Is Space Attack on Steam?

No. Space Attack 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 Space Attack on?

Space Attack is available on Atari 2600, Intellivision.

When did Space Attack release?

Space Attack was first released on July 1, 1982.

Space Attack

Jul 1, 1982ShooterAtari 2600 Intellivision

Space Attack — frequently asked questions

Is Space Attack on Steam?: No. Space Attack 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 Space Attack on?: Space Attack is available on Atari 2600, Intellivision.
When did Space Attack release?: Space Attack was first released on July 1, 1982.

About Space Attack

Mattel’s MO was to make, slightly inferior perhaps, ports of their Intellivision games and release them on the 2600 to entice people over to the Intellivision. Most of the games Mattel ported were simple shooters that didn’t require much use of the Intellivision’s keypad controller space battle which was renamed space attack on the 2600 is the major exception. Space battle used eleven of the twelve keypad buttons and somehow that all had to be condensed into a single button controller.

Summary via IGDB.

Space Attack on Wikipedia

Space Battle is a 1979 video game developed by Mattel Electronics for the Intellivision console. It was released for the Atari 2600 under the title Space Attack in 1982. The game supports both single player and two-player modes. An updated version of the game inspired by Battlestar Galactica was released in 2020.

Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).

Game details

Platforms: Atari 2600, Intellivision
Developer: APh Technological Consulting
Publisher: M Network
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: 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	1982	$5	$11	—	4 reviews	APh (designed by Hal Finney / Bruce Pederson)

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

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

Complete

$11

Sealed

—

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America M Network	Black	MT5659	Common+
North America Telegames	Silver	—	Scarce

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

Region: NA
Released: 1982
Controller: Atari Joystick
Players: 1
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

M Network's 2600 version of Mattel's Intellivision Space Battle, cheap and modest.

Space Attack is the Atari 2600 version of Space Battle, a 1979 Mattel Electronics game for the Intellivision. Mattel released the 2600 version under its M Network label in July 1982. APh developed it, with Hal Finney and Bruce Pederson credited as designers. It supports one or two players.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 6	September 1982	Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★★½
Arcade Express arcade_express_v1n4	September 26, 1982	8/10
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 2	December 1982	4 joysticks
JoyStik January 1983	January 1983	★★

“This is a very good two-screen (radar and actual battle) combination of strategy and classic outer space shoot-em-up … Once past this hurdle, the game is very engaging. Recommended.”
— Computer Entertainer, September 1982

“This is a very attractive solitaire game with pretty graphics, good action, and plenty of excitement.”
— Arcade Express, September 26, 1982

“The lack of overlay makes the radar mode a chore. Until you memorize the 7 different maneuvers necessary for choosing the aliens you want to go after”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, December 1982

“Yet another Sfar Raiders copy, Space Attack is one of the weakest of the bunch.”
— JoyStik, January 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. JoyStik’s capsule ratings run from one star to five.

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

Space Attack is a new 2600 version of Mattel's 1979 Intellivision game Space Battle, released under the M Network label in 1982 with a new title.

Also on other platforms

Intellivision

Atari 2600	APh (designed by Hal Finney / Bruce Pederson)
Intellivision	Mattel Electronics

Worth knowing

Launch defects, 1982. Arcade Express reported that the first M Network shipment had "a high number of defective cartridges": "the games couldn't be properly inserted into the VCS because of poor construction of the casing", and "a small portion of the initial ROMs were incompatible with older models of the Atari VCS." The problems were confined to the first four M Network games, including this one.

Before you buy

Low risk, with no documented reproductions. Loose carts are inexpensive, and boxed copies cost a few times as much. It is listed under both M Network and Telegames, so check the label for the publisher name.