Choplifter!
Choplifter! — frequently asked questions
- Is Choplifter! on Steam?
- No. Choplifter! 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 Choplifter! on?
- Choplifter! is available on Sharp X1, Apple II, FM-7, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, Atari 8-bit.
- When did Choplifter! release?
- Choplifter! was first released on December 31, 1982.
About Choplifter!
Choplifter is military themed scrolling shooter where you play as a pilot. Take off from your home base and fly across a horizontally-scrolling playfield of rugged terrain to reach the enemy Bungelings' barracks. There, you must land and rescue a group of helpless hostages and return then to your base. To hinder your mission, the enemy will attack with an array of armaments including tanks, jets, and dangerous air mines. To complete a perfect game, you must rescue all of the 64 hostages.
Summary via IGDB.
Choplifter! on Wikipedia
Choplifter is a 1982 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed by Dan Gorlin and published by Broderbund for the Apple II. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit computers the same year, and later to the VIC-20, Commodore 64, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, MSX, and Thomson computers. In 1985, Sega released a remake for arcades, with subsequent ports published for the Master System and Famicom in 1986. Graphically enhanced versions for the Atari 8-bit computers and the Atari 7800 were also released in 1988 by Atari Corporation.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Sharp X1, Apple II, FM-7, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, Atari 8-bit
- Developer
- Dan Gorlin
- Publisher
- Soft Pro International
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Built by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atari 5200Details ↓ | 1984 | $27 | $70 | $73 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★½ | — |
| Atari 7800Details ↓ | 1987 | $13 | $23 | $45 | Graphics ★★½ · Play-Action ★★ | Atari Corporation (publisher) |
| ColecoVisionDetails ↓ | 1985 | $35 | $117 | — | — | — |
Also released on: Sharp X1 · Apple II · FM-7 · Atari 8-bit. 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 5200 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about 5 times a year
- Sealed: about 4 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $10.50 in Apr 2010, $14.75 five years ago, and $27 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2011 | $5.00 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $8.95 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $7.95 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $10.50 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $13.95 | $20 |
| Jan 2016 | $17.99 | $18.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $11.99 | $18.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $12.63 | $24 |
| Jan 2019 | $14.76 | $25 |
| Jan 2020 | $14.98 | $22 |
| Jan 2021 | $8.97 | $23 |
| Jan 2022 | $17.99 | $35 |
| Jan 2023 | $21 | $38 |
| Jan 2024 | $22 | $40 |
| Jan 2025 | $22 | $50 |
| Jan 2026 | $33 | $65 |
| Oct 2026 | $27 | $70 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Silver 2 | CX5253 | Scarce |
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 5200 software database
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1984
- Controller
- Joystick
- Players
- 1
- Authenticity
- Low
The Atari 5200 version
Broderbund's rescue helicopter game came over to the 5200 with little lost, and it is a high point for the system.
Choplifter began on Apple and Atari computers, and Atari released the 5200 cartridge in 1984, with GCC listed as developer. Computer Entertainer, in issue 2-11, said very little was lost in the move from disk to cartridge: the player flies a very realistic helicopter on a mission to rescue sixty-four hostages behind enemy lines, with three sorties and room for up to sixteen passengers at a time.
Its schedule moved: it was first listed as a Broderbund-labeled title for the fall of 1983, and later as an Atari release for the second quarter of 1984.
How it was made
AtariAge lists Dan Gorlin, designer of the Broderbund original, in the credits. GCC is listed as developer and Atari as publisher of the 5200 cartridge.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 11 | February 1984 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★½ |
“The helicopter is the most realistic rendering seen in any home video game, especially in the way it handles. … There’s nothing else quite like CHOPLIFTER.”
“The 5200 version is, in a word, sensational. Its excellent animation and graphics are reminiscent of the Atari computer cartridge, but the two-button action from the original Apple game has been restored”
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.
How the Atari 5200 version differs
Electronic Games said the 5200 version looks like the Atari computer cartridge but restores the two-button action of the original Apple game, thanks to the two-button 5200 controller.
Computer Entertainer said very little is lost moving from computer disk to cartridge, and the helicopter animation survives.
Also on other platforms
ColecoVision · Apple II
- Apple II. In the Apple II version, hostages are also killed if the helicopter lands slightly tilted and crushes them as they board.
Worth knowing
- From Broderbund's label to Atari's. Computer Entertainer's early schedules (issues 2-7 and 2-8) listed Choplifter for the 5200 in October 1983 under Broderbund's code. By issue 3-2 it appeared as an Atari title for the second quarter of 1984.
Before you buy
Low risk. The label is the Silver 2 generation and AtariAge rates the cart Scarce. Dan Gorlin, the original designer, is credited by AtariAge, but the 5200 conversion is Atari's. The game needs smooth two-axis control and is harder than it should be on a worn non-centering stick, so test both axes before you buy and check the fire button.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 7800 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a week
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $1.99 in Jan 2010, $7.83 five years ago, and $12.75 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $1.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $1.04 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $2.63 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $3.47 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $4.70 | $2.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $3.99 | $2.00 |
| Jan 2016 | $2.99 | $5.50 |
| Jan 2017 | $5.00 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $6.98 | $10.55 |
| Jan 2019 | $6.76 | $10.18 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.59 | $13.76 |
| Jan 2021 | $5.29 | $12.89 |
| Jan 2022 | $4.81 | $10.00 |
| Jan 2023 | $8.62 | $17.00 |
| Jan 2024 | $17.76 | $25 |
| Jan 2025 | $17.49 | $29 |
| Jan 2026 | $14.99 | $30 |
| Oct 2026 | $12.75 | $23 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Documented sales
175,005 US copies invoiced by Atari 1987–1990
By year: 1987 75,991 · 1988 76,456 · 1989 20,091 · 1990 2,467. Ranked 5 of the 39 Atari 7800 cartridges in Atari's internal reports. These count cartridges shipped to US stores, less returns, not copies sold to players.
