Developer: Activision

Activision was founded in 1979 by four Atari programmers, David Crane, Alan Miller, Bob Whitehead and Larry Kaplan, who wanted to make games for the Atari 2600 outside Atari. In the summer of 1980 it released its first four cartridges, the first 2600 games ever sold by a company other than Atari, and showed that an independent publisher could succeed on the console. Many of its games came with a mail-in patch for players who reached a target score.
The site has 39 Activision games, from those first releases such as Boxing, Dragster and Fishing Derby to late titles such as Ghostbusters (1985). A few good places to start:

Kaboom! (1981): Larry Kaplan’s paddle game about catching the Mad Bomber’s bombs in buckets.
Megamania (1982): Steve Cartwright’s shooter, with waves of hamburgers and steam irons.
River Raid (1982): Carol Shaw’s scrolling shooter along an endless river.
Enduro (1983): Larry Miller’s long-distance race through day, night, snow and fog.
H.E.R.O. (1984): John Van Ryzin’s rescue mission down a maze of mine shafts.
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (1984): David Crane’s huge underground sequel to Pitfall!

Scroll down for the full list and play any Activision game right here in your browser.

Pitfall!

About the Game Pitfall! is a platform video game designed by David Crane for the Atari 2600 and released by Activision in 1982. The player controls Pitfall Harry and is tasked with collecting all the treasures in a…

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Crackpots

Crackpots is a 1983 Activision game for the Atari 2600, and the first 2600 game by designer Dan Kitchen. You play Potsy, a rooftop gardener in Brooklyn, whose building is being eaten by bugs crawling up from the…

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Checkers

Atari 2600 Checkers Instructions A New Twist on a Classic Game Checkers, a classic game known by many, has been transformed to allow an entire family to challenge the Activision computer across three difficulty levels. Before jumping into…

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Bridge

Bridge is a card game cartridge from Activision, released in December 1980 and programmed by Larry Kaplan. It lets one person bid and play contract bridge, with the computer handling the opponents and your partner's bids. It is…

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Frostbite

Frostbite: Chilling Adventures on the Atari 2600 In 1983, Activision released Frostbite, an action-packed game for the Atari 2600. This exciting game is centered around a daring protagonist who must survive the freezing cold by building an igloo…

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Ghostbusters II

Ghostbusters II is a late Atari 2600 action game based on the 1989 film. Activision developed it, with programming credited to Michael Buetepage, but the cartridge was never sold in the United States. It came out only in…

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Private Eye

Private Eye is a detective game for the Atari 2600, designed by Activision co-founder Bob Whitehead and released by Activision in early 1984. You play the French detective Pierre Touché, driving a jumping Model A car around a…

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Oink!

Oink! is a 1983 Activision game designed by Mike Lorenzen and based on the fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs. The wolf, here called Bigelow B. Wolf, blows holes in the wall of a pig's house, and…

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Tennis

Tennis is a 1981 Atari 2600 sports game written by Alan Miller, one of the founders of Activision, and released by Activision in March 1981. You play a singles match against the computer or a friend on a…

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Starmaster

StarMaster is a first-person space combat game designed and programmed by Alan Miller and published by Activision in 1982. You pilot a lone starfighter across a galaxy map, hunting enemy fighters before they wipe out your starbases, while…

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