RealSports Football
RealSports Football — frequently asked questions
- Is RealSports Football on Steam?
- No. RealSports Football 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 RealSports Football on?
- RealSports Football is available on Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit.
- When did RealSports Football release?
- RealSports Football was first released on December 31, 1982.
About RealSports Football
RealSports Football is a 1982 football video game made by Atari for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit computer platforms. RealSports Football presents a greatly simplified version of football for play. Players in the game cannot go out of bounds or fumble the football, and there are no penalties in the game. Also, touchdowns automatically score 7 points; there is no kicking for extra points.
Summary via IGDB.
RealSports Football on Wikipedia
RealSports Football is a 1982 American football video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200. It was later ported to Atari 8-bit computers in 1983. It is part of the RealSports series of games.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit
- Developer
- Atari
- Publisher
- Atari
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Non-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 2600Details ↓ | 1982 | $4 | $9 | $15 | 2 reviews | Atari (designed by Robert Zdybel) |
| Atari 5200Details ↓ | 1982 | $7 | $15 | $27 | — | — |
Also released on: Atari 8-bit. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about 2 times a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $0.38 in Oct 2008, $2.33 five years ago, and $3.73 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $0.01 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $0.01 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $2.49 | $5.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $2.93 | $0.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $1.29 | $2.39 |
| Jan 2017 | $2.27 | $7.95 |
| Jan 2018 | $3.23 | $4.51 |
| Jan 2019 | $3.67 | $6.72 |
| Jan 2020 | $3.95 | $6.68 |
| Jan 2021 | $1.00 | $6.94 |
| Jan 2022 | $4.94 | $6.24 |
| Jan 2023 | $2.64 | $6.50 |
| Jan 2024 | $5.08 | $7.23 |
| Jan 2025 | $1.99 | $8.74 |
| Jan 2026 | $5.84 | $8.83 |
| Oct 2026 | $3.73 | $8.73 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Silver - 1982 | CX2668 | Common+ |
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1982
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1 - 2
- Authenticity
- Low
The Atari 2600 version
A simplified RealSports football game, the cheapest kind of 2600 cart and on Atari 50.
RealSports Football is a 1982 American football game Atari developed and published for the 2600, released in December 1982 with Robert Zdybel credited as designer and programmer. It is part of the RealSports series and also came out on the Atari 5200 and, later, Atari 8-bit computers.
It presents a simplified game: players cannot go out of bounds or fumble, there are no penalties, and a touchdown automatically scores seven points with no extra-point kick. It is on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 9 | December 1982 | Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★★½ |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 5 | March 1983 | 3½ joysticks |
“This isn't quite "real" football (no time-outs, no fumbles, no penalties, no running out of bounds), but it's thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. … we have to hand it to Atari for coming up with a really good simulation.”
“RealSports Football looks like a masterpiece compared to Atari's old football game. … The obvious question is how RealSports Football compares to Intellivision's N.F.L. Football. Overall, the Intellivision game is still superior in graphics and game play. But the Atari game has a few advantages.”
“Atari 2600 RealSports Football was an improvement over Atari VCS Football. … How playable is the solitaire version of this game? Unfortunately, not very.”
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
Atari asked for the 2600 version to show 22 players at once, but programmer Rob Zdybel said that was impossible if the players were to move.
On the 2600, a flickering effect can leave players such as the linebacker, and the score, invisible.
Also on other platforms
Atari 5200 · Atari 8-bit
| Atari 2600 | Atari (designed by Robert Zdybel) |
| Atari 5200 | Jim Huether |
| Atari 8-bit | Jim Huether |
- Atari 5200. The Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit versions were a separate project by Jim Huether, who did the design, programming, sounds and first draft of the manual himself over about one year.
Worth knowing
- 1984 Arkie Award. The 2600 RealSports Football received a Certificate of Merit in the Best Sports Videogame category of the 1984 Arkie Awards.
