Is Carnival on Steam?

No. Carnival 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 Carnival on?

Carnival is available on ColecoVision, Arcade, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Atari 8-bit.

When did Carnival release?

Carnival was first released on June 1, 1980.

Carnival

Jun 1, 1980ShooterArcadeColecoVisionArcadeAtari 2600 IntellivisionAtari 8-bit

Carnival — frequently asked questions

Is Carnival on Steam?: No. Carnival 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 Carnival on?: Carnival is available on ColecoVision, Arcade, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Atari 8-bit.
When did Carnival release?: Carnival was first released on June 1, 1980.

About Carnival

The goal of the game is to shoot at targets, while carefully avoiding running out of bullets. Three rows of targets scroll across the screen in alternating directions; these include rabbits, ducks, owls, and bonus items. If a duck target crosses the bottom row without being shot, it will come to life and begin flying down toward the player. Any ducks that reach the bottom of the screen in this manner will eat some of the player's bullets. Objects also periodically appear among the targets that will give the player extra bullets or points when hit. A spinning wheel with eight pipes sits above the rows of moving targets; these pipes and all targets must be shot in order to complete the round. At the end of each round, the player receives bonus points for all bullets remaining in his supply. He then plays a bonus round, where a large white bear with a target walks across the screen. Each time the bear is shot, it rears up for a second, then begins walking more quickly in the other direction. The object is to shoot the bear as many times as possible until it escapes off the screen. Following the bonus round, the next wave begins. Later bonus rounds add more bears to the screen. In higher levels, there are more duck targets and fewer extra bullet targets, putting a premium on accurate shooting. The game ends when the player runs out of bullets.

Summary via IGDB.

Carnival on Wikipedia

Carnival is a 1980 fixed shooter video game developed by Gremlin Industries and released by Sega for arcades. It was one of the first video games with a bonus round.

Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).

Game details

Platforms: ColecoVision, Arcade, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Atari 8-bit
Developer: Sega/Gremlin
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Inc.
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

61/100

from 5 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	1982	$6	$18	$40	Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★	Woodside Design Associates (designed by Jessica Stevens)

Also released on: ColecoVision · Arcade · Intellivision · Atari 8-bit. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

Complete

$18

Sealed

$40

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Coleco	Standard	2468	Common+
Europe CBS Electronics	UK Color	—	—
Europe CBS Electronics	German Color	—	—

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

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1982
Controller: Atari Joystick
Players: 1 - 2
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

Coleco's 2600 port of the Gremlin/Sega arcade shooter, cheap and easy to find.

Carnival was a 1980 fixed shooter developed by Gremlin Industries and released by Sega for arcades, and one of the first video games with a bonus round. Coleco ported it to the Atari 2600, ColecoVision and Intellivision in 1982.

The 2600 cartridge was developed by Woodside Design Associates and programmed by Jessica Stevens, credited at the time as Steve Kitchen. It came out in November 1982.

How it was made

Developed by Woodside Design Associates for Coleco and programmed by Jessica Stevens (credited as Steve Kitchen). Released in North America in November 1982, with a PAL release in 1983.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 9

December 1982

Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★

“This is an enjoyable game with very good graphics, especially in the use of bright colors.”
— Computer Entertainer, December 1982

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.

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 4 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Atari 8-bit · ColecoVision · Intellivision

Atari 2600	Woodside Design Associates (designed by Jessica Stevens)
Arcade	Gremlin Industries
Atari 8-bit	ANALOG Software
ColecoVision	Coleco
Intellivision	Coleco

ColecoVision. Electronic Games called the ColecoVision version a letter-perfect recreation of the arcade original.

Before you buy

Low risk, with no documented reproductions. Loose carts are inexpensive, and boxed and sealed copies are not hard to find. Check box condition if you are buying complete.