Is Space War on Steam?

No. Space War 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 War on?

Space War is available on Atari 2600.

When did Space War release?

Space War was first released on December 31, 1978.

Space War

Dec 31, 1978SimulatorArcadeAtari 2600

Space War — frequently asked questions

Is Space War on Steam?: No. Space War 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 War on?: Space War is available on Atari 2600.
When did Space War release?: Space War was first released on December 31, 1978.

About Space War

This video game is an Atari 2600 port of Spacewar!, the famous 1962 computer game by Steve Russell. The cartridge comes programmed with 17 game variations. Variations 1 to 13 are duels between two ships and 14 to 17 are for one player. In some of the variations the ships fight near a planet which has gravitational attraction. This concept was used in the Star Control series of games.

Summary via IGDB.

Space War on Wikipedia

Space War is a multidirectional shooter video game released by Atari, Inc. in 1978 for the Atari Video Computer System. The game is a version of Spacewar!, the 1962 computer game by Steve Russell. It was released by Sears as Space Combat for its Atari compatible Tele-Games system. A version for the Atari Lynx was planned but never released.

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

Game details

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

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

47/100

from 11 ratings

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

Complete

$12

Sealed

$30

Label variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Text Label	$5	$18	—
Space Combat	$8	$20	—
Space Combat [Tele-Games Picture Label]	$5	$15	$23

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Picture	CX2604	Common+
North America Atari	Text	CX2604	Common+
North America Sears	Picture	99812	Scarce
North America Sears	Text	99812	Scarce

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

Region: NA+EU
Released: 1978
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

Atari's 1978 two-player take on Spacewar!, a historical footnote more than a game to play today.

Space War is Atari's 1978 version of Spacewar!, the 1962 computer game by Steve Russell. It is a multidirectional shooter for one or two players, programmed by Ian Shepard. Sears sold it as Space Combat for its Tele-Games console.

It is an early, simple cartridge, and its main interest now is its place in the line from the first computer games to home consoles.

How it was made

Programmed by Ian Shepard and released by Atari in October 1978. Sears sold it as Space Combat.

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 2 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

Worth knowing

Early catalog cut. In May 1982 a reader asked Electronic Games why Star Ship, Space War and Miniature Golf were missing from Atari's catalog. The answer: "The games you mentioned have, alas, been pruned from the VCS line, along with Surround and Slot Machine. … The result of this videogame gardening is the first group of "collector's item" videogames."
Club price cut, 1982. By summer 1982 the Atari Club's Cartridge Checklist had already cut this launch-era cartridge to $12.95, while most other basic titles stayed at $22.95.
1981 dealer price. Atari's confidential retailer price list for January 1 to June 1, 1981 lists Space War (CX2604) in its basic tier: dealers paid $14.00 against a suggested retail price of $22.95.

Before you buy

Low risk; every version is cheap. Four listings are priced: the standard Space War cart, a Text Label cart, the Sears Space Combat cart, and Space Combat with a Tele-Games Picture Label. They are the same game under different labels, so check which label is in the photos if you collect variants. If you only want to play it, buy whichever is cheapest.