No. Joust 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 Joust on?

Joust is available on Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Atari Lynx, NES, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Amiga, Atari ST, Game Boy Advance, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, Apple II, Macintosh, Game Boy.

When did Joust release?

Joust was first released on July 16, 1982.

Joust

Jul 16, 1982FightingPlatformArcadeArcadePlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Atari LynxNES

Joust — frequently asked questions

Is Joust on Steam?: No. Joust 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 Joust on?: Joust is available on Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Atari Lynx, NES, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Amiga, Atari ST, Game Boy Advance, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, Apple II, Macintosh, Game Boy.
When did Joust release?: Joust was first released on July 16, 1982.

About Joust

Joust is an arcade game developed by Williams Electronics and released in 1982. It is a platform game that features two-dimensional (2D) graphics. The player uses a button and joystick to control a knight riding a flying ostrich. The object is to progress through levels by defeating groups of enemy knights riding buzzards.

Summary via IGDB.

Joust on Wikipedia

Joust is a 1982 action game developed and published by Williams Electronics for arcades. Players assume the role of knights armed with lances and mounted on large birds. They progress through levels, which consist of a single screen filled with floating platforms, by defeating enemy knights riding buzzards and other opponents.

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

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Atari Lynx, NES, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Amiga, Atari ST, Game Boy Advance, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, Apple II, Macintosh, Game Boy
Developer: Williams Electronics
Publisher: Shadowsoft
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Built by
Atari Lynx Details ↓	1992	$33	$40	$59	—	—
Atari 2600 Details ↓	1983	$10	$19	$33	2 reviews	GCC (designed by Mike Feinstein / Kevin Osborn)

Also released on: Arcade · PlayStation 3 · Xbox 360 · NES · Atari 7800 · Amiga · Atari ST · Game Boy Advance · Atari 5200 · Atari 8-bit · Apple II · Macintosh · Game Boy. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.

Collector value & authenticity

Atari Lynx · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-08-07

Loose

$33

Complete

$40

Sealed

$59

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1992
Authenticity: Low

Never re-released — the original cartridge is the only way to playLow counterfeit risk

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

The Atari Lynx version

A near-perfect fit for the hardware, published by Shadowsoft rather than Atari — one of the platform's odder credits.

Joust is a single-screen game with no scrolling and simple, high-contrast sprites, which is exactly what an early-90s LCD handles best. The 1992 Lynx version plays like the arcade machine, and ComLynx two-player is the mode the original was really built around.

The credit is the curiosity: Shadowsoft both developed and published it, one of only three Lynx titles not published by Atari, Telegames or Loriciel. Shadowsoft also handled Robotron: 2084.

What the press said at the time

“It's back! The classic game that rocked the arcades has come to the portable scene, and it is better than ever! In Joust, your goal is to complete each level by knocking a set amount of enemies off their war-buzzards. The higher joust wins in a collision.”
— Electronic Gaming Monthly #42

Cartridge & preservation record

Cartridge ROM capacity 1 megabit (128 KB), measured from the preserved cartridge image.

Cartridge data from the No-Intro preservation database (metadata only — names, sizes and checksums, no game data).

Also on other platforms

Arcade · NES · Atari 2600 · Atari 7800 · Amiga · Atari ST · Game Boy Advance

Arcade. Williams' 1982 coin-op. EGM #42 judged the Lynx conversion "better than ever" against it, and documented two things the arcade original also has but which the Lynx version exposes through an options screen: skill levels 0-9 selectable with Option 1, and the Pterodactyl that appears in later waves — beatable by getting exactly level with it and colliding.

Worth knowing

Ten difficulty levels, and a way to kill the 'unbeatable' Pterodactyls. EGM #42 printed two mechanics the manual buries: pressing Option 1 changes your skill level from 0 to 9, and the Pterodactyls that appear in later waves — widely treated as unbeatable — die if you get exactly level with one and collide. In the highest levels a hand reaches out of the burning bridge to grab you.

Before you buy

Low counterfeit risk and a narrow loose-to-complete spread, which makes a complete copy an easy call here. Never re-released, so the cartridge is the only route.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$10

Complete

$19

Sealed

$33

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Silver - 1983, Orange "Joust" logo	CX2691	Common+
Europe Atari	Red	CX2691	Rare
Asia Atari	—	—	—

Also released in South America by Polygram, Polyvox.

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

The Atari 2600 version

Atari's home conversion of the Williams arcade classic, a cheap way to own 2600 Joust.

Joust was a 1982 Williams Electronics arcade game in which knights riding an ostrich and a stork battle enemy knights on buzzards across a single screen of floating platforms. It was well received, and its success helped popularize two-player cooperative play.

Atari, Inc. published the 2600 conversion in October 1983, developed by GCC with Mike Feinstein and Kevin Osborn credited as designers. A PAL release followed in early 1984.

How it was made

Developed by GCC for Atari, Inc., with Mike Feinstein and Kevin Osborn credited as designers. Released in North America in October 1983 and in PAL regions in the first quarter of 1984.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 8	November 1983	Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★★
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 2 No. 2	December 1983	3½ joysticks

“The VCS adaptation of Joust is as good as it could possibly be.”
— Electronic Games, March 1984

“While the graphics of this version for the 2600 cannot be expected to equal the 5200 version, they compare well to other games for the system. … JOUST is an excellent game with an unusual feel quite unlike any other game for this system.”
— Computer Entertainer, November 1983

“Although quirks and concessions abound in this Atari home version of Joust, it stands, nonetheless, as one of the best coin-op to cart translations in recent memory. … In the end though, you'll find these quirks only temporarily annoying. This game, I'm happy to report, is no turkey.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, December 1983

“Not that many games aren't fast-paced and challenging enough for any adult: Joust (Atari), River Raid (Activision) and Star Wars (Parker Brothers) are just a sampling of the excellent arcade-action games that are available.”
— Electronic Games, November 1984

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 8 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

How the Atari 2600 version differs

The 2600 version has fewer enemies on screen than the arcade game, shows the knights as colorful silhouettes and draws the pterodactyl more like a dragon. Electronic Games still called it as good as a VCS adaptation could possibly be.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Atari 5200 · Atari 8-bit · Apple II · Atari ST · Atari 7800 · NES · Atari Lynx · Macintosh · Game Boy

Atari 2600	GCC (designed by Mike Feinstein / Kevin Osborn)
NES	HAL Laboratory
BBC Micro	Delos Harriman

NES. Satoru Iwata of HAL Laboratory converted Joust for the Famicom in two months in 1983, but it was shelved until 1987 after the Atari–Nintendo distribution deal collapsed. Allgame later rated its visuals below the Atari 7800 version's.
Atari 7800. Allgame's Brett Alan Weiss praised the 7800 conversion's accuracy as a perfect example of the system's relatively good arcade translations, despite its awkward joystick.
ColecoVision. An Atarisoft ColecoVision port stopped at the prototype stage and stayed unavailable until CGE Services reproduced the cartridge for the 2001 Classic Gaming Expo.

Before you buy

Low risk, with no documented reproductions. Loose, boxed and sealed copies are all inexpensive, so hold out for a box in good condition if you want a complete copy.