10 Cheap Atari 2600 Games to Pickup for the 2600+

[@frankschuler2867]

Asteriods, Missile Command, Joust, Berserk, Defender and Star Master are some of my favorites. Yar’s Revenge is great too. Great choices!

[@jasonmann3775]

100% agree with space invaders. I see at my local game shop for $3. Seriously considering getting a 2600+ because of this. I would also search out the activision titles like Pitfall and River Raid. Also have a soft spot for Raiders of the lost ark. circus atari with the paddle controllers.

[@d.aardent9382]

I found Phoenix, Jungle Hunt and Outlaw at a newer big consignment store just 3-4 blocks away from house in what used to be a old grocery store that sat empty for decades. But anyway, it didn't dawn on me what Phoenix was at first, i completely forgot about its arcade origin and once i looked it up i was, oh yeah i remember playing that! It was kind if obscure game and rare to find in my area for some reason, but i always liked it as it was kind of like Galaga. Anyway, got them for 3$ each. The stall the seller has had a big pile of cartridges on a shelf and usually i don't even bother looking at them that closely because i will see the typical humdrum ones i already had or ones i don't care for and so figure theres not much reason to waste time looking through but i was looking at some other old computer games the person had and looked at the cartridges and saw titles that i never ever see usually. Ya never know what you'll find i guess. I bought a Venture cart off ebay recently for 11.00$ ,so i didnt feel so bad since i got the other ones so cheap lol Venture was one of my fave arcade cabinet games but hardly ever saw it in the wild. We had a kmart in nearby town 12 mins away and they had a Venture cabinet in their foyer and i always played it when i'd go with my mom or grandma went over there. There were some games we just hardly ever saw in my region. Like Major Havoc. The mall arcade was only place had one of those and it was one of my fave games in the mid 80s.

[@R3troZone]

Phoenix was a game I had on my 2600 as a kid and I still have my childhood cartridge to this day. One of my all time favorite games and even though its an arcade port, I like the Atari version more than the arcade version.

[@kjhoskins]

Great list, John. I spent countless hours on all of these games. Phoenix is a fantastic game. Thanks for the video!

[@johnhancockretro]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joshx9746]

I went to my local exchange and got a bunch of carts there, $3 each, since I got my 2600+ last week, been having hours of fun, I can play defender, asteroids, and millipede over and over, the challenge never gets old.

[@stephenelliott7071]

I never grew up with the 2600, but a friend had an Atari 800 (the first version, and thanks to Ebay so do I now, the pride of my retro collection). Anyway, the physical media (sadly going out of favour these days) especially cartridges is so satisfying as it locks into place in the slot, as well as the artwork on the box and case. Good times, which are seemingly coming back! 🙂 As for Pole Position you're correct, but the 7800 Pole Position 2 is a really good if you can get it - and runs on the 2600+

[@BriansManCave]

Great choices! I would add Keystone Kapers and Mousetrap! 😄

[@johnhancockretro]

Good choice!

[@danestegman155]

Nice list! I always liked Dig Dug and Frogger and Space Invaders on the Atari 2600 system!

[@johnhancockretro]

Classic

[@wallacebrandon]

I would also add Moon Patrol and River Raid, I still love those games!

[@FrozenWell]

great list, I picked up 6 of these over the last couple of months for my 2600+

[@CP200S]

Megamania is my all-time favourite.

[@waynerowlinson6177]

Fantastic video! I'm team Phoenix myself simply because I played it first and played it a ton. True story: My older sister used to get me to babysit for her for free. Her and her husband had a 2600 and had all of these games you listed. I kept their kids alive and fed, I got to play video games. Although there are a couple other cartridges that I think are cheap I would add to your list, I'm not going to say them or the price will go up instantly 🙂

[@Mr.Chickenz]

Wow! That’s a great list! Some are so common when I’m looking for a game to play on the 2600 I pass on some of those. But I’m going to revisit these titles. Looking forward to playing them on my 2600+! Thanks John!👍👍

[@joezimmer5981]

Great list! Jungle Hunt is a blast to this day.

