No. Kaboom! 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 Kaboom! on?

Kaboom! is available on Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200.

When did Kaboom! release?

Kaboom! was first released on December 31, 1981.

Kaboom!

Dec 31, 1981ArcadeAtari 2600Atari 8-bitAtari 5200

Kaboom! — frequently asked questions

Is Kaboom! on Steam?: No. Kaboom! 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 Kaboom! on?: Kaboom! is available on Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200.
When did Kaboom! release?: Kaboom! was first released on December 31, 1981.

About Kaboom!

Kaboom! is an unauthorized adaptation of the 1978 Atari coin-op Avalanche. The gameplay of both games is fundamentally the same, but Kaboom! was re-themed to be about a mad bomber instead of falling rocks. Gameplay in Kaboom! consists of using a paddle controller to catch bombs dropped by the Mad Bomber with a set of three buckets. Points are scored for every bomb caught, extra buckets (maximum of three) are awarded at every 1,000 points, and one bucket is lost every time a bomb is missed. As the game progresses, the "Mad Bomber" traverses the top of the screen much more erratically, dropping bombs at increasingly higher speeds, making each of the seven higher levels more difficult.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200
Developer: Activision
Publisher: Activision
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

70/100

from 17 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Built by
Atari 2600	1981	$10	$30	$68	Activision (designed by Larry Kaplan)

Also released on: Atari 8-bit · Atari 5200. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$10

Complete

$30

Sealed

$68

Label variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Blue Label	$9	$56	—

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Activision	Standard	AG-010	Common+
North America Activision	Blue	AG-010	Scarce

Also released in South America by Dynacom.

Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1981
Controller: Atari Paddles
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

Larry Kaplan's million-selling bomb-catching game, one of Activision's best early titles and still cheap.

Kaboom! is a 1981 Activision game for the Atari 2600. The Mad Bomber drops bombs at increasing speeds while you catch them in a set of water buckets. The gameplay was based on Atari's 1978 arcade game Avalanche. Larry Kaplan programmed it, with David Crane drawing the buckets and the Mad Bomber, and it was Kaplan's last game for Activision before he left the company.

Critics praised the graphics, especially the Mad Bomber's changing expression, but split on its simplicity. Retrospective reviews have been warmer. It sold over a million cartridges, making it one of the best-selling 2600 games, and it inspired imitators such as Lost Luggage and Eggomania.

How it was made

Programmed by Larry Kaplan, with David Crane coding the graphics for the buckets and the Mad Bomber. Released by Activision in July 1981, with a PAL release in 1982. Paul Wilson later ported it to the Atari 5200.

What the press said at the time

“Charming graphics turn a pleasant, if unexceptional, title into a true videogame classic.”
— Electronic Games, March 1982

“Kaboom is infinitly more enjoyable than the commercial arcade game upon which it is loosely based, Avalanche. Kaplan's delightful electronic artwork is the main reason.”
— Electronic Games, December 1981

“Although Kaboom! at first appears to be another run-of-the-mill, oh-so-cute home video game, it is in fact both funny and — surprisingly — addictive.”
— JoyStik, November 1982

“Kaboom! may be the most successful VCS-compatible cute cartridge of all time. … In fact, this title is a fine example of what the right graphic treatment can accomplish for a basically interesting contest.”
— Electronic Games, May 1983

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 2 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

How the Atari 2600 version differs

The 2600 original lacks the "Pitch and Catch" mode of the later Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit ports, in which two players take turns controlling the buckets and the Mad Bomber.

Computer Entertainer judged the Atari 8-bit port superior to the 2600 cartridge, citing better graphics and the added two-player variation, and Creative Computing said the 8-bit version improved on the 2600 game.

Also on other platforms

Atari 5200 · Atari 8-bit

Atari 2600	Activision (designed by Larry Kaplan)
Atari 5200	Paul Wilson
Atari 8-bit	Paul Wilson

Atari 8-bit. Paul Wilson's port came out for Atari 8-bit computers in October 1983. Softline dismissed it as no real game, just a test of paddle controls.
Atari 5200. The Atari 5200 version, also ported by Paul Wilson, was released in November 1983.

Worth knowing

A face that reacts. Critics singled out the Mad Bomber, whose expression changes depending on how well you are playing.
1982 Arkie Award. Kaboom! won Best Audio-Visual Effects in the 1982 Arkie Awards.

Before you buy

Low risk; Activision carts of this period were made in quantity and are not reproduction targets. Two labels are priced: the standard cart and a Blue Label cart. Activision's blue labels are later re-releases of the same game. Loose copies of both are inexpensive, but boxed Blue Label copies cost more than boxed standard ones.