Is Centipede on Steam?

No. Centipede 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 Centipede release?

Centipede was first released on June 6, 1981.

Centipede

Jun 6, 1981ShooterArcadeArcadeWeb browserAtari 8-bitAtari 2600 Atari 5200

Centipede — frequently asked questions

Is Centipede on Steam?: No. Centipede 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 Centipede on?: Centipede is available on Arcade, Web browser, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, TI-99/4A, Intellivision, VIC-20, Apple II, BBC Micro, IBM PC, Atari 7800, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game.com.
When did Centipede release?: Centipede was first released on June 6, 1981.

About Centipede

Centipede is a vertically-oriented shoot 'em up arcade game produced by Atari, Inc. in 1980. The game was designed by Ed Logg along with Dona Bailey, one of the few female game programmers in the industry at this time. It was also the first arcade coin-operated game to have a significant female player base. The player defends against swarms of insects, completing a round after eliminating the centipede that winds down the playing field.

Summary via IGDB.

Centipede on Wikipedia

Centipede is a 1981 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for arcades. Designed by Dona Bailey and Ed Logg, it was one of the most commercially successful games from the golden age of arcade video games, and one of the first widely played by women and girls. The primary objective is to shoot all the segments of a centipede that winds down the playing field.

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

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Web browser, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, TI-99/4A, Intellivision, VIC-20, Apple II, BBC Micro, IBM PC, Atari 7800, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game.com
Developer: Shadowsoft
Game modes: Single player

Details via IGDB.

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Built by
Atari Lynx Details ↓	2003	—	$30	$60	—	—
Atari 2600 Details ↓	1983	$8	$19	$35	3 reviews	GCC

Also released on: Arcade · Web browser · Atari 8-bit · Atari 5200 · Commodore 64 · ColecoVision · TI-99/4A · Intellivision · VIC-20 · Apple II · BBC Micro · IBM PC · Atari 7800 · Game Boy · Game Boy Color · Game.com. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.

Collector value & authenticity

Atari Lynx · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-08-07

Loose

—

Complete

$30

Sealed

$60

Region: WW
Released: 2003
Authenticity: Med

Never re-released — the original cartridge is the only way to playMedium counterfeit risk

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

The Atari Lynx version

A cancelled Atari-era Lynx game that Video61 finished and boxed in 2003 — and one of three different Lynx "Centipedes".

Shadowsoft's Lynx Centipede never shipped under Atari. Video61 released it commercially in 2003, and it exists alongside a separate demo cartridge and a separate homebrew edition, all catalogued under the same name.

Loose copies have essentially no recorded sales — in practice this is a boxed-only object, which is unusual for the platform and worth knowing before you go looking for a bare cart.

Cartridge & preservation record

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

Before you buy

Any Centipede listing needs clarifying before you bid: the 2003 Video61 boxed release, the demo cart, and the homebrew edition are three different products at three different prices. Ask for photographs of the box and label, not just the cartridge.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

Complete

$19

Sealed

$35

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Silver	CX2676	Common+
Europe Atari	Red	CX2676	Scarce+
Asia Atari	—	—	—

Also released in South America by Polyvox.

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

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 Atari 2600 version

Atari's 2600 conversion of its own arcade hit, common, cheap and on Atari 50.

Centipede began as a 1981 Atari arcade game designed by Dona Bailey and Ed Logg. You shoot the segments of a centipede winding down the screen. It was one of the most commercially successful games of the golden age of arcades, and one of the first played widely by women and girls.

Atari released the 2600 version in 1983, developed by General Computer Corporation. It is on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration if you only want to play it.

How it was made

Developed by General Computer Corporation and published by Atari in March 1983, with a PAL release the same year.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 12	March 1983	Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★★★
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 9	July 1983	3½ joysticks
Arcade Express Vol. 1 No. 19	April 24, 1983	9/10

“Game play in the standard version is incredibly close to the original arcade game, and even the sound effects are remarkably similar to the coin-op. … Unless you own an Atari 5200, this version is a must for fans of coin-op CENTIPEDE.”
— Computer Entertainer, March 1983

“Although it doesn't compare to the arcade or 5200 versions, this Centipede adaptation is one of the best VCS games available.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, July 1983

“What makes this Centipede so great, though, is the way the anonymous designer has captured the essence of the game's play mechanic. … you get a rip-snorting action shoot that belongs in every 2600 owner's software collection.”
— Electronic Games, August 1983

“But if you don't find the action fast enough, the colors alone will rivet you to the screen.”
— JoyStik, September 1983

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 cartridge sold 1,475,240 copies from 1982 to 1983, making it Atari's 11th best-selling game.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Atari 8-bit · Atari 5200 · Commodore 64 · ColecoVision · TI-99/4A · Intellivision · VIC-20 · Apple II · BBC Micro · IBM PC · Atari 7800 · Game Boy · Game Boy Color · Game.com

Atari 2600	GCC
Game Boy	The Code Monkeys

Atari 5200. Games magazine called the 5200 version a faithful port, though it has fewer mushroom obstacles and no trackball control.
Apple II. Bill Kunkel and Arnie Katz said the Apple's graphic limits cramped the Apple II version, and found its trackball support sluggish.
Game Boy. The Game Boy version stands apart from the other ports with title-screen music and different sound effects.

Worth knowing

A world final on the 2600. The 1983 World Centipede Championship in Munich was played on "the Atari 2600 version of Centipede with the Trak-Ball controller". The junior winner, a 14-year-old from Scotland, scored 323,512.
1983 best seller. The Video Game Update's "Top Sellers of 1983", polled from retailers and distributors, ranked the 2600 Centipede #12.
Out of memory. Atari Age said of Ms. Pac-Man and Centipede that "the programmers used up every last iota of memory space available, and there wasn't enough room left for additional options like two-player scoring".

Before you buy

Low risk; this is a common Atari cart. Loose, boxed and sealed copies are all inexpensive. Make sure the listing is the 2600 cartridge and not the Atari 5200 or 7800 version, which share the name.