SubRoc 3D
SubRoc 3D — frequently asked questions
- Is SubRoc 3D on Steam?
- No. SubRoc 3D 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 SubRoc 3D on?
- SubRoc 3D is available on ColecoVision, Arcade.
- When did SubRoc 3D release?
- SubRoc 3D was first released on December 31, 1982.
About SubRoc 3D
SubRoc 3-D is a shooter, where you look through a periscope and shoot at both sea and air-targets. The arcade version features 3-D effects.
Summary via IGDB.
SubRoc 3D on Wikipedia
SubRoc-3D is a first-person arcade shooter game released in 1982 by Sega. It is the first commercial video game in stereoscopic 3-D, using a periscope-shaped display with a different image for each eye. It was jointly developed by Sega and Matsushita Electric, who developed its active shutter 3D system. The game has stereo sound, and also changes the backdrop to reflect day, night, dawn, and dusk.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- ColecoVision, Arcade
- Developer
- Sega/Gremlin
- Publisher
- Sega/Gremlin
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Built by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ColecoVision | 1983 | $7 | $22 | $43 | 2 reviews | Arnold Hendrick and Philip Taterczynski (Coleco game design staff) |
Also released on: Arcade. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.
Collector value & authenticity
ColecoVision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- 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 $2.50 in Jul 2009, $5.60 five years ago, and $7.32 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $2.75 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $1.28 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $4.36 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $3.95 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $2.79 | $8.63 |
| Jan 2015 | $1.99 | $10.00 |
| Jan 2016 | $4.99 | $5.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $5.73 | $12.50 |
| Jan 2018 | $5.79 | $17.94 |
| Jan 2019 | $6.14 | $14.28 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.22 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2021 | $6.94 | $18.06 |
| Jan 2022 | $6.98 | $18.99 |
| Jan 2023 | $6.81 | $24 |
| Jan 2024 | $8.24 | $18.50 |
| Jan 2025 | $8.64 | $24 |
| Jan 2026 | $7.33 | $20 |
| Oct 2026 | $7.32 | $22 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America Coleco | End label: for ColecoVision and ADAM | 076930205358 |
| Europe CBS Electronics | — | — |
- Europe: Sold in Europe by CBS Electronics; the ColecoVision FAQ lists its model number as 4L4161. CBS carts have black labels and a differently shaped top end.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1983
- Controller
- ColecoVision hand controller, Super Action controller
- Players
- 1 or 2
- Authenticity
- Low
Coleco's flat-screen SubRoc: the arcade's 3D periscope game rebuilt with simulated depth, and well regarded for its graphics.
The Sega arcade original was a stereoscopic game played through a periscope-shaped display. The ColecoVision cartridge is simply called SubRoc and uses simulated 3D effects instead. Wikipedia credits Arnold Hendrick and Philip Taterczynski of Coleco's game design staff with the adaptation, and David Wesely of 4D Interactive Systems with the programming; it came out in October 1983.
Electronic Games (November 1983) summed it up as not in 3-D but looking good. Ray Dimetrosky of Computer Games graded the port a B, calling the graphics particularly impressive and the game an above-average shoot-'em-up.
How it was made
Adapted by Arnold Hendrick and Philip Taterczynski of Coleco's design staff, with programming by David Wesely of 4D Interactive Systems.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 8 | November 1983 | Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★ |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 2 No. 4 | February 1984 | 2 of 4 joysticks |
“Unfortunately, there is nothing subtle or original about SUB ROC. It is little more than a continuous battle of aim-and-shoot, and we tired of it quickly.”
“This is all fascinating to watch, even hypnotic at times. The game itself, though, is not nearly as appealing as the graphics.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system. Electronic Fun rated games out of four joysticks.
How the ColecoVision version differs
The ColecoVision game is not in 3-D like the arcade original; Electronic Games said it was a super coin-op translation that still looked good.
The manual says skill 3 is as difficult as the arcade game, and skill 4 presents the toughest challenge yet.
Also on other platforms
Arcade
| ColecoVision | Arnold Hendrick and Philip Taterczynski (Coleco game design staff) |
| ColecoVision | David Wesely (4D Interactive Systems) |
| Arcade | Sega (publisher) |
Worth knowing
- From the ColecoVision manual. Your weapon depends on sight altitude: at the lowest altitude you fire torpedoes, and at higher altitudes you fire missiles.
- From the ColecoVision manual. A bonus vessel comes at 20,000 points, then another at 100,000 points and at regular intervals after that.
- From the ColecoVision manual. A mystery ship can appear in any attack and gives bonus points if hit, but it does not stay around long.
Before you buy
Plays with the standard controller, no overlay. A Coleco-published cartridge with no documented authenticity problems. The price row shows a very low loose price with a modest boxed premium, so condition matters more than hunting.
SubRoc 3D screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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