Is Breakout on Steam?

No. Breakout 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 Breakout on?

Breakout is available on Arcade, Atari 2600, AY-3-8606, MSX.

When did Breakout release?

Breakout was first released on May 13, 1976.

Breakout

May 13, 1976ArcadeArcadeAtari 2600AY-3-8606MSX

Breakout — frequently asked questions

Is Breakout on Steam?: No. Breakout 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 Breakout on?: Breakout is available on Arcade, Atari 2600, AY-3-8606, MSX.
When did Breakout release?: Breakout was first released on May 13, 1976.

About Breakout

The objective of the game is to destroy a multilayered wall of bricks at the top the screen. Upon hitting the bricks with a ball which bounces off of a paddle at the bottom of the screen the bricks are destroyed. If the player misses the ball with his horizontally moveable paddle the ball is lost. After loosing five balls the game is over.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600, AY-3-8606, MSX
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Atari
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action, Science fiction

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

73/100

from 50 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Built by
Atari 2600	1978	$7	$17	$19	Atari (designed by Brad Stewart)

Also released on: Arcade · AY-3-8606 · MSX. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

Complete

$17

Sealed

$19

Label variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Text Label	$10	$10	—
Breakaway IV	$10	$18	$33
Breakaway IV [Telegames Text Label]	$10	$26	—

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Picture	CX2622	Common+
North America Atari	Text	CX2622	Common+
North America Atari	Picture - Orange label	CX2622	Scarce+
North America Sears	Picture	99813	Scarce
North America Sears	Text	99813	Scarce

Also released in South America by Dynacom.

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

Region: NA
Released: 1978
Controller: Atari Paddles
Players: 1 - 4
Authenticity: Low

On Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration since Nov 11, 2022 — the cartridge is now a collectibleLow counterfeit risk

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

The 2600 port of Atari's 1976 arcade hit, very common, very cheap and on Atari 50.

Breakout was a 1976 Atari arcade game in which you bounce a ball off a paddle to destroy rows of bricks. It was designed by Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow and prototyped by Steve Wozniak with help from Steve Jobs, and it was among the top-grossing arcade games of 1976 and 1977.

The Atari 2600 port came out in 1978 with color graphics, programmed by Brad Stewart. Sears sold it under the name Breakaway IV. It is on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration if you only want to play it.

How it was made

The 2600 port was programmed by Brad Stewart and released by Atari in October 1978, and also sold by Sears as Breakaway IV.

What the press said at the time

“The classic ball-and-paddle game has stood the test of time and become a certified classic. The Atari VCS version is equipped with enough variations to satisfy even the most jaded blaster of multi-colored brick walls”
— Electronic Games, December 1981

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 2 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

How the Atari 2600 version differs

Because of hardware limits, Brad Stewart's 2600 version has six rows of bricks instead of eight and gives five turns instead of three to clear two walls; unlike the arcade's overlay, it is in true color.

The cartridge adds a "Breakthru" variant in which the ball plows through a whole column of bricks instead of bouncing off.

Also on other platforms

Arcade

Atari 2600	Atari (designed by Brad Stewart)
Arcade	Atari, Inc.

Video Pinball. Atari's 1977 Video Pinball dedicated console included a built-in version of Breakout.

Worth knowing

1981 dealer price. Atari's confidential retailer price list for January 1 to June 1, 1981 lists Breakout (CX2622) in its basic tier: dealers paid $14.00 against a suggested retail price of $22.95.

Before you buy

Low risk; this is one of the most common carts on the system. Four listings are priced: the standard Atari cart, a "Text Label" cart, the Sears Breakaway IV cart, and a variant PriceCharting lists as "Breakaway IV [Telegames Text Label]". All are inexpensive loose. Breakaway IV is the same game under the Sears name, so check which label the photos show if you collect label variants, and buy whichever is cheapest if you just want to play.