When did Atomic Robo-Kid release?

Atomic Robo-Kid was first released on November 1, 1988.

Atomic Robo-Kid

Nov 1, 1988ShooterArcadeArcadeSharp X68000Commodore C64/128/MAXSega Mega Drive/GenesisAtari ST/STE

Atomic Robo-Kid — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Atomic Robo-Kid on?: Atomic Robo-Kid was released on Arcade, Sharp X68000, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, Amiga, PC Engine.
When did Atomic Robo-Kid release?: Atomic Robo-Kid was first released on November 1, 1988.

About Atomic Robo-Kid

Atomic Robo-Kid is a horizontally scrolling shooter released in arcades by UPL. The player controls the titular character through six stages of increasing difficulty, facing an alien "governor" boss (which are so large as to be considered levels in and of themselves, as some of the bosses take up several screens) at the end of each level, followed by a "duel" level against other Robo-Kid sized robots. Many levels branch into others, giving the player the choice over which zone to enter next, increasing replayability.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Sharp X68000, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, Amiga, PC Engine
Developer: UPL
Publisher: Activision
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Science fiction

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

61/100

from 6 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Fake risk
Sega Genesis	1990	$20	$45	—	Low

Also released on: Arcade · Sharp X68000 · Commodore C64/128/MAX · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Atari ST/STE · TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine · Amiga · PC Engine. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29

Loose

$20

Complete

$45

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Japanese release	$30	$51	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about once a week
Sealed: about once a year

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $3.49 in Apr 2010, $16.50 five years ago, and $19.50 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2011	$3.99	—
Jan 2012	$4.95	—
Jan 2013	$8.79	—
Jan 2014	$7.19	$14.26
Jan 2015	$6.50	$18.27
Jan 2016	$8.85	$35
Jan 2017	$14.50	$32
Jan 2018	$12.99	$28
Jan 2019	$13.84	$32
Jan 2020	$11.93	$31
Jan 2021	$13.49	$38
Jan 2022	$23	$54
Jan 2023	$23	$65
Jan 2024	$15.50	$58
Jan 2025	$16.92	$40
Jan 2026	$18.99	$47
Oct 2026	$19.50	$45

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number	Barcode
North America	October 1990	T-24016	039915157547
Japan	14 December 1990	T-24013	4991694122016

Source: Product numbers: MAME's Mega Drive software list and the No-Intro serial records in the libretro database, published where both agree on the same cartridge dump, or from the libretro records alone where MAME lists no number for that dump. Board and ROM numbers: MAME's software list

Region: JP+NA
Released: 1990
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases, such as Sega Ages, the Genesis Mini and Nintendo Switch Online, are not tracked hereLow counterfeit risk

Sega Genesis prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A solid horizontal shooter with fine graphics and a weak soundtrack, priced above the middle on a US cart.

Atomic Robo-Kid is the Genesis port of UPL's horizontally scrolling arcade shooter, published by Treco. It came out in North America in October 1990 and in Japan on 14 December 1990. You control a jet-pack droid blasting through scrolling levels against alien machines.

Video Games & Computer Entertainment, in January 1991, called it a shoot-'em-up worth your attention for its top-notch graphics and captivating play, and singled out huge, detailed boss machines. It found the music a major disappointment and the design short on new ideas.

How the Sega Genesis version differs

Video Games & Computer Entertainment praised the Genesis game's top-notch graphics and boss creatures but called the music cheesy.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · PC Engine · Commodore 64 · Atari ST · Amiga · X68000

Arcade

UPL

PC Engine. The PC Engine version is an adaptation of the arcade original, published as Atomic Robo-Kid Special.

Before you buy

Among US carts it sits above the middle. The Japanese cart usually costs noticeably more than the US one loose and slightly more complete, and its cartridge has a different shape that needs an adapter or the removal of two plastic tabs in a Western console's slot.