Source: Atari Corporation's internal 7800 software sales reports (1986–1990)
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | MSRP | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Color | CX7821 | $20.00 (approx.) | Common+ |
- North America: Price new: Computer Entertainer's review (September 1987).
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 7800 software database
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1987
- Controller
- Pro-Line Joystick
- Players
- 1
- Authenticity
- Low
The Atari 7800 version
A disappointing 7800 conversion of the Broderbund classic, and the period press said so, but it is cheap and easy to find.
Ibid, Inc. developed the 7800 version and Atari Corporation published it in 1987 as one of the first computer-to-cartridge conversions Atari called "super games". It was announced alongside Karateka, Summer Games and One-on-One Basketball.
Computer Entertainer reviewed the 7800 cartridge and said it was not the best version it had played. The magazine said it fails to use the 7800's abilities, with graphics below the level of earlier games for the system and explosions drawn as simple bands of pink and yellow. The rotor sound was realistic, but it called the music anemic and said the helicopter's movement lacked the usual feel. On the 7800 and Apple II versions, a hostage can also be crushed if you land slightly tilted.
How it was made
Developed by Ibid, Inc. and published by Atari Corporation.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 6 No. 6 | September 1987 | Graphics ★★½ · Play-Action ★★ |
“This is definitely not the best version of CHOPLIFTER we've ever played. Unfortunately, it doesn't take advantage of the 7800's capabilities to the fullest.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system.
How the Atari 7800 version differs
Computer Entertainer told readers that if they already owned any other version of Choplifter, there was no reason to buy the 7800 one, which it said did not use the system's capabilities fully.
Computer Entertainer faulted the 7800 controls: the second button turns the helicopter 90 degrees instead of firing a separate weapon, so bombs drop only when the nose faces the player.
As in the Apple II original, hostages on the 7800 die if the helicopter lands slightly tilted.
Also on other platforms
ColecoVision · Apple II
| Atari 7800 | Atari Corporation (publisher) |
| Apple II | Dan Gorlin |
- ColecoVision. Computer and Video Games scored the ColecoVision version 81%.
Before you buy
Common and inexpensive in every grade, with the box adding only a little. It uses the standard Pro-Line joystick. Atari color label, catalog number CX7821. There is no documented counterfeit problem, and at this price nobody has a reason to fake one. Buy it for completeness or a rescue-game fix, not as the best way to play Choplifter.
Collector value & authenticity
ColecoVision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about 2 times a year
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $18.00 in Jul 2009, $40 five years ago, and $35 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $14.00 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $19.00 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $12.99 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $12.50 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $17.09 | $67 |
| Jan 2015 | $20 | $46 |
| Jan 2016 | $13.99 | $46 |
| Jan 2017 | $30 | $46 |
| Jan 2018 | $27 | $77 |
| Jan 2019 | $23 | $69 |
| Jan 2020 | $28 | $70 |
| Jan 2021 | $26 | $75 |
| Jan 2022 | $30 | $77 |
| Jan 2023 | $38 | $100 |
| Jan 2024 | $33 | $90 |
| Jan 2025 | $37 | $100 |
| Jan 2026 | $35 | $112 |
| Oct 2026 | $35 | $117 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Model # |
|---|---|---|
| North America Coleco | End label: for ColecoVision and ADAM | 2690 |
- North America: Model number confirmed by the game's own manual.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1985
- Controller
- Hand controller
- Players
- 1 or 2 (alternating)
- Authenticity
- Low
The ColecoVision version
A competent Coleco release of the Broderbund rescue game, rated solidly but not as a showpiece.
Choplifter began on computers, and Electronic Games in May 1984 listed it among the top computer games about to reach the ColecoVision in cartridge form. Coleco published the cartridge in January 1985, late in the system's life.
Computer and Video Games scored this version 81 percent. Little else is documented about what changed from the computer originals, so judge it as a late, ordinary action cartridge.
How the ColecoVision version differs
Computer and Video Games, reviewing the ColecoVision and Atari 7800 versions, rated them 81% and 84%.
Also on other platforms
Apple II · Atari 8-bit
| Apple II | Dan Gorlin |
| Atari 8-bit | Atari Corporation (publisher) |
- Apple II. The Apple II version was the original; its sound and animation won it a Certificate of Merit for Best Computer Audiovisual Effects at the 4th annual Arkie Awards.
- Atari 8-bit. Atari Corporation released a graphically enhanced Atari 8-bit version in 1988.
Worth knowing
- From the ColecoVision manual. The helicopter holds 16 hostages at a time, and you can shoot open another barracks to take on more passengers or leave some behind for later.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Each player gets three game lives called sorties; the game ends when all hostages are accounted for or all three are lost.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Tanks can only be hit when your helicopter faces the screen; barracks must be fired on from the left or right; jets can be shot from any position.
Before you buy
Standard ColecoVision controller. The box and manual carry much of a complete copy's value. Make sure the cartridge is the ColecoVision release, since the 5200 version on this page is a different cartridge.
Choplifter! screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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