5 Best Atari 2600 Games Of All Time, Ranked

In the late '70s and early '80s, Atari was the king of the video game industry, both in terms of arcade and home platform titles. The latter was led by the Atari 2600, an early home console that launched in 1977. The system featured a mix of arcade ports and its own original titles developed by Atari and a growing number of third-party studios. In 1982, the 2600's successor launched in time for the holiday season, though the Atari 5200 was ultimately a failure that didn't make the same waves.

But prior to this and the subsequent video game crash of 1983, the Atari 2600 helped the company maintain its commanding industry position. This wasn't done on reputation and prominence alone, but with a robust library of games that kept players coming back for more. With that in mind, we're highlighting the Atari games that defined a generation, giving the home console market its solid foundation. These are the five best Atari 2600 games of all time ranked, serving as the pinnacle of the definitive '80s console.

One of the earliest pack-in games for the Atari 2600 was "Combat," a title developed and published by Atari itself. The game is a head-to-head multiplayer experience, with players choosing between a selection of military vehicles. Players hit their opponent with missiles, with each successful hit awarding a point as participants navigate a rudimentary battlefield. Rounds last two minutes and 16 seconds each, with whoever has the most points at the round's conclusion winning.

"Combat" is a hit '70s game that no one remembers today, overshadowed by Atari's more advanced titles as the console entered the '80s. But with 27 variations that players could choose from, including different vehicles, there is enough to keep players satisfied. Compared to many Atari games, which entirely revolved around single-player gameplay, the game does feature a dedicated multiplayer experience. An admittedly more simple experience, "Combat" favors fun factor over technical presentation and provides early multiplayer thrills.

Before Mario was going on his own platforming adventures, there was "Pitfall!," released in 1982. Developed and published by Activision, the game stars adventurer Pitfall Harry as he horizontally navigates screens to recover treasure. Able to jump, climb ladders, and swing from vines, Harry progresses and evades natural hazards along with lethal wildlife. The goal of the game is to earn as many points as possible within a 20-minute time limit and avoid losing all their lives in the meantime.

"Pifall!" was an early hit for Activision, a company formed by disgruntled staff who left Atari in 1979. With gameplay meant to last longer than most early Atari 2600 games, there is a lasting fun factor apparent in the title. Its subsequent success spawned an entire franchise for Activision, including a direct sequel released for the Atari 2600 in 1984. Quietly revolutionary in its own way for helping to establish the foundation of platforming games, "Pitfall!" endures over 40 years later.

One of the video games from 1978 that changed gaming forever was "Space Invaders," which took arcades by storm worldwide. A fixed-space shooter, players move left and right along the bottom of the screen blasting incoming waves of extraterrestrials. The game's success inspired countless space shooter titles, like "Galaga," along with numerous games that tried to copy "Space Invaders" directly. It wouldn't be until March 1980 that "Space Invaders" was ported to the Atari 2600, but it made a splash when it did.

The popularity of "Space Invaders" boosted Atari 2600 console unit sales when the port was released, as a testament to the game's ubiquity at the time. The game was a relatively faithful port to the arcade experience and, in contrast to the original version, featured colored sprites instead of plain white. While the 2600 would certainly see more sophisticated gameplay and presentation, there's just something about "Space Invaders" that captures the console's charm so well. If you own an Atari 2600, "Space Invaders" is just one of those games that needs to be in your library.

One of the quirkiest space shooters on the Atari 2600 is also one of its most vastly underrated. Released in 1982, "Yars' Revenge" revolves around the cosmic conflict between the Yars and Qotile alien races. The two opposing races face each other in space, with a rainbow-colored neutral zone separating them as players move vertically, rather than horizontally. Players chip away at the Qotile energy shield, avoiding projectiles, before blasting the enemy when enough of them are vulnerable.

Space shooters absolutely dominated the Atari 2600 library thanks to the popularity of games like "Galaga" and the aforementioned "Space Invaders." "Yars' Revenge" is one of the most original takes on the genre and most vibrantly presented titles on the console. Atari wasn't working with a watered-down arcade port this time around, but instead developing an experience natively for the 2600. An engaging space shooter with intriguing gameplay mechanics, "Yars' Revenge" offers a deceptive amount of fun.

Even after Atari launched the more powerful Atari 7800 home console in May 1986, it was still producing titles for the Atari 2600. This includes "Solaris," released in November 1986, and arguably the most impressive game the console ever received. The game has players explore 48 space sectors across 16 quadrants, defending the Federation and battling hostile aliens, known as Zylons. Players can battle the Zylons in space, like a space shooter, and while flying over planets' surfaces from a third-person perspective.

With its sheer scope, the variety of gameplay, and some of the most detailed sprites in the entire Atari 2600 library, "Solaris" is the best game on the console. The sci-fi adventure game takes the console's hardware as far as it can go and stands as a truly impressive technical achievement. Before ambitious sci-fi exploration games like "No Man's Sky," "Solaris" laid the foundation for games with a similarly sweeping scope. "Solaris" dared Atari gamers to dream bigger and helped realize their pixelated fantasies as it took them on a journey across the cosmos.