Is Countermeasure on Steam?

No. Countermeasure 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 Countermeasure on?

Countermeasure is available on Atari 5200.

When did Countermeasure release?

Countermeasure was first released on February 1, 1983.

Countermeasure

Feb 1, 1983ShooterArcadeAtari 5200

Countermeasure — frequently asked questions

Is Countermeasure on Steam?: No. Countermeasure 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 Countermeasure on?: Countermeasure is available on Atari 5200.
When did Countermeasure release?: Countermeasure was first released on February 1, 1983.

About Countermeasure

We've just received word that terrorists have seized one of our missile silo complexes and are threatening to blow up Washington, D.C. These lunatics aren't fooling! They've wired the missiles to a silo computer and started the launch sequence timer. In just 10 minutes the missiles will lift off for Washington... unless YOU stop them. Destroy all the silos in the complex with your long-range turret gun before the timer runs out. If you complete this mission, you'll win the Congressional Medal of Honor... along with 10,000 bonus points and a bonus life. If the timer runs out before you destroy all the silos, you still have a chance to prevent disaster. In the seconds before impact, dock your supertank at a silo, enter the War Room, and guess the fail-safe code that disarms the missiles: The code is some combination of the letters L, E, and O... for example, ELL, OOO, or OLE. Succeed and you win 10,000 bonus points and a bonus life. Fail and... well, you'll find out.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Atari 5200
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Atari
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Collector value & authenticity

Atari 5200 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19

Loose

Complete

$22

Sealed

$30

How often it sells

Loose: about 2 times a month
Complete: about once a month
Sealed: about 3 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 $1.99 in Jan 2010, $6.32 five years ago, and $7.76 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2010	$1.99	—
Jan 2011	$9.20	—
Jan 2012	$3.50	—
Jan 2013	$2.99	—
Jan 2014	$3.99	$8.31
Jan 2015	$4.00	$8.95
Jan 2016	$2.25	$15.98
Jan 2017	$5.25	$18.99
Jan 2018	$5.65	$10.00
Jan 2019	$5.42	$9.86
Jan 2020	$3.20	$14.00
Jan 2021	$5.37	$14.46
Jan 2022	$4.99	$10.00
Jan 2023	$7.70	$13.66
Jan 2024	$5.34	$14.99
Jan 2025	$5.76	$15.04
Jan 2026	$9.16	$21
Oct 2026	$7.76	$22

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	MSRP	Rarity
North America Atari	Silver 1	CX5210	$31.95	Common+

North America: Price new: Computer Entertainer's review (Vol. 1 No. 11, February 1983).

Complete copy (North America): Cartridge · Box · Instruction manual · 2 keypad overlays

Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 5200 software database

Region: NA
Released: 1983
Controller: Joystick
Players: 1 - 2
Authenticity: Low

Not in Atari 50 — other compilations and plug-and-plays are not tracked hereLow counterfeit risk

Atari 5200 prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A rare example of a game made for the 5200 first, and a thoughtful if slow tank mission worth owning for that alone.

Countermeasure debuted on the 5200 in February 1983 and is one of very few titles made exclusively for the system. AtariAge credits Leo Salinas and John Seghers as programmers and Alan Murphy for graphics. You command a supertank across a scrolling map of a missile silo complex and must destroy all seven silos before a launch timer runs out, with a three-letter fail-safe code to guess if you run short of time.

Computer Entertainer called it, in issue 1-11, a superb combination of war-game action and strategic planning with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Not everyone agreed: a later critic at Atari HQ praised its use of the 5200 controller but found the gameplay too slow. Electronic Games listed it among the 5200's gems in 1984, and it appeared on its September 1983 popularity chart.

How it was made

AtariAge credits Leo Salinas and John Seghers as programmers and Alan Murphy for graphics. Atari published the cartridge.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 11	February 1983	Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★★
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 9	July 1983	4 joysticks (out of 4)

“This game is complex, yet not time-consuming to learn, and it’s one you can play again and again without becoming bored by identical situations.”
— Computer Entertainer, February 1983

“Countermeasure is a basic shoot-em-up combined with a bit of strategy—and with graphics and sound effects that are nothing short of brilliant.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, July 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.

How the Atari 5200 version differs

Countermeasure was one of very few games made only for the 5200, so no other console version exists to compare it with.

Before you buy

Low risk, though a common Silver 1 label cart. AtariAge flags this game as one that uses the keypad overlays, so a complete copy should have them, and a loose cart's back may still hold them. It makes real use of the stick and buttons, so test the controller thoroughly before relying on it.