Is Star Ship on Steam?

No. Star Ship 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 Star Ship on?

Star Ship is available on Atari 2600.

When did Star Ship release?

Star Ship was first released on September 1, 1977.

Star Ship

Sep 1, 1977ShooterAtari 2600

Star Ship — frequently asked questions

Is Star Ship on Steam?: No. Star Ship 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 Star Ship on?: Star Ship is available on Atari 2600.
When did Star Ship release?: Star Ship was first released on September 1, 1977.

About Star Ship

Star Ship is a First-person shooter video game cartridge developed by Atari, Inc. for its Video Computer System (later known as the Atari 2600). The game was one of the nine launch titles offered when the Atari 2600 went on sale. It was designed and programmed by Bob Whitehead. It was based on the Atari arcade game Starship 1. The re-branded Sears TeleGames version was titled "Outer Space".

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

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

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

40/100

from 9 ratings

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$11

Complete

$35

Sealed

—

Label variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Text # Side Label	$13	$58	$88
Text Label	$10	$30	—
Outer Space	$5	$30	$89
Outer Space [Telegames Picture Label]	$12	$32	—

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Picture - Large Yellow Text	CX2603	Scarce
North America Atari	Text	CX2603	Scarce
North America Atari	Text # - "03 star ship"	CX2603	Scarce
North America Sears	Picture	99803	Scarce+
North America Sears	Text	99803	Scarce

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

Region: NA
Released: 1977
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

A launch-day space game that reviewers did not like then or since. Cheap, and a nice piece of 1977 history.

Star Ship was one of the launch titles for the Atari VCS and Bob Whitehead's first game for the system after he was hired in January 1977. It was based on Atari's arcade game Starship 1, since Whitehead was encouraged to adapt Atari's arcade lineup. You fly from a first-person view through several variations: shooting enemies while avoiding asteroids, dueling a second player's ship, racing through space against a time limit, or landing a lunar craft on a moon that tries to dodge you.

Video and Creative Computing gave it middling reviews, and later ones were harsher. Atari stopped releasing it in mid-1980. Sears sold the same game as Outer Space.

How it was made

Programmed by Bob Whitehead and released by Atari in September 1977 as a launch title, adapted from the Starship 1 arcade game.

What the press said at the time

AllGame		1.5/5
The Complete Guide to Electronic Games		1/5
Video		4/10

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."
A 1982 buying tip. Electronic Games advised in March 1982: "Atari has spoken of pruning some of the older games from its line to make room on the retail shelves for new arrivals, so rocket jockeys may want to pick up 'Spaceship' before it becomes an unobtainable collector's item."

Before you buy

Low risk; every version is inexpensive. Check which label you are looking at. Price guides also list a 'Text # Side Label' variant that sells for a little more; ask for a photo of the end label to confirm which one you are buying. The plain text-label Atari cart is the common one. Outer Space is the Sears Tele-Games name for the same game, sold with either a text label or a picture label. The game is identical across all of them.