Crackpots
Crackpots — frequently asked questions
- Is Crackpots on Steam?
- No. Crackpots 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 Crackpots on?
- Crackpots is available on Atari 2600.
- When did Crackpots release?
- Crackpots was first released on May 16, 1983.
About Crackpots
We're infested! A bug barrage is swarming out of the sewer, chomping away at every building in town. Entire neighborhoods are now crumb piles! Over in Brooklyn, Potsy, the rooftop gardener, is defeating his beloved building with his only weapon - potted petunias. Be a good neighbor. Help him take potshots at the insect invaders... Quick! When too many bugs crawl into the windows, they'll start eating you out of house and home!
Summary via IGDB.
Crackpots on Wikipedia
Crackpots is an Atari 2600 game designed by Dan Kitchen and published by Activision in 1983. It was Kitchen's first game for Activision.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Atari 2600
- Developer
- Activision
- Publisher
- Activision
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Activision | Standard | AX-029 | Scarce+ |
Also released in South America by Cosmovision, CCE, Polygram.
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1983
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1 - 2
- Authenticity
- Low
Dan Kitchen's first Activision game, a likable rooftop shooter that is still cheap loose.
You play Potsy, a gardener whose Brooklyn building is being overrun by bugs climbing toward six windows. You move along the roof and drop flower pots on them before they get inside. It is a 2600-only game, designed by Dan Kitchen and published by Activision in 1983.
It was Kitchen's first game for Activision. It is a simple idea done neatly, which is typical of Activision's 1983 output.
How it was made
Designed by Dan Kitchen and published by Activision in 1983. It was his first game for the company.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 5 | August 1983 | Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★ |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 12 | October 1983 | 3 joysticks |
“It looks like a simple little game at first, but it rapidly becomes a frantically-paced contest between Potsy and the bugs. … This is one of those games that will send children into delighted giggle-fits, although it will be too difficult for very young kids.”
“Imagine our surprise when we played Crackpots and found it was a Kaboom! clone. But at least we discovered why they did it. It's still a lot of fun.”
“Crackpots is, in some ways, like a trip down Activision's private memory lane. The cartridge is definitely state-of-the-art”
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 4 KB, measured from the preserved dump.
Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.
Before you buy
Low risk; Activision carts of this period were made in quantity and are not reproduction targets. Loose copies are inexpensive. Boxed copies cost noticeably more, so check box condition before paying for a complete one.
Crackpots screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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