Is Congo Bongo on Steam?

No. Congo Bongo 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 Congo Bongo release?

Congo Bongo was first released on December 31, 1983.

Congo Bongo

Dec 31, 1983PlatformArcadeCommodore VIC-20ColecoVisionArcadeAtari 2600Atari 8-bit

Congo Bongo — frequently asked questions

Is Congo Bongo on Steam?: No. Congo Bongo 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 Congo Bongo on?: Congo Bongo is available on Commodore VIC-20, ColecoVision, Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Intellivision, Atari 5200, DOS, Apple II, Texas Instruments TI-99, MSX, Commodore 64, IBM PC, SG-1000, TI-99/4A, VIC-20.
When did Congo Bongo release?: Congo Bongo was first released on December 31, 1983.

About Congo Bongo

Congo Bongo is an isometric platform arcade game released by Sega in 1983. The game has come to be seen as Sega's answer to the highly successful Donkey Kong game that was released two years prior. The player takes the role of a red-nosed safari hunter who tries to catch an ape named "Bongo". The hunter seeks Bongo to exact revenge for an apparent practical joke in which Bongo set fire to the hunter's tent, giving him a literal "hotfoot". The game was named by Peter W. Gorrie who was the CFO of Sega at that time.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Commodore VIC-20, ColecoVision, Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Intellivision, Atari 5200, DOS, Apple II, Texas Instruments TI-99, MSX, Commodore 64, IBM PC, SG-1000, TI-99/4A, VIC-20
Developer: Sega Enterprises, Inc.
Publisher: Texas Instruments Incorporated
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

70/100

from 12 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	1983	$13	$38	$39	Graphics ★★ · Play-Action ★★	Sega

Also released on: Commodore VIC-20 · ColecoVision · Arcade · Atari 8-bit · Commodore C64/128/MAX · Intellivision · Atari 5200 · DOS · Apple II · Texas Instruments TI-99 · MSX · Commodore 64 · IBM PC · SG-1000 · TI-99/4A · VIC-20. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$13

Complete

$38

Sealed

$39

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Sega	Grip Case	006-01	Scarce+

Also released in South America by Polygram.

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

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1983
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

Sega's isometric arcade platformer squeezed onto the 2600, inexpensive and for completists.

Congo Bongo was a 1983 Sega arcade game, also released as Tip Top, with a fixed isometric view like Zaxxon's. You chase Bongo, a gorilla who set fire to your tent. Ikegami Tsushinki is credited with development work on the arcade game.

Sega released the Atari 2600 version in December 1983, with a PAL release in 1984. Little else is documented about this version.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 9

December 1983

Graphics ★★ · Play-Action ★★

“Some games just shouldn't be adapted for the VCS, and Sega's Congo Bongo definitely heads the list. … In its VCS form, four screens have been shrunk to two. … This cartridge is sure to have a certain appeal to hard-core cartridge collectors, as well as fans of the original arcade version. But let all other buyers beware.”
— Electronic Games, July 1984

“The game does not translate well to this system. … We could forgive the pictorial shortcomings if the gameplay were stronger, but we found it boring and repetitive.”
— Computer Entertainer, December 1983

“It was understandable that Congo Bongo was a disaster on the Atari 2600.”
— Electronic Games, October 1984

“The first batch of cartridges for the 2600 from the company includes TacScan, Buck Rogers, Thunderground and Congo Bongo. None of the 2600 editions are exactly heart-stoppers”
— Electronic Games, October 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.

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 version cuts the arcade game's four screens to two. Electronic Games said every element had been curtailed so drastically that it should not have been adapted for the VCS.

Computer Games gave the VCS version a C− and called it a disappointing conversion of the arcade game.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Apple II · Atari 8-bit · Atari 5200 · ColecoVision · Commodore 64 · IBM PC · Intellivision · MSX · SG-1000 · TI-99/4A · VIC-20

Atari 2600

Sega

ColecoVision. The ColecoVision, Atari 5200 and Intellivision versions together won Best Videogame Audio-Visual Effects at the 1984 Arkie Awards.
Commodore 64. Ahoy! criticized the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 versions for their repetitive gameplay, difficulty and music.

Before you buy

Low risk, with no documented reproductions. Loose carts are inexpensive. Complete and sealed copies sit close together in price, so a sealed copy costs little more than a boxed one.