Who would not remember when Atari was the biggest name in the gaming industry? Likewise, many people today would readily recognize the name that revolutionized video games in the 1970s and 80s. The games such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Asteroids can instantly send people walking down memory lane.
Atari games have become part of many collections today, especially for avid gamers. Nevertheless, some games are just extremely rare, and finding them today is like finding a diamond in a gold mine.
Whether you are trying to complete your collection or just curious, look at this list of the rarest Atari games in the world!
9. Mangia
Year released: 1983
Publisher: Spectravision
Price: $300 to $1,500
Image source: My Abandonware
Spectravision developed Mangia in 1983 by using the Atari 2600 game platform. In the game, you play as the son of a mom who keeps feeding the son plates of pasta. Of course, you need to eat the pasta, or your mom will get angry.
The aim of the game is for you to prevent your tummy from exploding. To do this, you can throw the plates of pasta to the cat in the window or the dog running across the floor.
Be careful. If you get caught feeding the animals, your mom will punish you by giving you more pasta! If you pile up too much pasta on the table, it will collapse and end the game.
Did you know?
Mangia comes with a styled trailing apostrophe. Thus, you’ll see it written as Mangia’. The game’s name came from the Italian word, which means eat.
8. Cakewalk
Year released: 1983
Publisher: Irwin Gaines (programmer) and published by Commavid
Price: Up to $1,800
Image source: Price Chart
When Cakewalk was published, only a few ever made it into the hands of buyers. Moreover, it was primarily sold in the Midwest and a small number of stores.
In Cakewalk, you play the baker, who should catch the cakes as they come off the conveyor belts. The cakes move down the belts at different speeds and at different intervals, making it difficult to predict which cake would fall.
The baker can compensate for this by stopping any conveyor belt (one at a time) for 4 seconds. Cakes will not move down the conveyor belt as long as it is frozen. The game is over if too many cakes fall from the belt.
Did you know?
CommaVid Inc. developed the game, Cakewalk, the last game released by this company. The company published six Atari games between 1981 and 1983.
7. Video Life
Year released: 1983
Publisher: CommaVid
Price: up to $3,000
Image source: AtariAge
Video Life is an interesting game because it transforms your TV into a doodle pad. You can use images, patterns, and symbols to make your design.
From there, Video Life will create new patterns based on your settings. The possibilities for getting new patterns are endless.
Did you know?
Video Life is an alternative version of another game called Game of Life by Conway. The publisher sold a few copies because Video Life is only available by mail order. Also, only the people with the game Magicard can get Video Life.
6. Birthday Mania
Year released: 1984
Publisher: Robert Anthony Tokar (programmer)
Price: Up to $35,000
Image source: Retro Games Collector
Birthday Mania is one of the rarest Atari games today because it wasn’t popular during its release. Aside from that, the video game industry crashed in 1983.
Nevertheless, the marketing of Birthday Mania was unique. The idea was that people would pay the company directly for the cartridge. The company would then send their customers a personalized copy, which can be a birthday gift.
Did you know?
Robert Takar taught himself how to program the 6502 chip to develop the Birthday Mania game. Unfortunately, since there’s no commercial release, the game only sold 10 to 15 copies.
5. Eli’s Ladder
Year released: 1982
Publisher: Simage
Price: Up to $2,400
Image source: Fandom
Eli’s Ladder is an educational Atari game that helps kids learn math. Children play the game by answering math questions, which include counting, addition, subtraction, and “drill and practice” mode. The more correct answers players give, the higher Eli gets up the ladder until he reaches his ship, which he would then use to fly to the moon.
Did you know?
Eli’s Ladder can be considered the rarest educational Atari game. The game package included a wall chart, worksheet, and reward stickers.
4. Pepsi Invaders
Year released: 1983
Publisher: Atari, Inc.
Price: $1,000 to $2,000
Image source: Vox Odyssey
Pepsi Invaders was part of a witty way to promote Coca-Cola over its competitor, Pepsi. The game wasn’t sold and produced commercially. Thus, Atari only made about 125 copies, which were all given as a gift to sales executives during a Coca-Cola convention in Atlanta, Georgia.
Pepsi Invaders was like Space Invaders. The most significant difference is that Atari spelled the aliens as P, E, P, S, and I. The game aims to shoot down all those letters along with other aliens. Pepsi Invaders is thus also called “Coke Wins.”
Did you know?
Coke commissioned Atari to create a modified version of the famous Space Invaders. The move was part of a marketing strategy to make Coke look better than Pepsi, even in a video game.
3. Air Raid
Year released: 1982 (initial release)
Publisher: Men-A-Vision
Price: $3,000 to $11,000
Image source: Wikipedia
Avid gamers consider Air Raid one of the rarest Atari games in the world today, with only a few copies known. The developer of Air Raid, which is Men-A-Vision, was just a small company; thus, they could only produce a few hundred copies of the game.
Air Raid was a top-down shoot-em-up video game featuring warzone gameplay where you control an aircraft that must avoid bullets while shooting down helicopters and planes in a warzone environment.
Perhaps, the unique feature of Air Raid is its packaging. The cartridge features a T shape handle and depicts a flying saucer attacking a plane; even its manual contains an illustration showing both planes and saucers battling in the sky!
Did you know?
Men-A-Vision developed the Air Raid game, the only game they have produced. The company released its game in 1984, just when the gaming industry crashed, and Men-A-Vision soon went out of business.
2. Red Sea Crossing
Year released: 1983
Publisher: Steve Schustack in collaboration with Inspirational Video Concepts
Price: $10,000 to $14,000
Image source: Wikipedia
Red Sea Crossing can easily become the rarest Atari game since only two known copies exist. The Bible story about the crossing of Moses and the Israelites inspired the Red Sea Crossing game.
In this game, the player controls the character Moses as he passes through the dangerous passageway while evading any possible hazards or potential enemies that arise along the parted sea.
Red Sea Crossing may not have been one of the most technically advanced or visually stunning games of its time. Still, it is a valuable game in the eyes of many avid gamers and collectors today.
Did you know?
The publisher of Red Sea Crossing made this game available through mailing orders. Only about a hundred games were initially produced, and each order came with a coloring book and audio cassette.
1. Gamma Attack
Year released: 1983
Publisher: Gammation
Price: Up to $500,000
Image source: Fandom
Gamma Attack is the rarest Atari game with just one cartridge known to exist today. According to records, Gammation only produced around 20 copies of Gamma Attack but modern technology can now replicate this game.
In Gamma Attack, you control a spaceship to defend Earth from invading aliens. Its storyline and gameplay mechanics set the game apart from other games. Instead of simply blasting away at enemy ships, players had to navigate an asteroid field while collecting energy crystals to refill their ship’s power source.
Furthermore, it featured a powerful “morphing” feature whereby their ship could transform into more powerful forms to take down more challenging adversaries.
Did you know?
Anthony DeNardo is known to own the only Gamma Attack cartridge that exists today. On eBay, he listed the item and asked for a price of $500,000.
