Shark! Shark!
Shark! Shark! — frequently asked questions
- Is Shark! Shark! on Steam?
- No. Shark! Shark! 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 Shark! Shark! on?
- Shark! Shark! is available on Intellivision, Legacy Mobile Device, Android, PlayStation 3.
- When did Shark! Shark! release?
- Shark! Shark! was first released on December 6, 1982.
About Shark! Shark!
In Shark! Shark! you control a fish! Your goal is to earn as many points as possible while staying alive. Swimming in the ocean with you are other fish of various sizes, lobsters, crabs, jellyfish, and a very fast shark. You are able to eat any fish that is smaller in size than you are, and any fish that is larger will eat you! The shark can also be killed if you nibble at its tail several times, but careful for the shark can turn quickly. Each time you eat a fish or nibble on the sharks tail, points are earned. Each time you score 1000 points, your fish will grow larger in size allowing you to eat even more of the fish on the screen. Several different game speeds are included, and one or two players can play.
Summary via IGDB.
Shark! Shark! on Wikipedia
Shark! Shark! is an Intellivision game originally designed by Don Daglow, and with additional design and programming by Ji-Wen Tsao, one of the first female game programmers in the history of video games. The player is a fish who must eat smaller fish in order to gain points and extra lives while avoiding enemies such as larger fish, sharks, jellyfish, lobsters and crabs. After eating a certain number of fish, the player's fish grows in size and is thus able to eat a larger selection of fish. However, while the larger fish becomes a bit faster, it is less agile than the small fish and has a harder time avoiding enemies.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Intellivision, Legacy Mobile Device, Android, PlayStation 3
- Developer
- Mattel Electronics
- Publisher
- Mattel Electronics
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intellivision | 1982 | $10 | $23 | $61 | 3 reviews | Don Daglow |
Also released on: Legacy Mobile Device · Android · PlayStation 3. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Intellivision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-20
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about 3 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-20.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $9.99 in Apr 2009, $18.42 five years ago, and $10.45 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $4.97 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $8.88 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $3.63 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $10.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $2.54 | $20 |
| Jan 2015 | $14.96 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $9.99 | $17.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $16.00 | $25 |
| Jan 2018 | $12.73 | $18.72 |
| Jan 2019 | $15.00 | $28 |
| Jan 2020 | $9.99 | $23 |
| Jan 2021 | $12.04 | $21 |
| Jan 2022 | $18.63 | $30 |
| Jan 2023 | $16.47 | $30 |
| Jan 2024 | $11.22 | $29 |
| Jan 2025 | $12.24 | $31 |
| Jan 2026 | $12.00 | $26 |
| Oct 2026 | $10.45 | $23 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Documented sales
5,600 cartridges in the initial 1982 shipment
One of the smallest initial shipments of any Intellivision game, per the Blue Sky Rangers, Mattel's former programmers. Later shipments are not recorded.
Source: Mattel Electronics' figures, as quoted by the Blue Sky Rangers
Release record
| Territory | Product # |
|---|---|
| North America Mattel Electronics | 5787 |
- North America: Product number confirmed by the game's own manual.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1982
- Controller
- Hand controller
- Players
- 1 or 2
- Authenticity
- Low
A cheerful fish-eats-fish game with a cartoon look, a solid Mattel original that rewards patience.
You start as a small fish and eat smaller ones to grow while big fish, crabs, jellyfish and a shark you cannot eat try to eat you. Computer Entertainer noted the trick of taking quick nips at the shark's tail to stun it, and enough nips from the same shark earn a bonus fish. A second player can swim alongside.
Video Games Player in 1983 praised the colorful graphics and sound, the bubbles rising from eaten fish, and said it was not fast but could be a lot of fun. You can grow five times, one step for every thousand points. Don Daglow designed it, with additional design and programming by Ji-Wen Tsao, one of the first female game programmers.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 11 | February 1983 | Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★½ |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 7 | May 1983 | 3½ joysticks (of 4) |
| Video Games Player Vol. 2 No. 1 | August-September 1983 | B |
“This game should be especially appealing to children, but adults will also enjoy the challenges. Recommended.”
“The graphics are very clean and colorful: bubbles floating on screen, an instantaneous reddening of the water as your fish bites the sand and nice easy fish motions are strong points of this game.”
“Shark! Shark! is enjoyable because of the colorful graphics and great sound effects.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system. Electronic Fun rated games out of four joysticks. Video Games Player graded games like a report card, A+ down to C-.
Also on other platforms
Android · PlayStation 3
| Intellivision | Don Daglow |
| Intellivision | Ji-Wen Tsao |
- Android. The game later came to phones: an Android version arrived in late 2023, followed by an iOS release in December 2024.
- PlayStation 3. A version was offered on the PlayStation 3 through PlayStation Home in fall 2012, in a collection titled Intellivision Gen2.
Worth knowing
- A credited designer. Ji-Wen Tsao, who did additional design and programming, is described as one of the first female game programmers in video game history.
- From the Intellivision manual. Your fish grows bigger as you score, but must be size 3 to eat a seahorse and size 4 to kill a falling crab or lobster.
- From the Intellivision manual. Stun and kill the shark by attacking and nibbling only its tail; never touch its head or fins.
- From the Intellivision manual. You begin with 5 small fish; in a two-player game the left keypad plays the yellow fish and the right keypad the red one.
Before you buy
Came with two keypad overlays. The sound effects differ on the Intellivision II, so listen on the console you plan to use. Boxed copies are priced well above loose carts.
Shark! Shark! screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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