The Challenge of Nexar
The Challenge of Nexar — frequently asked questions
- Is The Challenge of Nexar on Steam?
- No. The Challenge of Nexar 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 The Challenge of Nexar on?
- The Challenge of Nexar is available on Atari 2600.
- When did The Challenge of Nexar release?
- The Challenge of Nexar was first released on September 15, 1982.
About The Challenge of Nexar
A single screen crosshair shooter written by David Lubar.
Summary via IGDB.
The Challenge of Nexar on Wikipedia
The Challenge of Nexar or simply Nexar, is a 1982 tube shooter video game published by Spectravision for the Atari 2600. It was developed by David Lubar at Sirius Software, who originally designed if for Fox Video Games. The player controls a cursor which shoots in towards enemies that approach from the back of the screen. It is somewhat similar in gameplay to Tempest.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Atari 2600
- Developer
- Sirius Software
- Publisher
- Spectravision
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
Details via IGDB.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
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 $100 in Oct 2008, $10.00 five years ago, and $12.06 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $100 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $4.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $6.98 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $5.42 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $4.47 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $5.00 | $13.50 |
| Jan 2015 | $4.34 | $13.50 |
| Jan 2016 | $8.00 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $7.06 | $7.29 |
| Jan 2018 | $7.37 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2019 | $8.68 | $13.28 |
| Jan 2020 | $7.84 | $21 |
| Jan 2021 | $6.90 | $22 |
| Jan 2022 | $9.86 | $35 |
| Jan 2023 | $12.05 | $30 |
| Jan 2024 | $11.52 | $33 |
| Jan 2025 | $10.27 | $26 |
| Jan 2026 | $13.22 | $33 |
| Oct 2026 | $12.06 | $34 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Spectravision | Standard | SA-206 | Scarce+ |
| Europe Funvision | — | — | — |
| Europe Goliath | — | — | — |
| Europe Hot Shot | — | — | — |
| Europe Quelle | Short | — | — |
| Europe Unknown | V Case | — | — |
| Australia Rainbow Vision | — | SS-002 | — |
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1982
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1
- Authenticity
- Low
A tough, Tempest-like tube shooter from Spectravision that critics either loved or found exhausting.
David Lubar developed The Challenge of Nexar at Sirius Software, originally for Fox Video Games, and Spectravision published it in late 1982 in North America and early 1983 in Europe. You move a cursor and shoot into the screen at enemies approaching from the back, in play somewhat like Tempest. Lubar drew on the work of his Sirius colleague Nasir Gebelli, who created Space Eggs and later Final Fantasy.
Critics were divided. Some praised it highly for its novelty and challenge, while others called it prohibitively difficult, repetitive and unoriginal. Perry Greenberg of Video Games summed it up as an 'enjoyable light snack' rather than a 'full course meal'.
How it was made
Programmed by David Lubar at Sirius Software, first designed for Fox Video Games before Spectravision published it.
What the press said at the time
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 2 | December 1982 | 4 joysticks |
“Spectravision has taken the Tempest theme and translated it into a home game that will knock your socks off.”
“This is not only the most successful cartridge Spectravision has yet produced, but one of the truly original home programmable videogames on the market. Recommended.”
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.
Worth knowing
- 1983 Arkie Award. Electronic Games gave Nexar a Certificate of Merit for Most Innovative Videogame in its 1983 Arkie Awards.
Before you buy
Low risk and inexpensive. The same game also exists under other names, Black Hole and Galactic; Black Hole was an unlicensed release by Goliath. If you want the original, check that the label reads The Challenge of Nexar and names Spectravision.
The Challenge of Nexar screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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