Is Battlezone on Steam?

No. Battlezone is not distributed on Steam, so there is no Steam Charts or SteamDB player count for it. Its live popularity is tracked here via Twitch viewership instead.

When did Battlezone release?

Battlezone was first released on November 1, 1980.

Battlezone

Nov 1, 1980ShooterSimulatorArcadeCommodore VIC-20ArcadeAtari 8-bitCommodore C64/128/MAXZX Spectrum

Battlezone — frequently asked questions

Is Battlezone on Steam?: No. Battlezone is not distributed on Steam, so there is no Steam Charts or SteamDB player count for it. Its live popularity is tracked here via Twitch viewership instead.
What platforms is Battlezone on?: Battlezone is available on Commodore VIC-20, Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari Lynx, Atari ST/STE, DOS, Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, VIC-20, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Atari ST.
When did Battlezone release?: Battlezone was first released on November 1, 1980.

About Battlezone

Battlezone is an arcade game from Atari released in November 1980. It displays a wireframe view (using vector graphics rather than raster graphics) on a horizontal black and white (with green and red sectioned color overlay) vector monitor. Due to its novel gameplay and look, this game was very popular for many years. Throughout the 1980s, Battlezone was ported to several home computer systems (usually on the Atarisoft label), including the Apple II, the Commodore 64, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, and the Atari XEGS. The Atari ST port contains large parts of the original 6502 code which is emulated in real time. An Atari 2600 port was also released, but has colored raster graphics due to limitations and the view is behind the tank rather than inside it.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Commodore VIC-20, Arcade, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari Lynx, Atari ST/STE, DOS, Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, VIC-20, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Atari ST
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Quicksilva
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Warfare

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

78/100

from 23 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Built by
Atari 2600	1983	$7	$21	$24	2 reviews	GCC (designed by Mike Feinstein / Brad Rice)

Also released on: Commodore VIC-20 · Arcade · Atari 8-bit · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Atari Lynx · Atari ST/STE · DOS · Apple II · Atari 5200 · VIC-20 · Commodore 64 · IBM PC · Atari ST. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06

Loose

Complete

$21

Sealed

$24

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Silver	CX2681	Common+
Europe Atari	Red	CX2681	Scarce+
Asia Atari	—	—	—

Also released in South America by Tron.

Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1983
Controller: Atari Joystick
Players: 1
Authenticity: Low

Not in Atari 50 — other compilations and plug-and-plays are not tracked hereLow counterfeit risk

Atari 2600 prices, all games & how to spot a fake

GCC's 2600 conversion of Atari's 3D tank classic, common and cheap.

Battlezone was Atari's 1980 arcade tank game, a vector-graphics first-person shooter often called the first true 3D arcade game. Ed Rotberg was its main designer.

GCC developed the 2600 version, with Mike Feinstein and Brad Rice credited as designers, and Atari released it in August 1983. Expect a home conversion of a vector arcade game on much simpler hardware, not the arcade experience.

How it was made

Developed by GCC for Atari, with Mike Feinstein and Brad Rice credited as designers. Released in August 1983, with a PAL release in late 1983.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 6	September 1983	Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★½
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 2 No. 3	January 1984	2½ joysticks

“is a terrific adaptation of Atari's own arcade hit … This is one of the best games of the combat genre available for the Atari 2600 system.”
— Computer Entertainer, September 1983

“And on this very fast track, VCS Battlezone comes in a very distant third. … I'd have to say that Robot Tank is a better VCS adaptation of Battlezone than Battlezone is.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, January 1984

Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — stars in most years, diamonds in 1986–87 — comparing each game only with other games for the same system. Electronic Fun rated games out of four joysticks.

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 8 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

How the Atari 2600 version differs

The 2600 version replaces the arcade's vector graphics with raster graphics and switches to a third-person view in which the player's tank is visible.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Apple II · VIC-20 · Commodore 64 · ZX Spectrum · IBM PC · Atari 8-bit · Atari ST

Atari 2600

GCC (designed by Mike Feinstein / Brad Rice)

ZX Spectrum. Computer and Video Games praised the Spectrum version's hidden-line removal, but rated the similar 3D Tank Duel slightly better than the official port.
Atari 5200. A 5200 port was scheduled for November 1983 but was cancelled.
Atari ST. The Atari ST port runs much of the original arcade 6502 code under emulation.

Worth knowing

Third Masters contest cart. Atari Age ran Battlezone as the third cartridge in its Videogame Masters Competition, after Gravitar and Quadrun. Entries were due "6/10/84" and required club membership.
1985 Arkie nominee. Electronic Games listed the 2600 Battlezone as a 1985 Arkie nominee for its audio-visuals, praising its "classy raster visuals to replace the original coin-op vector graphics".

Before you buy

Low risk; a common cart that is not a reproduction target. Loose copies are inexpensive, and sealed copies cost little more than boxed ones. Check the label and test that it boots.