlier than going out of enterprise in 1986.

One of those video games was Atlantis, a visually spectacular (for the Atari 2600!) single display screen shoot ’em up.

A contest was run by Imagic, wherein gamers of Atlantis have been inspired to ship photographs of their excessive scores to the writer. The gamers who submitted the very best scores profitable a replica of the specifically produced Atlantis II cartridge.

Atlantis II was basically only a more difficult model of the unique sport, however as a consequence of its nature as a contest prize, it’s one of many rarest video games on the Atari 2600.

Prices begin within the area of $800 – and on the time of writing, one vendor on eBay is providing their copy for an eye-watering $23,000! 

Ultravision have been a 3rd social gathering writer for the Atari 2600; that they had ambitions of making an all-in-one TV/laptop/video games console gadget (which might have extra modules to play Atari 2600 and Colecovision video games), but it surely sadly by no means got here to fruition.

They solely ended up releasing two video games for the 2600: Condor Attack and Karate.

One-on-one martial arts combating sport Karate was launched in two variations; one is value far much less (in a ‘Froggo Games’ field) and the opposite – the Ultravision branded sport – is the one which appears to fetch very excessive costs.

Each of their video games are uncommon, but it surely’s the Ultravision Karate which has made it to probably the most uncommon Atari video games listing. That’s all because of an eye-watering worth of $1100 unboxed that it’s been identified to promote for! 

No data on pricing for the boxed or new copies is obtainable, however little doubt they’d fetch exceedingly massive costs if any ever surfaced!

Though not really a sport, it is a uncommon Atari cartridge that undoubtedly earns a spot on this listing because of its worth to collectors.

Magicard is programming software program, with which very fundamental applications might be created. 

It’s unlikely that it was ever made out there at retail; as an alternative, Magicard was possible offered solely by way of mail order, from the publishers (CommaVid – although the cartridge credit them with their authentic title: Computer Magic).

There was no field, so in fact which means a whole copy is simply the very plain-looking cartridge and it’s moderately in depth, 100 web page handbook.

Five pattern applications have been included within the handbook. Although customers weren’t restricted to those 5 applications, they have been helpful as demonstrations of what Magicard was able to; they included a Memo Pad and a fundamental Target Practice sport. 

The Magicard cartridge alone can promote for $1200, however with a handbook the worth doubles to as a lot as $2400!

Despite the Pepsi branding within the title, hilariously this subsequent entry in our uncommon Atari video games listing was commissioned by The Coca-Cola Company as a promotional merchandise to be given out at their 1983 gross sales conference.

A Space Invaders clone – basically a hack of the Atari model of Space Invaders – Pepsi Invaders sees gamers capturing down adversaries which can be both the letters of the phrase ‘Pepsi’ or, within the last column, an alien.

The bonus UFO – which sometimes strikes throughout the highest of the display screen for additional factors if shot – can also be modified to appear like what was then the Pepsi brand.

The black cartridge – of which 125 have been manufactured – had no label and lots of have been merely discarded by the salespeople they have been handed out to as incentives. 

This, in fact, makes Pepsi Invaders a particularly uncommon discover – copies change palms for round $1500-$1800 at current.

An early instance of an ‘edutainment’ sport – that’s, academic leisure software program – Eli’s Ladder has gamers fixing mathematical issues throughout the sport.

Successfully fixing an issue helps the titular Eli climb his spaceship’s ladder – with the last word goal being for Eli and his crew to journey to the moon.

Interestingly, the sport was packaged with a wall chart and stickers to maintain youngsters invested in progressing.

Thanks to restricted distribution – that is writer Simage’s solely Atari 2600 sport – Eli’s Ladder is an actual rarity.

The cartridge alone fetches costs within the area of $2600, however boxed (with wall chart and stickers) it might command $7000.

Unopened, as new copies promote for as a lot as $10,000!

Perhaps probably the most legendary of all our uncommon Atari video games in existence, it’s thought that there are solely two copies of Red Sea Crossing on the planet.

Much like The Music Machine, Red Sea Crossing is a religion-themed sport. It’s rather more overt right here, with the sport instantly taking gamers by way of the story of Moses parting the Red Sea.

With the participant answerable for Moses as he makes an attempt to achieve the Sinai Peninsula, they have to dodge obstacles and the Egyptians in pursuit of the Biblical character.

Red Sea Crossing was revealed by Steve Stack Inc/Inspirational Video Concepts in 1983 – and was solely made out there by way of mail order, with adverts having appeared in Christianity Today journal.

A replica of Red Sea Crossing offered for simply over $10,000 in 2012; the whereabouts and worth of the opposite copy aren’t identified right now – but when offered it might little doubt attain an extremely excessive worth!

Though not as uncommon as Red Sea Crossing (of which solely two copies are identified to nonetheless exist), there are solely 13 copies of Air Raid identified to exist at current.

The solely launch from writer Men-A-Vision, Air Raid is a single display screen, arcade fashion sport wherein gamers goal to guard two buildings from being destroyed by enemy ships.

In 2010, a boxed copy – with simply the cartridge and no handbook – offered on-line for an enormous $31,600. 

A yr later, a cartridge solely public sale offered for $3,575 – then in 2012, the primary ever totally full copy to floor in many years (which included the cartridge, instruction handbook and field) offered for an unimaginable $33,433.30.

Others have popped up since then, although they’ve offered for much less; for example, in 2021 a replica offered for simply over $10,500.

So Air Raid, because of a mixture of its excessive rarity and the excessive costs it instructions, makes it to the very prime of our most uncommon Atari video games listing!

While you’re right here and testing Atari video games, why not check out our very personal listing of one of the best Atari 2600 emulator apps?

Along with this, why not try our listing of all Atari consoles too?

Jason – who lives within the UK – has had a lifelong curiosity in video video games, which all began when he found Space Invaders within the early 80s. The first sport he ever accomplished was Wonder Boy in Monster Land on the Sega Master System – which stays certainly one of his proudest gaming achievements. Jason is a passionate author – and has been writing about gaming because the late 90s. He at present runs popular culture weblog midlifegamergeek.com, which he updates each day (and has written greater than 700 articles on the weblog alone!).

Outside of video video games, Jason is a eager tabletop gamer, movie buff and comedian guide fan.