Is Omega Race on Steam?

No. Omega Race 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.

When did Omega Race release?

Omega Race was first released on December 31, 1981.

Omega Race

Dec 31, 1981ShooterArcadeCommodore VIC-20ColecoVisionArcadeAtari 2600Commodore C64/128/MAX

Omega Race — frequently asked questions

Is Omega Race on Steam?: No. Omega Race 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 Omega Race on?: Omega Race is available on Commodore VIC-20, ColecoVision, Arcade, Atari 2600, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Commodore 64, VIC-20.
When did Omega Race release?: Omega Race was first released on December 31, 1981.

About Omega Race

Set in the year 2003, the game involves using a spaceship to destroy enemy droid ships. The player's ship is controlled with a spinner to rotate the ship, a button for thrusting, and a button for firing lasers. The enemies that the player must destroy or avoid are drone ships, commander ships, two types of space mines, and shooting star ships. The ship bounces off an invisible barrier on the edges of the screen that briefly appears when hit. By default, Extra ships are awarded at 40,000 and 100,000 points, but this can be changed by the machine's owner.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Commodore VIC-20, ColecoVision, Arcade, Atari 2600, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Commodore 64, VIC-20
Developer: Arcade Engineering
Publisher: CBS Electronics
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action, Science fiction

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

62/100

from 7 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	$10	$70	—	2 reviews	CBS Electronics

Also released on: Commodore VIC-20 · ColecoVision · Arcade · Commodore C64/128/MAX · Commodore 64 · VIC-20. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$10

Complete

$70

Sealed

—

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America CBS Electronics	Standard	80090	Scarce

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

Region: NA
Released: 1983
Controller: Booster Grip
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

CBS Electronics' port of Midway's vector-graphics shooter, cheap loose but costly boxed.

Omega Race was a 1981 Midway arcade shoot 'em up, the only Midway arcade game to use vector graphics. Commodore ported it to the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 in 1982, and CBS Electronics published the ColecoVision and Atari 2600 versions in 1983.

The 2600 cartridge came out in December 1983. Little else is documented about this version.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 9	December 1983	Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★★
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 2 No. 3	January 1984	2 joysticks

“Graphics are quite simple, but they duplicate the coin-op game well. … CBS has done a good job of translating the essence of the arcade game to the home screen—if you like the coin-op, you'll enjoy this adaptation.”
— Computer Entertainer, December 1983

“But the graphics are frankly awful. … If you've never seen the arcade game, you might actually enjoy this cartridge. But if you were waiting for it to bring home the arcade thrill—forget it.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, January 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 12 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

How the Atari 2600 version differs

The 2600 cartridge came with a "booster grip" that added separate thrust and fire buttons to the standard one-button joystick.

It is one of a few CBS 2600 cartridges with 256 bytes of extra RAM built in, a feature CBS marketed as "RAM Plus".

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Commodore 64 · VIC-20 · ColecoVision

Atari 2600	CBS Electronics
Arcade	Midway Manufacturing
Commodore 64	Commodore (publisher)
VIC-20	Commodore (publisher)
ColecoVision	CBS Electronics (publisher)

ColecoVision. The ColecoVision version is one of only two ColecoVision games with native support for the Roller Controller trackball.
VIC-20. The VIC-20 version was praised as faithful to the arcade game and won a Certificate of Merit for Best Solitaire Computer Game at the 4th Arkie Awards.

Before you buy

Low risk, with no documented reproductions. Loose carts are inexpensive, but boxed copies cost many times as much, so the box and manual carry most of a complete copy's value. Ask for clear photos of all box panels and the manual before paying for a complete copy.