Is Tunnel Runner on Steam?

No. Tunnel Runner 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 Tunnel Runner on?

Tunnel Runner is available on Atari 2600.

When did Tunnel Runner release?

Tunnel Runner was first released on December 31, 1983.

Tunnel Runner

Dec 31, 1983PuzzleAtari 2600

Tunnel Runner — frequently asked questions

Is Tunnel Runner on Steam?: No. Tunnel Runner 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 Tunnel Runner on?: Tunnel Runner is available on Atari 2600.
When did Tunnel Runner release?: Tunnel Runner was first released on December 31, 1983.

About Tunnel Runner

Get a move on, TUNNEL RUNNER. Those monstrous Maze Zots have picked up your scent and there's only one item on their menu --- you! You've been running up and down tunnels like a rat for so long, you're starting to develop a taste for cheese. Oh sure, you can get out . . . you just haven't been able to find the Key to the right Escape Door, that's all. Wait! There it is! Quickly --- pick it up and start making tracks for that door! You can hear one of those Zots hot on your heels! No time to check the map --- this better be the right way! There's a door up ahead. You did it! You're free! Sorry, Tunnel Runner, not quite...

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Atari 2600
Developer: CBS Electronics
Publisher: CBS Electronics
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$30

Complete

$88

Sealed

$121

Release record

Territory	Label	Catalog #	Rarity
North America CBS Electronics	Standard	80070	Scarce+

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

Region: NA
Released: 1983
Controller: Atari Joystick
Players: 1
Authenticity: Low

Not in Atari 50 — other compilations and plug-and-plays are not tracked hereLow counterfeit risk

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

A first-person maze game on a 1983 cartridge, made possible by extra RAM that CBS built into the cart.

Richard K. Balaska Jr. programmed Tunnel Runner, which CBS Electronics published for the 2600 in December 1983. It is a first-person maze game, an ambitious idea for the console.

It is one of three CBS cartridges with an extra 256 bytes of RAM inside, a feature CBS promoted as "RAM Plus". The other two are Mountain King and the arcade conversion Omega Race.

How it was made

Programmed by Richard K. Balaska Jr. for CBS Electronics. The cartridge carries an additional 256 bytes of RAM, which CBS marketed as RAM Plus.

What the press said at the time

Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 12	October 1983	4 joysticks
Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 10	January 1984	Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★½

“What we've got here is the most successful rendition of the classic maze theme to date—a game so tightly conceived, graphically interesting and challenging that it ought to sustain the interest of the most jaded maze freak for a long time.”
— Electronic Fun with Computers & Games, October 1983

“TUNNEL RUNNER is a great game for those who enjoy making their minds work at a game instead of just shooting at everything in sight!”
— Computer Entertainer, January 1984

“This enhanced cartridge quite literally puts a new perspective on maze videogames.”
— Electronic Games, September 1983

“Tunnel Runner and Wings, the first two cartridges in this series, may fool some gamers into thinking they've turned on their Atari computer instead of the 2600”
— Electronic Games, October 1983

Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — stars in most years, diamonds in 1986–87 — comparing each game only with other games for the same system. Electronic Fun rated games out of four joysticks.

Cartridge & preservation record

Program size 12 KB, measured from the preserved dump.

Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.

Worth knowing

1984 Arkie nominee. Electronic Games listed Tunnel Runner among its nominees for the 1984 Arkie Awards in September 1983.

Before you buy

Low risk. A standard CBS Electronics cartridge with no documented reproduction cases. If you collect the RAM Plus trio, the other two are Mountain King and Omega Race.