Is Miner 2049er on Steam?

No. Miner 2049er 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 Miner 2049er on?

Miner 2049er is available on Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200, Atari 2600.

When did Miner 2049er release?

Miner 2049er was first released on December 31, 1982.

Miner 2049er

Dec 31, 1982PlatformArcadeAtari 8-bitAtari 5200 Atari 2600

Miner 2049er — frequently asked questions

Is Miner 2049er on Steam?: No. Miner 2049er 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 Miner 2049er on?: Miner 2049er is available on Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200, Atari 2600.
When did Miner 2049er release?: Miner 2049er was first released on December 31, 1982.

About Miner 2049er

"Bounty Bob" is mining a radioactive mine in the year 2049. Help him "claim" all of the various stations (multiple screens). Avoid contact with the deadly mutant organisms by running away, or hopping over them. Collect various articles left by previous miners for bonus points.

Summary via IGDB.

Miner 2049er on Wikipedia

Miner 2049er is a platform game developed by Big Five Software and published in December 1982 for the Atari 8-bit computers. The player controls Mountie Bounty Bob through multiple levels of a mine, with the goal of traversing all of the platforms in each level all while avoiding enemies and within a set amount of time. Miner 2049er was widely ported, being released on a total of 22 different systems. Video magazine's editors commented on the game's popularity in January 1984, declaring it "the most widely played home electronic game of all time" and that "no home-arcade title has had the impact" that Miner 2049er had.

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

Game details

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 5200, Atari 2600
Developer: Big Five Software
Publisher: Big Five Software
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action, Science fiction

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

70/100

from 10 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	$24	$68	$98	Graphics ★★½ · Play-Action ★★★½	Big Five Software

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

$24

Complete

$68

Sealed

$98

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Tigervision	Standard	7-008	Rare

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

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1983
Controller: Atari Joystick
Players: 1
Authenticity: Low

On Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration since Nov 11, 2022 — the cartridge is now a collectibleLow counterfeit risk

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

Tigervision's 2600 port of a game that drew strong press throughout 1983, and an inexpensive one.

Miner 2049er was Big Five Software's 1982 Atari 8-bit platform game, in which Bounty Bob must cover every platform in each level of a mine while avoiding enemies against a time limit. It was ported to 22 different systems, and in January 1984 Video magazine called it "the most widely played home electronic game of all time".

Tigervision published the 2600 version in May 1983, with a PAL release in 1984. It is on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.

How it was made

Developed by Big Five Software and published by Tigervision for the 2600 in 1983.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 3

June 1983

Graphics ★★½ · Play-Action ★★★½

“has finally come to the "Model T" of videogame systems … this most streamlined of the "Miners" is by far the most difficult.”
— Electronic Games, October 1983

“This is one of the most exasperating climbing games we've played on the Atari 2600— and that's a compliment! The action is considerably slower and less fluid than in the original computer game, but this version is still a very good game in its own right.”
— Computer Entertainer, June 1983

“is a magnificent 2600 rendition of the Bill Hogue/Big Five classic, and after a few rounds with this game, players will be thirsting for the sequel, on its way in the near future. … This is a cartridge that belongs in every VCS owner's collection.”
— Electronic Games, October 1983

“It's not easy to make Bounty Bob cover all the territory in the search for Yukon Yohan, but it's fun trying.”
— Electronic Games, September 1983

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.

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 cartridge has only three levels, against ten in the original Atari computer and Atari 5200 versions, eleven on ColecoVision and eight on the TI-99/4A.

The Video Game Update said the 2600's limits meant the graphics were sacrificed somewhat and play was considerably slower and less fluid than the original computer game, but still called it a very good game in its own right.

Reviewers in Games found the 2600 version slower-paced than the original and said it could not be compared to the superb ColecoVision version.

Also on other platforms

Atari 8-bit

Atari 2600	Big Five Software
Atari 8-bit	Big Five Software
ColecoVision	Mike Livesay
Apple II	Mike Livesay
Game Boy	Mindscape

ColecoVision. Mike Livesay reverse-engineered the ColecoVision to build the Micro Fun version, which has extra levels; Computer Entertainer reported it was the number-one-selling video game of the year.
Atari 5200. Released in July 1983, the Atari 5200 version was the first independently produced game for the system. Brett Alan Weiss later called it one of the best games of the early 1980s.
Game Boy. Mindscape's early-1990s Game Boy version used scrolling versions of levels from both the original game and its sequel Bounty Bob Strikes Back!; Bill Hogue recalled it as a really poor sales performer.

Worth knowing

1984 Arkie Award. Miner 2049er won Electronic Game of the Year in the 1984 Arkie Awards, an award given across all versions that explicitly included the Tigervision 2600 cartridge.

Before you buy

Low risk. A standard Tigervision cartridge with no documented reproduction cases. Compare the shell and label against a known Tigervision copy if you want to be thorough.