No. Reactor 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 Reactor on?

Reactor is available on Arcade, Atari 2600.

When did Reactor release?

Reactor was first released on December 31, 1982.

Reactor

Dec 31, 1982ArcadeArcadeAtari 2600

Reactor — frequently asked questions

Is Reactor on Steam?: No. Reactor 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 Reactor on?: Reactor is available on Arcade, Atari 2600.
When did Reactor release?: Reactor was first released on December 31, 1982.

About Reactor

Your space ship is wihtin a nuclear reactor. At the center is the core whose walls are deadly for you if you touch them. Over time, the core starts to melt down and in the process starts to expand which leaves you less space to navigate. You share the precious space in the reactor with some particles which are not only attracted to your ship but will also try to bump you into the deadly walls of the core. You in turn try to do the same to them. In order to prevent the core to melt down the player has to bump all the particles into the deadly walls of the core. If the core has already expanded due to meltdown the player can try to bump the particles into two sets of four rods in order to reverse the process of melting down. After eliminating one set of rods the core will shrink back to its original size. To make matters easier the player can utilize decoys which will attract the particles. In doing so the player can maneuver the particles in an advantageous position for bumping them into the deadly core wall or into the rods.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600
Developer: Gottlieb
Publisher: Gottlieb
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Science fiction

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 2600	1983	$7	$19	$48	2 reviews	Parker Bros. (designed by Charlie Heath)

Also released on: Arcade. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

Complete

$19

Sealed

$48

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Parker Brothers	Standard	PB5330	Common+

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

Parker Brothers' port of Tim Skelly's odd Gottlieb arcade game, cheap and worth a look.

Reactor was a 1982 Gottlieb arcade game designed by Tim Skelly, in which you cool the core of a nuclear reactor while swarms of subatomic particles try to push you into its walls. It was the first arcade game to credit its developer on the title screen.

Charlie Heath ported it to the Atari 2600, and Parker Brothers published the cartridge in February 1983.

How it was made

Ported to the 2600 by Charlie Heath and published by Parker Brothers in February 1983, with a PAL release in the same quarter.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 11	February 1983	Graphics ★★½ · Play-Action ★★★
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 11	September 1983	3 joysticks

“This game offers many variations and a total of four levels with eight successive rounds per level - more than enough challenge for most video game players. Graphics are adequate, though not particularly exciting; the game plays better than it looks.”
— Computer Entertainer, February 1983

“No matter, Reactor is an exciting and maddeninglyidifficult game to master. … An original concept in a world of video copycats.”
— JoyStik, July 1983

“Probably not, but if they keep on making games like Reactor with superb graphics and a lot of challenge, it doesn't matter. … The wall and the reactor, however, look like something from out of the old days of Pong. The graphics could be brushed up somewhat.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & 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. Electronic Fun rated games out of four joysticks.

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 4 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

How the Atari 2600 version differs

The arcade game used a trackball. The 2600 cartridge plays with either a joystick or a trackball, though the manual mentions only the joystick, and the console's difficulty switches set the control sensitivity.

The home version drops the arcade game's voice-overs, and the bonus counter is not shown on screen.

Hi-Res magazine blamed the stiff Atari joystick, not the game. Without the arcade trackball it was hard to steer the ship precisely.

Also on other platforms

Arcade

Atari 2600	Parker Bros. (designed by Charlie Heath)
Arcade	Gottlieb (designed by Tim Skelly)

Intellivision. An Intellivision version was licensed and developed but never released.

Before you buy

Low risk, with no documented reproductions. Loose carts are inexpensive. Boxed copies cost a few times the loose price, and sealed copies more again, so check box condition before paying for a complete one.