[@80skid61]

I agree with this list 100 percent. I also like spider fighter and mega mania. Also some 7800 games would be nice but the prices of those have gone up quite a bit latley.

[@justincorber7528]

Demon Attack. Dragon Fire. Atlantis. Yars Revenge. Missle Command. Haunted House. Keystone Kapers. Kangaroo.

[@PatArsenault]

Hi John, Happy Holidays. One of my favorite Atari 2600 games is Plaque Attack. This is a game I recently re discovered and I love it. You play as a giant tube of toothpaste and you have to shoot food inside a mouth to save your teeth. It’s just a fun, cool game that any fan of the 2600 should pick up.

[@iankempster7007]

Love this channel. Great video as always.

[@conzpiracy9382]

My top three are Dragster, Boxing, and Ms. Pac-Man.

[@GameJunctionMedia]

Great game selections here John!

[@Carlb328]

Joust, Wizard of Wor, Barnstorming, Chopper Command, Seaquest to name a few.

[@JIMZUHN]

Great list! I totally agree with all your choices. Too many to choose but all of these are almost a must, and you are correct in that they are still the cheapest to obtain. Phoenix is a great shooter I played a ton but recently Demon Attack came into my collection and now I like them both equally. Loving my 2600+.

[@forcedfeedbackclassicgamer5499]

Great choices here. Love Ms Pac, Q*Bert, Dig Dug and Frogger on the 2600. There were so many great arcade ports on the system.

[@Owazrim]

I didn't know Jungle Hunt was on the 2600. I played it a ton on the Commodore 64.

[@MegaDeth859]

Yeah, I didn't know either. I've always loved this game and played it on my Atari 800

[@-RH80-]

Wow!, I didn't knew it was on Commodore. Always played it on the 2600.

[@Owazrim]

@@-RH80- We learned our thing for the day. Time to go home. lol

[@BriansManCave]

Yeah I was surprised when I first got the game myself... I originally only played it on the Commodore 64. Same thing with Joust!

[@Evercade_Effect]

Definitely some bangers here. Centipede is fantastic and plays very well. Thanks for the video John.

[@possumgrits825]

Great suggestions. I would ad, stampede, space cavern and kangaroo.

[@johnhancockretro]

Almost chose kangaroo.

[@retronemesis7064]

Turmoil, Joust, Venture, Yars Revenge, Missile Command, Fishing Derby, Dig Dug, Demon Attack, Frogger, and Empire Strikes Back. Boom, ten cheapies.

[@EugenioAngueira]

Those are all great options! A game that I'd recommend, which I also believe is cheap, is Dodge'Em! That is one fun game!

[@Radford119]

Just found your channel and I wanted to say it's awesome. Thanks for all the content.

[@dan_evilrobot]

I love playing Atari 2600 games and since right now I own Atari 2600➕ system, Great list of games that I already have in my collection.😉👍 💯 agree!

[@johnhancockretro]

Good choice!

[@dan_evilrobot]

@@johnhancockretro I would added to the list. Keystone Kapers, Kaboom!, Demons Attack, and Vanguard.

[@alcampbell469]

Space Cavern, Journey Escape, Kangeroo, Wizard of War,Zaxxon, Gorf, time pilot Donkey Kong, ram it and airlock would be my 10 essentail games. Also plus Planet Patrol, Cross force and Megaforce. Have a top 13

[@IsaacKuo]

Are Air Sea Battle and Space War cheap? Air Sea Battle is particularly fun if you have little kids, and for oldies like me there's a lot of nostalgia because you could play it at Sears (for free!). Space War is not as fondly remembered as Combat, but it IS a cool take on the original classic. There have been lots of versions of Space War throughout the years, and Atari 2600 Space War is still an interesting and different take. Having only one bullet on screen at a time and all the different modes just makes it very different.

[@MountainManGamingPSVR]

No Raiders of the Lost Ark, common John?! Haha, love the videos!

