Pole Position
Pole Position — frequently asked questions
- Is Pole Position on Steam?
- No. Pole Position 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 Pole Position on?
- Pole Position is available on Commodore VIC-20, Arcade, Vectrex, BBC Microcomputer System, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Intellivision, Atari 5200, DOS, Texas Instruments TI-99, Atari 2600, VIC-20, Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, BBC Micro, MS-DOS, mobile phone.
- When did Pole Position release?
- Pole Position was first released on September 16, 1982.
About Pole Position
The very first racing game with the rear perspective camera and track based on real life.
Summary via IGDB.
Pole Position on Wikipedia
Pole Position is a 1982 racing video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was released by Atari, Inc. in North America. It was developed as a successor of Namco's earlier arcade racing electro-mechanical games, like F-1 (1976), whose designer Sho Osugi worked on Pole Position.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Commodore VIC-20, Arcade, Vectrex, BBC Microcomputer System, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Intellivision, Atari 5200, DOS, Texas Instruments TI-99, Atari 2600, VIC-20, Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, BBC Micro, MS-DOS, mobile phone
- Developer
- Namco
- Publisher
- GCE
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action
- Series
- Formula 1
Details via IGDB.
Reception
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 | $9 | $15 | $23 | 2 reviews | GCC (designed by Doug Macrae / John Allred) |
Also released on: Commodore VIC-20 · Arcade · Vectrex · BBC Microcomputer System · Atari 8-bit · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Intellivision · Atari 5200 · DOS · Texas Instruments TI-99 · VIC-20 · Commodore 64 · TI-99/4A · BBC Micro · MS-DOS · mobile phone. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
Label variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misprint | $10 | $36 | — |
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Silver | CX2694 | Common+ |
| North America Atari | Silver - "Pole Posit'n" | CX2694 | Scarce+ |
| Europe Atari | Red | CX2694 | Rare |
Also released in South America by Intellivision, Polygram, Polyvox, Tron, VGS, CCE.
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
The 2600 conversion of the most influential arcade racer, common and cheap.
Pole Position was a 1982 Namco arcade racing game, released by Atari, Inc. in North America. It was the highest-grossing arcade game in North America in 1983 and 1984 and is widely regarded as the most influential racing game.
The Atari 2600 version was developed by GCC, with Doug Macrae and John Allred credited as designers, and published by Atari, Inc. in August 1983, with a PAL release later that year.
How it was made
Developed by GCC for Atari, Inc., with Doug Macrae and John Allred credited as designers. Released in North America in August 1983 and in PAL regions in the fourth quarter of 1983.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 5 | August 1983 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★★ |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 2 No. 2 | December 1983 | 2 joysticks |
“comes from the highly successful arcade game and it's a beauty! … This has all the excitement of the arcade game and shares the top racing spot with Enduro for the 2600.”
“Unfortunately, sound and half-good graphics minus most of the play features that made the coin-op a success equals a cartridge that's less than desirable.”
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
Computer and Video Games called the 2600 version the best driving game available on the Atari VCS.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · Atari 5200 · Atari 8-bit · Vectrex · VIC-20 · ZX Spectrum · Commodore 64 · TI-99/4A · BBC Micro · Intellivision · MS-DOS · mobile phone
| Atari 2600 | GCC (designed by Doug Macrae / John Allred) |
- Atari 8-bit. InfoWorld called the Atari 8-bit version by far the best road-race game ever, with bright and brilliant graphics.
- Commodore 64. InfoWorld said the Commodore 64 version looked like a rush job, and Computer Games criticized the Commodore conversions for missing arcade features.
- Atari 5200. Hi-Res found the 5200 version's playability limited, with graphics as its strongest point.
Before you buy
Low risk; this is a common cart with no documented reproductions. Two listings are priced: the standard cart and a variant PriceCharting lists as "Misprint". Both are inexpensive loose, while boxed copies of the Misprint variant cost more. If you are paying extra for the Misprint, ask the seller to show exactly what is misprinted and compare it with a standard copy.
Pole Position screenshots
Watch on YouTube
Listings on The Game Traders
No active listings for Pole Position yet.
Be the first to list →Buyers looking for this
No active want ads for Pole Position yet.
Post a want ad →More games like Pole Position
Latest news mentioning Pole Position
No recent news mentions in our 30-day feed window.