Surround
Surround — frequently asked questions
- Is Surround on Steam?
- No. Surround 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 Surround on?
- Surround is available on Atari 2600.
- When did Surround release?
- Surround was first released on September 11, 1977.
About Surround
Surround was an unofficial port of the arcade game Blockade, released the previous year by Gremlin. As such, it was the first home console version of the game that would become widely known on other platforms as Snake. As with other early Atari games, it was licensed to Sears, which released it under the name Chase. The cartridge was subdivided into 14 different games. The first 12 of these were variations on the Blockade theme. Like its predecessor Blockade and successor Snake, the object of Surround was to maneuver a sprite across the screen, leaving a trail behind. A player wins by forcing the other player to crash into one of the trails. Various options allowed for speed-up, diagonal movement, wrap-around and "erase" (the choice to not draw at a given moment); in addition, the sprites could be set to operate at a beginning "slow" speed, or progressively speed up through five speeds.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Atari 2600
- Developer
- Atari
- Publisher
- Sears
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
Label variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Label | $10 | $18 | — |
| Text # Side Label | $5 | $17 | — |
| Chase | $8 | $22 | — |
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Picture | CX2641 | Common+ |
| North America Atari | Text | CX2641 | Common+ |
| North America Atari | Text # - "41 surround" | CX2641 | Scarce |
| North America Sears | Picture | 99807 | Rare |
| North America Sears | Text | 99807 | Scarce |
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1977
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1 - 2
- Authenticity
- Low
A 2600 launch title and an early snake game, still a decent two-player duel and on Atari 50.
Surround is a 1977 snake game programmed by Alan Miller and published by Atari, Inc. as one of the Atari VCS launch titles. Each player steers a constantly moving block that leaves a wall behind it, and you score whenever your opponent crashes. First to ten wins. It follows Gremlin's 1976 arcade game Blockade, and it also includes two "Video Graffiti" modes for drawing simple pictures.
Early reviews called it a quality game. Later reviewers found the graphics and sound weak but still rated it as a two-player contest. Sears sold it as Chase, and it is on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.
How it was made
Programmed by Alan Miller and released by Atari in September 1977 as a VCS launch title, also sold by Sears as Chase. A PAL release followed in 1978.
What the press said at the time
| AllGame | 3.5/5 | |
| The Complete Guide to Electronic Games | 4/5 | |
| Electronic Games | 8/10 |
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. Electronic Games reported in May 1982 that this cartridge had been dropped from Atari's VCS line along with Star Ship, Space War and Miniature Golf: "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."
- Tron's light cycles?. Asked whether Tron's light cycles came from Surround, the Atari Age editor replied "Officially … no direct tie-in … However … Sound familiar?"
- 1981 dealer price. Atari's confidential retailer price list for January 1 to June 1, 1981 lists Surround (CX2641) in its basic tier: dealers paid $14.00 against a suggested retail price of $22.95.
Before you buy
Low risk; this is a common launch-era cart. Four labels are priced: the standard cart, a "Text Label" cart, a variant PriceCharting lists as "Text # Side Label", and the Sears Chase cart. All are inexpensive. Chase is the same game under the Sears name. Check which label the photos show if you collect variants, and buy the cheapest if you just want to play.
Surround screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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