Is Swordquest: Earthworld on Steam?

No. Swordquest: Earthworld 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 Swordquest: Earthworld on?

Swordquest: Earthworld is available on Atari 2600.

When did Swordquest: Earthworld release?

Swordquest: Earthworld was first released on October 15, 1982.

Swordquest: Earthworld

Oct 15, 1982AdventureAtari 2600

Swordquest: Earthworld — frequently asked questions

Is Swordquest: Earthworld on Steam?: No. Swordquest: Earthworld 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 Swordquest: Earthworld on?: Swordquest: Earthworld is available on Atari 2600.
When did Swordquest: Earthworld release?: Swordquest: Earthworld was first released on October 15, 1982.

About Swordquest: Earthworld

Swordquest is an unfinished series of video games produced by Atari, Inc. in the 1980s as part of a contest, consisting of three finished games and a planned but never released fourth game. All of the games came with a comic book that explained the plot, as well as containing part of the solution to a major puzzle that had to be solved to win the contest. Each game had essentially the same gameplay: Logic puzzle adventure style gaming interspersed with arcade style action gaming. The character wanders through each screen, picking up and dropping items, playing simplified variants of current 'twitch' games of the time between screens. If the correct items are placed in a room, a clue shows up, pointing the player to a page and panel in the comic book included with the game. There, the player would find a word that was hidden in that panel. If the player found all five correct clues, amongst all the hidden words (hinted by a hidden clue in the comic), they could send the sentence to Atari and have a chance to compete in the finals and win a prize. Earthworld was the first of the four games. Its room structure was based on the signs of the zodiac.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Atari 2600
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Atari
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Fantasy

Details via IGDB.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

Complete

$25

Sealed

$55

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America Atari	Silver	CX2656	Common+
Asia Atari	—	—	—

Also released in South America by Polyvox.

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

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

On Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration since Nov 11, 2022 — the cartridge is now a collectibleLow counterfeit risk

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

The first Swordquest game, tied to Atari's famous contest, cheap loose and on Atari 50.

Swordquest is a series of action-adventure games Atari made for the 2600 as part of a contest. Three were finished, Earthworld, Fireworld and Waterworld, and a fourth, Airworld, was planned. Earthworld came first, in October 1982, with Dan Hitchens credited as designer.

Labels and boxes sometimes print the title with a capital W, as EarthWorld. It is on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.

How it was made

Developed and published by Atari, Inc. in October 1982, with Dan Hitchens credited as designer. Fireworld followed in February 1983 and Waterworld in February 1984.

What the press said at the time

Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 1

November 1982

4 joysticks

“The games are outstanding for a number of reasons. The graphics are excellent from the first scene on.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, November 1982

“Aside from these action episodes, however, EarthWorld isn't __ very exciting. The graphics are rather uninteresting and most of the game is spent running from room to room and figuring out what to do with the objects.”
— JoyStik, April 1983

“the company's newest effort features effective graphics and an unusual brand of challenge that may make Earthworld a particular favorite of action game fans.”
— Electronic Games, January 1983

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.

Worth knowing

The 1983 final. The EarthWorld final was played on May 2, 1983, on "a specially programmed championship version", and the winner finished "just 46 minutes into the contest".
Club T-shirts. The Atari Club's "SwordQuest Adventurer" subscription auto-shipped each cartridge at $33.95 with George Pérez-designed T-shirts "not … sold in any store".
1983 Arkie Award. Electronic Games gave Earthworld a Certificate of Merit for Best Adventure Videogame in its 1983 Arkie Awards.

Before you buy

Low risk. Unlike Waterworld, which AtariAge rates as scarce, Earthworld is easy to find. Loose carts are inexpensive, and boxed copies cost several times as much. A label reading EarthWorld rather than Earthworld is a normal printing style, not a warning sign. Check box and manual condition before paying for a complete copy.