Is Blue Lightning on Steam?

No. Blue Lightning 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 Blue Lightning on?

Blue Lightning is available on PC (Microsoft Windows), Atari Jaguar, Atari Jaguar CD.

When did Blue Lightning release?

Blue Lightning was first released on September 21, 1995.

Blue Lightning

Sep 21, 1995ShooterPC (Microsoft Windows)Atari JaguarAtari Jaguar CD

Blue Lightning — frequently asked questions

Is Blue Lightning on Steam?: No. Blue Lightning 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 Blue Lightning on?: Blue Lightning is available on PC (Microsoft Windows), Atari Jaguar, Atari Jaguar CD.
When did Blue Lightning release?: Blue Lightning was first released on September 21, 1995.

About Blue Lightning

Blue Lightning is a combat flight simulation video game developed by Attention to Detail and published by Atari Corporation exclusively for the Atari Jaguar CD on September 21, 1995. It is a remake of Epyx's 1989 Atari Lynx title of the same name and was, alongside Vid Grid, one of the pack-in games for the peripheral when it launched. Assuming the role of a rookie aircraft pilot from the Blue Lightning squadron, players take control of multiple military aircraft on various missions in order to stop General Drako, who betrayed the United Nations and slowly gained control of many armed forces through corruption to expand his organized crime empire on all over the world. Originally advertised as a sequel to the Atari Lynx original, Blue Lightning had a troubled development cycle and went through various changes before release. Similarly with Cybermorph, an early game for the Jaguar created by its main developer, Blue Lightning received divisive reviews when it launched. While it received praise for its soundtrack, many reviewers felt divided in regards to the gameplay and graphics. Critics also compared the game with both the original Lynx game and After Burner, which received a conversion for the Sega 32X months prior.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), Atari Jaguar, Atari Jaguar CD
Developer: Attention To Detail
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Warfare

Details via IGDB.

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Atari JaguarCD	1995	$12	$27	$54

Also released on: PC (Microsoft Windows) · Atari Jaguar CD. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Atari Jaguar · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-07-24

Loose

$12

Complete

$27

Sealed

$54

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1995
Authenticity: Low

Never re-released — the original disc is the only way to playLow counterfeit risk

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

One of the two pack-ins: pretty, FMV-briefed, and thin underneath — required for a complete system, not for its own sake.

A conversion of Epyx's 1989 Lynx flight game, developed while the Jaguar CD hardware itself was still being finalized — ATD later admitted they didn't fully understand how the Lynx original's mechanics worked while recreating them. A studio working blind on two fronts, and it shows: competent and forgettable.

Cartridge & preservation record

Catalogue part number J9016E

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

Worth knowing

EGM said the Lynx version was better. Electronic Gaming Monthly's review was blunt: "I'm sorry, but this game doesn't cut it. Blue Lightning looks and plays like a bad Commodore 64 game. Heck, even the Lynx version was better. The gameplay is surprisingly slow, and when you do a barrel roll, the whole game slows down. The audio is average for a CD game, nothing special. If you're going to have a game on a 64-bit CD-ROM system, it should at least be able to compete with 16-bit…" For a Jaguar CD launch title, being told it was outclassed by the handheld original from five years earlier is about as bad as period reception gets.
It needed the save cartridge to keep your statistics. Electronic Games explained in October 1994 that the Jaguar CD's cartridge port existed partly so "special storage cartridges" could save mission data statistics for this game — the Memory Track. That cartridge is routinely missing from used Jaguar CD listings, and for this title it is the difference between keeping your progress and not.

Before you buy

Very common — it shipped with every Jaguar CD unit, so it belongs in every "complete add-on" checklist. Worthless-ish alone; necessary in the box. Disc condition rules apply: test-played or discounted.

Authenticity & condition — Atari Jaguar

Specific to the format this title shipped in

Buying a Jaguar CD title

Jaguar CDs are the most fragile discs of their generation, and the reason is structural rather than bad luck: Atari built a proprietary format on the audio-CD spec instead of standard CD-ROM. Capacity rose to roughly 790MB, but error correction fell.

Light scratches that a PlayStation disc shrugs off can make a Jaguar CD unreadable. Treat "light scratches, plays fine" with more scepticism here than on any other platform.
Only buy discs that have been test-played on real hardware — emulator testing proves nothing about a marginal disc.
Confirm the Memory Track cartridge is included or already owned: most Jaguar CD titles cannot save without it, and it is routinely missing from used listings.
Check the jewel case hinges and tray teeth. Replacement cases are common and are not a fault, but a swapped case often travels with swapped inserts.

What a complete copy includes

Disc, jewel case and back insert
Manual
Any pack-in disc the title shipped with — the Tempest 2000 soundtrack CD and the Myst demo disc are the two most often missing from "complete" listings