Is Crazy Climber on Steam?

No. Crazy Climber 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 Crazy Climber on?

Crazy Climber is available on Arcade, Atari 2600, Sharp X68000, Wii, Family Computer, PlayStation, Arcadia 2001, Famicom, X68000, WonderSwan.

When did Crazy Climber release?

Crazy Climber was first released on October 1, 1980.

Crazy Climber

Oct 1, 1980PlatformArcadeArcadeAtari 2600Sharp X68000Wii Family Computer

Crazy Climber — frequently asked questions

Is Crazy Climber on Steam?: No. Crazy Climber 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 Crazy Climber on?: Crazy Climber is available on Arcade, Atari 2600, Sharp X68000, Wii, Family Computer, PlayStation, Arcadia 2001, Famicom, X68000, WonderSwan.
When did Crazy Climber release?: Crazy Climber was first released on October 1, 1980.

About Crazy Climber

Crazy Climber is a coin-operated arcade game produced by Nichibutsu in 1980. It was also released in North America by Taito America Corporation by UA Ltd. in 1982 for the Emerson Arcadia 2001 and other video game consoles. It is one of Nichibutsu's most highly-acclaimed video games in its library. A precursor to the platform game genre, Crazy Climber was the first game revolving around climbing, specifically climbing buildings, before Nintendo's 1981 release Donkey Kong.

Summary via IGDB.

Crazy Climber on Wikipedia

Crazy Climber is a 1980 action video game developed by Nichibutsu and Jorudan and published by Nichibutsu for arcades. In North America, the game was also released by Taito. Ports for the Arcadia 2001 and Atari 2600 were published in 1982, followed by the Famicom in 1986 and X68000 in 1993.

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

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600, Sharp X68000, Wii, Family Computer, PlayStation, Arcadia 2001, Famicom, X68000, WonderSwan
Developer: Nichibutsu
Publisher: Atari
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

48/100

from 15 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	$105	$499	—	2½ joysticks	Alex Leavens

Also released on: Arcade · Sharp X68000 · Wii · Family Computer · PlayStation · Arcadia 2001 · Famicom · X68000 · WonderSwan. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$105

Complete

$499

Sealed

—

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Silver	CX2683	Very Rare+

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: Med

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

Atari 2600 prices, all games & how to spot a fake

Atari's mail-order conversion of Nichibutsu's skyscraper climber, scarce because of how it was sold.

The arcade Crazy Climber is a 1980 Nichibutsu game in which you scale skyscrapers using two joysticks, one for each side of the climber's body. Atari's 2600 version was programmed by Alex Leavens and released in March 1983, sold by mail order rather than through shops.

That limited distribution, not the game's reputation, is why the 2600 cartridge costs what it does.

How it was made

Programmed by Alex Leavens for Atari, Inc., which published the 2600 conversion in March 1983 by mail order.

What the press said at the time

Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 11

September 1983

2½ joysticks

“Right in the middle of what is shaping up as its second Golden Age, Atari has stumbled with this hideous … home version of the somewhat successful commercial machine. True, it's only for sale to members of the Atari club, but the publisher might be well advised to straightforwardly label Crazy Climber as a videogaming curiosity.”
— Electronic Games, September 1983

“Webster says games are synonymous with fun. Webster never played the Atari VCS incarnation of Crazy Climber. … Atari seems to be the craziest of all for bringing out such an unentertaining offering.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, September 1983

“As a cartridge judged objectively on its own merits, this one is hardly up to the fantastic quality level Atari has hit regularly this year with such super cartridges as Vanguard, Phoenix, Centipede and Jungle Hunt.”
— Electronic Games, September 1983

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.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Arcadia 2001 · Famicom · X68000 · WonderSwan

Atari 2600	Alex Leavens
Arcade	Nichibutsu / Jorudan

WonderSwan. The 1999 WonderSwan version, released only in Japan, added four new stages.

Worth knowing

First club exclusive. Atari Age announced Crazy Climber as its first "Exclusive Cartridge Introduction", due "in March — at least six months before it is sold at any store".
"May never be released". By March/April 1983 Atari Age admitted that "it is not currently on the schedule for general release … it may never be released to the general public!"

Before you buy

Medium risk. No fakes are documented. Because Atari made it, the normal checks apply: expect an Atari label of the period and a mask-ROM board rather than an EPROM. Ask for label-edge and dust-door board photos. The box and manual carry much of a complete copy's value, so check that both are present.