Action is the largest category in the Atari 2600 library. It covers games where quick reactions decide everything: running, jumping, dodging and shooting, often all on the same screen. That suits the console well. The standard Atari joystick has one stick and a single fire button, so action games keep their controls simple and put the challenge into timing and movement.
The hardware shaped these games just as much as the controller did. The 2600 has only 128 bytes of RAM, and its graphics chip offers just two player sprites, two missiles and a ball to work with. Programmers got around this with flicker, repeated sprites and screens drawn one line at a time, which is why so many action games pit one hero against a small group of enemies. Here are a few good places to start:
Pitfall! (Activision, 1982): David Crane’s jungle run, with vines, tar pits, crocodiles and treasure spread over many screens.
Yars’ Revenge (Atari, 1982): Howard Scott Warshaw’s shooter, in which an insect-like Yar nibbles through a shield to reach its enemy.
Berzerk (Atari, 1982): the arcade robot maze, with Evil Otto chasing you out of every room.
Warlords (Atari, 1981): castle defence for up to four players on paddle controllers.
Frostbite (Activision, 1983): hop across drifting ice floes to build an igloo before the cold gets you.
Tutankham (Parker Brothers, 1983): a tomb-exploring shooter based on Konami’s arcade game.
Browse the full list below and play any of these action games right here in your browser.
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