Is Stronghold on Steam?

No. Stronghold 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 Stronghold on?

Stronghold is available on Atari 2600.

When did Stronghold release?

Stronghold was first released on July 1, 1983.

Stronghold

Jul 1, 1983ShooterArcadeAtari 2600

Stronghold — frequently asked questions

Is Stronghold on Steam?: No. Stronghold 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 Stronghold on?: Stronghold is available on Atari 2600.
When did Stronghold release?: Stronghold was first released on July 1, 1983.

About Stronghold

On one of your patrols in deep space you encounter an abandoned base whose self-defense mechanisms are still functional. Upon detecting your presence the base launches several drones to destroy you. After having conquered three of these attack waves a force field containing of three layers will form at the bottom auf the screen protecting a SAM crawler. Your objctive now ist to shoot a gap into the horizontally moving force field in order to eliminate the SAM crawler while still being under attack by hostile drones. As soon as you breached the force field you have to pay attention not being shot down by the SAM crawler which will exploit the fact of you destroying the force field. The game comes with 16 game variations, some of them allowing you to use rapid fire while others make the attack drones invincible for your missiles or produce drones which clone themselves. Still some variants create a force field which will descend from above and is minimzing the space you are able to move in.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

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

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

60/100

from 1 ratings

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$227

Complete

$1,121

Sealed

—

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America CommaVid	Standard	CM009	Extremely Rare

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

Region: NA
Released: 1983
Controller: Atari Joystick
Players: 1
Authenticity: Med

Not in Atari 50 — other compilations and plug-and-plays are not tracked hereMedium counterfeit risk

Atari 2600 prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A scarce CommaVid cartridge from co-founder Joseph Biel.

Joseph Biel, one of CommaVid's three founders, designed Stronghold, released in July 1983. CommaVid's games were mostly caught in the 1983 crash, which is part of why they are scarce now. AtariAge rates Stronghold 9.

What the press said at the time

Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 7	October 1983	Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★½
Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 2 No. 5	March 1984	1½ joysticks

“STRONGHOLD is a game for die-hard shoot-out fans only. While the game is extremely challenging, especially in the more difficult variations, we found that it just didn't hold our interest for very long.”
— Computer Entertainer, October 1983

“Contrary to mathematical theory, the whole is sometimes less than the sum of its parts. … And the controls go one step beyond bad. They're weird.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, March 1984

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 4 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

Before you buy

Medium risk. No fakes are documented; the risk comes from the value. The box and manual carry much of a complete copy's value, so check that both are present. Compare the CommaVid label and shell against AtariAge's scans and ask for a board photo through the dust door.