[@retrobeliever]

Great vid sir! I’m still on the fence getting this but I love the idea of it

[@woodscrafter1971]

I don't have a 2600+ but I have the first game system I owned, a Coleco Gemini with the best controllers ever!! (at least I think so! 😉) Phoenix for sure...that's a fantastic game. Journey Escape is still pretty darn fun and cheap too, if you can find one.

[@benalva3817]

You have the coolest hats.

[@-RH80-]

Berzerk, cheap and great!

[@g4z-kb7ct]

Space Invaders is present on my 10-in-1 cart heh! I simply re-programmed it with 16 good games. Yes 16. 4kB x 16 = 64kB. Flash ROM inside the cart is SST39VF512 = 64kB.

[@marccaselle8108]

I remember in the 1990s, you could get Atari 2600 games where I lived from 25 cents up to 5 dollars a piece.

[@mattray4876]

You can't go wrong with any of the Imagic games, especially "Demon Attack" and "Atlantis".

[@treyslay753]

I just received my 2600+. I'm really impressed with the build quality of the system & controller. One of my favorite 2600 games is Reactor by Parker Bros. It takes a little while to learn to play (instructions are a must) but once you understand the rules, it is lots of fun. Oh yeah, Demon Attack is better than Phoenix in my opinion. Even though without Phoenix there probably wouldn't be a Demon Attack.

[@seanpquinn]

My top 10 games playable on the 2600+ in no particular order: Ms. Pac Man Yars Revenge H.E.R.O. Space Invaders River Raid Frogger Kaboom! Keystone Kapers Phoenix Pitfall!

[@realLiqWorldHearse]

The list is good IMHO. As a kid I was strictly a Phoenix fan, but now I go back and forth too! ha, which one has less annoying sound? I don't know how common Seaquest is, but I consider it as among the very best on 2600.

[@retro_anime_gamer_8716]

Man, i just added Jungle Hunt to the collection this year. I might be out of line here but i think it is better than Pitfall, I also love the cover art with the cannibal on it

[@mr19932001]

River Raid was a favorite 2600 game of mine. I got it for a little over $1.

[@MVLGAMING]

I have a few copies of Ms Pac-Man (for whatever reason) and its great! But I think one of my favorite game is actually Pheonix! Though most of my games have damaged labels, which is very common because of the glue used on the stickers.

[@sithcritic8906]

Yars’ Rwvenge is a must on every list and it’s super common and very cheap.

[@johnhancockretro]

Included on the 10-1 cart

[@marccaselle8108]

I had centipede in the 80s and played it often.

[@TheBretsky]

I really enjoyed Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.. Have to hook up my Atari 2600+ yet... I'm really hoping Popeye 7800 homebrew works. Demon Attack I was an Intellivision boy and the Atari version seemed lacking after that. OMG Centipede is so hard to find for me.. I sold a system and had Centipede with it, tested all carts before selling and centipede didn't work... so gave mine thinking i could find another.. nope.. years later still haven't run across one.

[@gam85191]

All great games. Thanks man

[@johnhancockretro]

Glad you like them!

[@OldFive31]

Solid list !

[@Nelbroth]

I wish Alien Brigade would get the re-issue treatment. That cart is mad expensive nowadays.

[@CLINTSTER77COX]

Gotta tell about q Bert controller turn diagonal. Correct? I didn’t know for a long time

[@axemanracing6222]

Demon Attack & Phoenix are the best shooters. You'll need Dig Dug and Star Raiders (does the the controller work on the +?)

[@alcampbell469]

no the extra star raiders controller does not work

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

The debate of Phoenix vs Demon Attack is very silly. If you like one, you will like the other, and they are both very affordable. Anyone who has an Atari 2600 of any sort should own both of them. Just don't confuse them for the ultra-expensive and terrible Condor Attack!

[@paulreese7788]

Enduro, Mr. Do, Phoenix, and Reactor some of the best playing games IMO

[@matthewnikitas8905]

There are too many great names to name but a few that come to the top of my head are Berserk, Yars Revenge, Pac Man Jr, Spy Hunter, Millipede and even decent ports of later released arcade games like Rampage and Double Dragon are pretty good.

