Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle — frequently asked questions
- Is Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle on Steam?
- No. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle 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 Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle on?
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle is available on Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, ZX Spectrum, Atari 5200.
- When did Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle release?
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle was first released on December 31, 1983.
About Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle
Return of the Jedi: Death Star Battle is a Shoot 'em up video game published by Parker Brothers in 1983 for various Atari platforms and in 1984 for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It was the first released video game to be based on the movie Return of the Jedi. In the game, the player controls the Millennium Falcon with the aim of destroying the second Death Star. The game is split into two stages. In the first, the player must shoot enemy TIE fighters while waiting for an opportunity to pass through an energy shield. In the second stage, the player must shoot at parts of the Death Star until there is a clear path to the reactor. Once the reactor has been destroyed, the player must survive the resultant explosion. Once these objectives are completed, the game begins again in a new round with greater difficulty.
Summary via IGDB.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle on Wikipedia
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle is a 1983 shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Parker Brothers for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, and Atari 8-bit computers. In 1985, it was published by Sinclair Research as part of a software pack bundled with ZX Spectrum+. It was one of the earliest Star Wars-related video games, following Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in 1982 and alongside Atari's 1983 Star Wars arcade game. It was the first video game based on Return of the Jedi.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, ZX Spectrum, Atari 5200
- Developer
- James Wickstead Design Associates
- Publisher
- Sinclair Research
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
- Series
- Star Wars
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Built by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atari 2600Details ↓ | 1983 | $16 | $42 | $106 | 2 reviews | JWDA |
| Atari 5200Details ↓ | 1984 | $72 | $188 | $225 | Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★½ | — |
Also released on: Atari 8-bit · ZX Spectrum. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about 2 times a month
- Sealed: about 2 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $6.00 in Oct 2008, $18.99 five years ago, and $15.00 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $11.88 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $6.47 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $4.97 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $6.01 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $7.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $6.95 | $35 |
| Jan 2015 | $2.42 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $9.76 | $39 |
| Jan 2017 | $9.99 | $13.75 |
| Jan 2018 | $14.37 | $32 |
| Jan 2019 | $11.11 | $30 |
| Jan 2020 | $8.00 | $25 |
| Jan 2021 | $12.69 | $36 |
| Jan 2022 | $18.49 | $55 |
| Jan 2023 | $16.54 | $48 |
| Jan 2024 | $14.10 | $60 |
| Jan 2025 | $14.60 | $59 |
| Jan 2026 | $16.99 | $51 |
| Oct 2026 | $15.00 | $48 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Parker Brothers | Standard | PB5060 | Scarce+ |
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1983
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1
- Authenticity
- Low
The Atari 2600 version
Parker Brothers' Return of the Jedi shooter, an early piece of Star Wars game history at a low price.
Parker Brothers published Death Star Battle in 1983 for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit computers. It is a shoot 'em up, credited as the first video game based on Return of the Jedi.
The 2600 cartridge was developed by JWDA and came out in North America in October 1983, with a PAL release in 1984. Its main appeal today is to Star Wars collectors.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 8 | November 1983 | Graphics ★★½ · Play-Action ★★½ |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 2 No. 5 | March 1984 | 4 joysticks |
“Being Star Wars fans, we wanted to like this game. In spite of its appealing theme, however, it didn't hold our interest because it seemed so similar to many other games.”
“Not only is the gameplay exciting but the graphics are impressive, too. The Death Star has been faithfully reproduced from the movie even in its miniaturized state in the first screen. But it's not just faithfulness to the movie that makes this a great game.”
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.
Cartridge & preservation record
Program size 8 KB, measured from the preserved dump.
Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.
Also on other platforms
Atari 5200 · Atari 8-bit · ZX Spectrum
| Atari 2600 | JWDA |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair Research (publisher) |
- ZX Spectrum. The ZX Spectrum version came out in 1985, published by Sinclair Research as part of a software pack bundled with the ZX Spectrum+.
Worth knowing
- Sold as "rare" in 1986. By spring 1986 the 2600 market had moved on far enough that Computer Entertainer's mail-order list sold brand-new copies under the heading "RARE GAMES — THESE ARE YOUR SPECIAL PRICES", at $19.00 (good through 10 May 1986).
Before you buy
Low risk, with no documented reproductions. Loose carts are inexpensive. Star Wars collectors push up prices for boxed and sealed copies, so check box condition carefully before paying a complete-copy premium.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 5200 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about 5 times a year
- Complete: about 2 times a year
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $70 in Jan 2010, $44 five years ago, and $72 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $70 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $51 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $41 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $23 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $42 | $144 |
| Jan 2015 | $75 | $40 |
| Jan 2016 | $43 | $80 |
| Jan 2017 | $30 | $79 |
| Jan 2018 | $30 | $75 |
| Jan 2019 | $36 | $81 |
| Jan 2020 | $30 | $80 |
| Jan 2021 | $35 | $76 |
| Jan 2022 | $50 | $78 |
| Jan 2023 | $85 | $200 |
| Jan 2024 | $82 | $180 |
| Jan 2025 | $84 | $199 |
| Jan 2026 | $80 | $210 |
| Oct 2026 | $72 | $188 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | MSRP | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America Parker Brothers | Standard | 9060 | $45.00 (approx.) | Very Rare |
- North America: Price new: Computer Entertainer's review (Vol. 2 No. 10, January 1984).
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 5200 software database
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1984
- Controller
- Joystick
- Players
- 1 - 2
- Authenticity
- Med
The Atari 5200 version
A very rare Parker Brothers cart, valued more for scarcity than for any record of how it plays.
Parker Brothers released Death Star Battle for the 5200 in early 1984. Computer Entertainer's 5200 release schedule marked it as already shipped to retailers among the February titles, and Electronic Games said in July 1984 that Parker's Death Star game, based on the climactic scene of the film, was already in stores, with a home version of the Star Wars coin-op to follow later that year.
Beyond that, little is documented about how the 5200 version plays or differs from the 2600 one above, so any claim about its quality would be a guess.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 10 | January 1984 | Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★½ |
“As with the earlier version of this game for the Atari 2600, we really wanted to like it, but it's lot of flash and very little substance.”
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.
How the Atari 5200 version differs
Computer Entertainer found the 5200 game full of visual and sound effects, with an especially good three-dimensional first screen, but not recommended.
The reviewer compared it with the earlier 2600 game and called the 5200 version a lot of flash and very little substance.
Also on other platforms
Atari 2600 · ZX Spectrum
- ZX Spectrum. In 1985 the game was published by Sinclair Research as part of a software pack bundled with the ZX Spectrum+.
Before you buy
Rated Very Rare, which is why the 5200 research flags it as a medium authentication risk on value alone. No fake has been documented. Parker's 5200 labels are blue-green with usually just the title, so a label in a very different style, or a hand-written or sticker label, is the red flag. Because custom-label 5200 carts exist, ask for clear photos of the label, the back and the contacts before paying a rare-tier price. It is a joystick game, so test your stick as well.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle screenshots
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