- Atari's release month. Atari's own "ATARI '82 IN REVIEW" checklist in Atari Age dates its 2600 release to December 1982.
Before you buy
Low risk; a common Atari cart and not a reproduction target. Loose carts are inexpensive, and complete copies cost only a little more, so a boxed copy is an easy upgrade.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 5200 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
Label variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early silver label titled just "Football" | $9 | $18 | $20 |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about 2 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $3.99 in Jan 2010, $4.58 five years ago, and $6.58 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $3.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $2.25 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $1.25 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $1.25 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $1.99 | $13.79 |
| Jan 2015 | $2.00 | $14.03 |
| Jan 2016 | $1.99 | $14.03 |
| Jan 2017 | $4.72 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $3.44 | $10.34 |
| Jan 2019 | $3.55 | $10.43 |
| Jan 2020 | $3.35 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2021 | $4.95 | $15.49 |
| Jan 2022 | $7.16 | $11.50 |
| Jan 2023 | $4.99 | $14.00 |
| Jan 2024 | $5.07 | $13.60 |
| Jan 2025 | $5.78 | $14.29 |
| Jan 2026 | $5.00 | $11.00 |
| Oct 2026 | $6.58 | $15.00 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Silver 1 - "Football" | CX5207 | Common+ |
- Complete copy (North America): Cartridge · Box · Instruction manual · 2 keypad overlays
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 5200 software database
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1982
- Controller
- Two 5200 controllers (required)
- Players
- 1 - 2
- Authenticity
- Low
The Atari 5200 version
A deep, scrolling football game written separately from the 2600 cart, and one of the better sports carts on the 5200.
The 5200 game is a different program from the 2600 football cart. It has a scrolling playfield and a deep playbook, and the middle linebacker can be repositioned before the snap. Electronic Games' November 1984 roundup of 5200 titles counted eighteen offensive formations against six defensive ones, a choice of two eligible receivers on every down, and a linebacker you move with the lower fire button to blitz or to sit in a prevent defense. Its one complaint was that the defense is weak when two skilled players face each other.
Computer Entertainer, reviewing a Nintendo football game in volume 5, number 2, marked that game down by comparison with the 5200 RealSports Football, which it said offered more options.
How it was made
Jim Huether made the 5200 and Atari 8-bit versions as a project separate from the 2600 cartridge, doing the design, programming, sounds and first draft of the manual himself over about a year. Wikipedia adds that he had wanted to work on a football game since joining Atari.
What the press said at the time
“This is a game of finesse and timing, and has a creative element not found in the majority of other games. The graphics are only fair but game play is good and makes up for the stick-like characters.”
“You know what they say — "third time's a charm!" Well, Atari's third attempt at a pigskin simulation is just that — a charm!”
How the Atari 5200 version differs
Electronic Games' review of the 5200 version counted eighteen offensive formations and six defensive ones.
Quarterbacks on the 5200 version can choose between two eligible receivers on every down.
The reviewer's one flaw: the computer-controlled defenders are weaker than joystick-controlled ones, so two skilled human players can run plays the defense cannot stop.
Also on other platforms
Atari 2600 · Atari 8-bit
| Atari 8-bit | Jim Huether |
Before you buy
Cheap and common. The label is the thing to know: AtariAge records the early Silver 1 label as reading just Football rather than RealSports Football, so the short title is normal, not a relabel. AtariAge's list flags it as a title that uses keypad overlays, which matter for play selection, so a complete copy should include them. Test the fire buttons and stick on the console you will use. Its manual needs two controllers, one in each of jacks 1 and 2 (joysticks, Trak-Balls or one of each), even against the computer.
RealSports Football screenshots
Watch on YouTube
Listings on The Game Traders
No active listings for RealSports Football yet.
Be the first to list →Buyers looking for this
No active want ads for RealSports Football yet.
Post a want ad →More games like RealSports Football
Latest news mentioning RealSports Football
No recent news mentions in our 30-day feed window.