[@ilj1259]

Demons to Diamonds Crystal Castles Moon Patrol Gunslinger

[@ilj1259]

Breakout Cosmic Ark Fast Food Combat

[@Cordoba79]

Tried multiple carts on the 2600+. Only issue so far is background interference noise on pitfall. ( crackling sound) No issue with my cart on an original 2600. Anyone else having this problem?

[@johnhancockretro]

Hmm my pitfall cart did not have that issue. Might want to clean your cart. Pal or NTSC?

[@Cordoba79]

NTSC cart. I did see another youtube review where this same problem occurred, must be some but not all. Weird.

[@Cordoba79]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYDEl2OojsRsg6csi=2-kN_VVumkgg__1H

[@Cordoba79]

21:22 on the time is exactly what mine is doing. I have cleaned it several times as well

[@Cordoba79]

Thanks for the reply I am a big fan of your videos

[@RPG_Gaming318]

I like Demon Attack

[@Sevenof7]

E.T. - Not THE best game but a good game and I'll die on that hill! and you can find these fairly cheap

[@mjdf122]

From a land long ago Atari

[@ITGuyinaction]

😁🤘✌💪😀 Wow! So many viewers here! Why other channels about Atari have much modest audience...?

[@ferndog1461]

Demon attack is Phoenix on steroids.

[@johnhancockretro]

I love Imagic and like Demon Attack...but I think Phoenix might be a little better. Music is better in Demon Attack though.

[@ilj1259]

Video Olympics (pong) Basketball Bowling Dragonfire

[@dougjones8952]

I totally agree with this list. But ya gotta have the classics such as Donkey Kong and Burgertime. Combat is also a good cheap choice. You really can't go wrong. 😊

[@dennisottens3882]

Tutankham wizard of wor gorf barnstorming be nice to

[@audrisampson]

you went really inexpensive with this list. I probably would have made my list half activision.

[@johnhancockretro]

lol the title and focus was cheap. Some Activision games are now more than you remember.

[@audrisampson]

@johnhancockretro yeah that could be true I finished my Activision set years ago

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

Doing a top 10 cheap 2600+ cartridges, and still manages to show off his rare Atari Corp. gray label rereleases.

[@Darko1226]

Activision games are pretty cheap and they are some of the best for the 2600.

[@JestersDeadUK]

It was the bomb back then, but no place now... 😢

[@daviddonnell2153]

Isn't Atari 2600 the cheapest to collect for? One game I would not recommend playing unless you like bad games, ET. I have been warned many years ago by my friend James Rolfe not to play it, I did and it was very bad

[@johnhancockretro]

For cheap games yes but there are Uber rare games that are thousands.

[@alcampbell469]

ET was/is great.

[@daviddonnell2153]

@@alcampbell469 the movie was great but the game fails. Where in the movie does ET extend his head to come out of pits? Why in the game does ET always fall into fits no matter where you go? It is hard to control and why is he green? I have seen the end of this terrible game and after that I sent the game back to Atari with a long letter and they wrote me back with another copy of the game. 😠

[@sheep20011]

If you read the instructions, ET is a great game. The rumor that circulated about it being one of the worst games ever was because most people hadn’t read how to actually play it.

[@ferndog1461]

Find the fixed version of ET in the AtariAge Forums.

[@trayahzz537]

Kangaroo!

[@xXRustyShacklefordXx]

Literally just emulate lol

[@johnhancockretro]

Not the same experience as using an og controller imo

[@xXRustyShacklefordXx]

@@johnhancockretro i use an og controller on my pc with an adapter.

[@Suhadisgood]

I think I’ll pass on Atari 2600 games they are trash their all worth one penny each

[@ilj1259]

Sometimes fun factor is more important then monetary value.

[@GeorgeTyson-wu2zg]

@@ilj1259that’s fine but do you even know who buys these Atari 2600 consoles the scalpers they buy them to resell them for $200 to make prophet real gamers don’t play on weakling consoles they play on the most powerful consoles including the PC