Is Submarine Commander on Steam?

No. Submarine Commander 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 Submarine Commander on?

Submarine Commander is available on Atari 2600.

When did Submarine Commander release?

Submarine Commander was first released on December 31, 1982.

Submarine Commander

Dec 31, 1982ShooterSimulatorStrategyAtari 2600

Submarine Commander — frequently asked questions

Is Submarine Commander on Steam?: No. Submarine Commander 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 Submarine Commander on?: Submarine Commander is available on Atari 2600.
When did Submarine Commander release?: Submarine Commander was first released on December 31, 1982.

About Submarine Commander

You're the commander of a submarine in enemy waters. Use your skills, radar, and luck to take down the enemy ships. With 8 difficulty settings there is a lot of the game to master as you must start to keep an eye on your fuel, torpedoes, radar, and enemy while avoiding depth charges as the difficulty rises. You can fire up to two torpedoes at a time. While enemy shows go by your periscope sink as many as you can. The periscope can turn 360 degrees and look off into the horizon or close to your sub. Some ships move slower than others, and one of the ships moves so fast that the only way to hit it is by tracking it by radar instead of visually. This game was never released under any name by Atari. It was a Sears exclusive.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Atari 2600
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Sears
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Historical, Warfare

Details via IGDB.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$26

Complete

$55

Sealed

$83

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Sears	Picture	49-75142	Rare

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

Region: NA
Released: 1982
Controller: Atari Joystick
Players: 1 - 2
Authenticity: Low

On Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration since Sep 26, 2024 — the cartridge is now a collectibleLow counterfeit risk

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

An Atari-made game sold only under the Sears label, which makes it one of the few Tele-Games exclusives.

Matthew Hubbard programmed Submarine Commander at Atari, Inc., and Sears published it in September 1982. It is a first-person shooter and was one of the few games released only on Sears' Tele-Games label, with no Atari-branded edition.

It is on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, added in 2024, for anyone who only wants to play it.

How it was made

Programmed by Matthew Hubbard at Atari, Inc. and published by Sears in 1982, exclusively under the Tele-Games label.

What the press said at the time

“Excluding its elaborate graphics, Submarine Com- mander is a very basic shooting-gallery game.”
— JoyStik, December 1982

“Hardly more than a colorful shooting gallery, Sub- marine Commander offers little in the way of challenge or entertainment.”
— JoyStik, January 1983

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 4 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

Worth knowing

A 1983 collectible. Electronic Fun's January 1983 collecting column listed the Sears-only Steeplechase, Stellar Track and Sub Commander among the cartridges collectors should look for.

Before you buy

Low risk. There is no Atari-label version to confuse it with, so any genuine copy is a Sears Tele-Games cart. Compare the label to a known Tele-Games scan if you want to be sure.