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.

Spider Fighter

Spider Fighter is a fixed-screen shooter for the Atari 2600, designed by Larry Miller and published by Activision around the turn of 1982 and 1983. You guard an orchard from swarms of fruit-stealing insects, firing up from a…

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Stampede

Stampede is a 1981 Activision game designed and programmed by Bob Whitehead, the author of Boxing and Skiing. You ride a horse across a scrolling prairie and lasso runaway cattle before they slip past you. It looks gentle,…

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Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space

Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space is a 1983 flight simulator from Activision, programmed by Jessica Stevens (credited at the time as Steve Kitchen). You take the Space Shuttle Discovery through a complete mission: launch, orbit, docking with…

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Skiing

Skiing is a 1980 Activision cartridge designed and programmed by Bob Whitehead. You steer a skier down slalom courses and downhill runs, dodging trees, flags and moguls in a race against the clock. There are no enemies and…

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Sky Jinks

Sky Jinks is a 1982 air racing game for the Atari 2600, designed and programmed by Bob Whitehead for Activision. You fly a low-level P41 racer through a course of pylons, watched over from above as the ground…

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Seaquest

Seaquest is an underwater shooter designed by Steve Cartwright and released by Activision in 1983. You command a small submarine, pick up divers, fight off sharks and enemy subs, and keep an eye on an oxygen tank that…

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River Raid

River Raid is a 1982 vertically scrolling shooter by Activision, designed and programmed by Carol Shaw. You fly a jet up an endless river, shooting tankers, helicopters, jets and bridges, and you can never let the fuel run…

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Robot Tank

Robot Tank is a first-person tank battle for the Atari 2600, designed by Alan Miller and released by Activision in 1983. You look out through the viewscreen of a remote-controlled tank, hunt enemy robot tanks with your radar,…

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Pressure Cooker

Pressure Cooker is a 1983 Activision game designed and programmed by Garry Kitchen. You play Short-Order Sam, a cook at a burger restaurant called "The Grille", who builds hamburgers to order while toppings fly out of a machine…

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Pitfall II: Lost Caverns

Pitfall II: Lost Caverns is David Crane's 1984 sequel to his own Pitfall!, published by Activision. Pitfall Harry leaves the jungle and goes underground into a huge cave system below Machu Picchu in Peru. With no time limit,…

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