Is Space Cavern on Steam?

No. Space Cavern 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 Cavern on?

Space Cavern is available on Atari 2600.

When did Space Cavern release?

Space Cavern was first released on December 31, 1981.

Space Cavern

Dec 31, 1981ShooterArcadeAtari 2600

Space Cavern — frequently asked questions

Is Space Cavern on Steam?: No. Space Cavern 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 Cavern on?: Space Cavern is available on Atari 2600.
When did Space Cavern release?: Space Cavern was first released on December 31, 1981.

About Space Cavern

As a commander of a spaceship you explore an unknown planet and are soon attacked by its inhabitants - the Electrosauri. You are shot at from above as well as from the sides and it becomes increasingly difficult to fend off the attackers the further the game progresses. The game allows the player to play several variations (e.g. difficulty level, number of enemies on screen, attack patterns etc.).

Summary via IGDB.

Space Cavern on Wikipedia

Space Cavern is a 1982 fixed shooter video game for the Atari 2600 developed and released by Games by Apollo. Players control a spaceship commander who has landed on a planet and must defend the ship against its hostile creatures. Games by Apollo founder Pat Roper was impressed by the game Demon Attack and tasked Apollo member Dan Oliver with making a game very similar to it.

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

Game details

Platforms: Atari 2600
Developer: Apollo Software
Publisher: Apollo Software
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action, Science fiction

Details via IGDB.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

Complete

$25

Sealed

—

Label variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Space Canyon	$45	$230	$306

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Apollo	Standard	AP2002	Scarce
North America Apollo	Blue	AP2002	Scarce
North America Panda	Wraparound Label	100	Rare+

Also released in South America by Genus.

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

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1982
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

Apollo's deliberate Demon Attack alike: cheap under its own name, pricier as the Space Canyon relabel.

Dan Oliver designed Space Cavern for Games by Apollo in 1982. You command a spaceship that has landed on a hostile planet and defend it against the creatures that live there. Apollo founder Pat Roper had been impressed by Imagic's Demon Attack and asked Oliver to make a game very similar to it.

The Apollo cartridge is common. The game also circulated under other publishers' labels as Space Canyon, and that relabel is what collectors pay more for.

How it was made

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 4	July 1982	Graphics ★★½ · Play-Action ★★★
Arcade Express arcade_express_v1n2	August 30, 1982	7/10
JoyStik January 1983	January 1983	★★

“This is a genuinely fun game of the general “Space Invaders” type in which your space man must shoot at attacking Electrosauri … enough real difference from other games of the type to make this one a worthwhile addition.”
— Computer Entertainer, July 1982

“Some of the visuals, such as the way your spaceman fries when a monster's electrical blast hits home, are excellent.”
— Arcade Express, August 30, 1982

“This is one tough contest with no "easy win" tricks to diminish the impact of pure skill.”
— VIDEO (Arcade Alley), September 1982

“Though some may find the control scheme a little unusual, "Space Cavern offers a stern test of marksmanship and reflexes.”
— VIDEO (Arcade Alley), November 1982

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. 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.

Worth knowing

1983 Arkie Award. Electronic Games gave Space Cavern a Certificate of Merit for Best Action Videogame in its 1983 Arkie Awards.

Before you buy

Check which label you are looking at. Space Cavern on the Apollo label is the common, inexpensive cartridge. Space Canyon is the same game on a relabeled release and sells for noticeably more. Since the game is the same, the label is what you are paying for; ask for close photos of it and of the end label. No fakes are documented.