It's Only Rock 'N Roll
It's Only Rock 'N Roll — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is It's Only Rock 'N Roll on?
- It's Only Rock 'N Roll was released on ColecoVision, ZX Spectrum, Commodore C64/128/MAX.
- When did It's Only Rock 'N Roll release?
- It's Only Rock 'N Roll was first released on June 1, 1984.
About It's Only Rock 'N Roll
In this brilliant text and graphics game, you start with a guitar, a few bucks and enough raw talent to sit in with the Stones or the Police. Now you've got some big decisions to make as you pick one of three levels and let IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N ROLL take you down a whirlwind road seeking the unbelievable wealth, status and popularity points you'll need to succeed. If you're really good if you can avoid exhausting tours, bad managers. lousy material and too much fun — if you can keep your money, stay happy, and interpret the record charts and newspaper headlines — you'll be the all time reigning KING OF ROCK AND ROLL! Fail and you'll be playing the opening act blues. But whether you end up a superstar or a has-been, ITS ONLY ROCK 'N ROLL AND YOU'LL LIKE IT! LOVE IT! YES YOU WILL!
Summary via IGDB.
It's Only Rock 'N Roll on Wikipedia
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll is a rock band management video game published in 1983 by K-Tel International. It is a text based simulation where players have 60 turns to grow a rock band into a success by recording records, signing with labels, and touring. It was programmed by Kevin Smith in BASIC and was originally released for the ZX Spectrum, sharing a cassette tape with Tomb of Dracula. The game was later released on its own for the Commodore 64 and ColecoVision.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- ColecoVision, ZX Spectrum, Commodore C64/128/MAX
- Developer
- Xonox
- Publisher
- Xonox
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Business
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Built by | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ColecoVision | 1984 | $35 | $461 | — | Emag Software | Low (look-alike) |
Also released on: ZX Spectrum · Commodore C64/128/MAX. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
ColecoVision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a year
- Complete: about once a year
- Sealed: rarely — fewer than one recorded sale a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $10.00 in Oct 2010, $35 five years ago, and $35 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2011 | — | — |
| Jan 2012 | $9.99 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $17.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $46 | $180 |
| Jan 2015 | $12.94 | $180 |
| Jan 2016 | $11.19 | $169 |
| Jan 2017 | $27 | $750 |
| Jan 2018 | $36 | $518 |
| Jan 2019 | $29 | $432 |
| Jan 2020 | $30 | $440 |
| Jan 2021 | $35 | $440 |
| Jan 2022 | $35 | $446 |
| Jan 2023 | $35 | $460 |
| Jan 2024 | $35 | $286 |
| Jan 2025 | $35 | $439 |
| Jan 2026 | $35 | $425 |
| Oct 2026 | $35 | $461 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Model # |
|---|---|
| North America Xonox | 99062 |
- North America: Model number confirmed by the game's own manual.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1984
- Authenticity
- Low
A text-driven rock band management game from the UK, repetitive and luck-heavy, but obscure enough that collectors chase the cartridge anyway.
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll is a management game in which you have 60 turns to grow a rock band by recording records, signing with labels and touring. It began as a ZX Spectrum game from K-Tel in 1983, programmed by Kevin Smith in BASIC, and the ColecoVision version was released on its own by Xonox, K-Tel's console division. Emag developed it, and it came out in 1984.
Brett Weiss, reviewing the ColecoVision version in 2007, found the play overly repetitious and too dependent on luck. It is not an action game; what it offers is the novelty of a music-business simulation on a cartridge system.
How it was made
The ColecoVision version was released by Xonox, K-Tel's console division, and developed by Emag.
How the ColecoVision version differs
The game began on the ZX Spectrum and was later released on its own for the Commodore 64 and ColecoVision. The ColecoVision edition came from K-Tel's home console division, Xonox.
Also on other platforms
ZX Spectrum · Commodore 64
| ColecoVision | Emag Software |
| ZX Spectrum | Kevin Smith |
- ZX Spectrum. The original was written in BASIC and shared a cassette tape with Tomb of Dracula.
- Commodore 64. Arnie Katz said the Commodore 64 version's strengths outweigh its deficiencies, though he disliked the music and wished some gameplay sequences could be skipped.
Worth knowing
- From the ColecoVision manual. A text-and-graphics career game: you name your band (up to 14 letters), pick one of three levels, and manage money, happiness, energy and months.
- From the ColecoVision manual. To win you need $1,000,000, 1000 popularity points and 3 status symbols.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Level I gives only 60 months to reach stardom, and you need 100 popularity points before a recording company will sign you.
Before you buy
Plays with the standard controller. The price row shows a loose price only, and the collector museum rates it Extremely Rare, so expect few listings and ask for photos of the cartridge and its Xonox label. No counterfeits of this title are documented.
It's Only Rock 'N Roll screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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