Turbo
Turbo — frequently asked questions
- Is Turbo on Steam?
- No. Turbo 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 Turbo on?
- Turbo is available on ColecoVision, Arcade, Intellivision.
- When did Turbo release?
- Turbo was first released on December 31, 1981.
About Turbo
Racing game that leads you through several surroundings (e.g. cities, snowy landscapes, bridges, tunnels etc.).
Summary via IGDB.
Turbo on Wikipedia
Turbo is a 1981 racing video game developed and published by Sega for arcades; in North America, it was distributed by Sega/Gremlin. Designed and coded by Steve Hanawa, the game received positive reviews upon release, with praise for its challenging and realistic gameplay, 2.5D color graphics with changing scenery, and cockpit sit-down arcade cabinet. It topped the monthly Play Meter arcade charts in North America and ranking highly on the Game Machine arcade charts in Japan.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- ColecoVision, Arcade, Intellivision
- Developer
- Sega of America
- Publisher
- Coleco
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ColecoVisionDetails ↓ | 1982 | $9 | $14 | $38 | 5 reviews |
| IntellivisionDetails ↓ | 1984 | $35 | $140 | $246 | Graphics ★½ · Play-Action ★ |
Also released on: Arcade. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
ColecoVision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a year
- 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 $2.49 in Jul 2009, $7.32 five years ago, and $8.68 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $3.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $4.40 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $4.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $4.98 | $250 |
| Jan 2015 | $2.01 | $250 |
| Jan 2016 | $5.95 | $250 |
| Jan 2017 | $6.86 | $250 |
| Jan 2018 | $5.47 | $107 |
| Jan 2019 | $6.55 | $106 |
| Jan 2020 | $7.04 | $50 |
| Jan 2021 | $4.95 | $11.93 |
| Jan 2022 | $6.29 | $11.93 |
| Jan 2023 | $10.12 | $15.92 |
| Jan 2024 | $10.57 | $100 |
| Jan 2025 | $8.12 | $35 |
| Jan 2026 | $8.40 | $117 |
| Oct 2026 | $8.68 | $14.04 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Model # |
|---|---|---|
| North America Coleco | End label: for ColecoVision | 2413 |
| Europe CBS Electronics | — | — |
- North America: Model number confirmed by Coleco's 1982 cartridge catalogue.
- Europe: Sold in Europe by CBS Electronics; the ColecoVision FAQ lists its model number as 4L2057. CBS carts have black labels and a differently shaped top end.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1982
- Controller
- Expansion Module #2 steering wheel (required)
- Players
- 1
- Authenticity
- Low
The ColecoVision version
The first real driving game on the ColecoVision, and only a complete package with the steering wheel and pedal plays the way it was meant to.
Turbo was one of the nine cartridges Coleco released in 1982, a Sega arcade conversion with Nuvatec credited as developer. It was packed with Expansion Module #2, the steering wheel and on/off pedal, and Coleco advertised the driving module as available with Turbo as a bonus. Wikipedia reports Arcade Express gave the ColecoVision version a perfect score in January 1983.
Computer Entertainer called Turbo the most realistic of the era's driving games because of the driving module, and compared it to Pole Position and Enduro, noting that its changing scenery made it more like an endurance race. Destructor, Bump 'n Jump, Pitstop and The Dukes of Hazzard are compatible with the same module.
What the press said at the time
| JoyStik Vol. 1 No. 3 | December 1982 | Graphics: 10 · Game Play: 10 · Longevity: 8 |
| Arcade Express Vol. 1 No. 12 | January 1983 | Rating: 10/10 |
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 10 | January 1983 | Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★½ |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games Vol. 1 No. 7 | May 1983 | 3 of 4 joysticks |
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 4 | July 1982 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★★ |
“Turbo, the current "winner" in the video racing circuit, is included in Co-leco's Expansion Module #2— a plug-in steering wheel and foot-operated accelerator pedal. This is a fast-paced driving test”
“"Turbo" would be a solid game in any case, but the special control panel lifts this cartridge to greatness. … "Turbo" is the Rolls Royce of video driving contests.”
“Since it's obvious we loved this game, you may wonder why we didn't give it 4 stars across the board. Graphically, as stunning as it was, it has the occasional annoyance of "flickering" cars”
“The best driving game ever … No brakes and the intoxication of imminent death keep you glued to the screen.”
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. JoyStik’s December 1982 game guide scored graphics, game play and longevity out of 10. Arcade Express rated games out of 10.
How the ColecoVision version differs
Reviewers praised the ColecoVision version for how closely it copied the arcade visuals, especially the varied, non-repetitive backgrounds.
Arcade Express scored the ColecoVision version 10 out of 10, saying the special control panel lifts the cartridge to greatness.
Also on other platforms
Intellivision · Arcade
| Arcade | Steve Hanawa (Sega) |
- Intellivision. Computer Entertainer said the Intellivision version had serious flaws, with the disc controller steering so unresponsively that crashes were hard to avoid, and did not recommend it.
Worth knowing
- From the ColecoVision manual. A standard hand controller must also be plugged into Port 2, where its stick works as the gearshift: up for low gear, down for high.
- From the ColecoVision manual. For a faster start, begin in low gear and then shift into high.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Passing thirty cars resets your time to 99 and starts extended play, where bonus points per car passed rise with each extension.
Before you buy
Turbo came packed with Expansion Module #2, the steering wheel and pedal unit, which takes four C batteries. The cartridge alone is cheap because it is so often separated from the module, so decide whether you want just the game or a complete set before shopping. If you want the full experience, test the wheel and pedal carefully. The Bit Corp. Dina Personal Arcade console does not run Turbo.
Collector value & authenticity
Intellivision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-20
How often it sells
- Loose: about 6 times a year
- Complete: about 6 times a year
- 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 2026-10-20.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $60 in Jan 2013, $57 five years ago, and $35 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2013 | $60 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $50 | $63 |
| Jan 2015 | $35 | $70 |
| Jan 2016 | $33 | $130 |
| Jan 2017 | $15.50 | $104 |
| Jan 2018 | $40 | $120 |
| Jan 2019 | $35 | $114 |
| Jan 2020 | $37 | $99 |
| Jan 2021 | $30 | $99 |
| Jan 2022 | $39 | $127 |
| Jan 2023 | $32 | $150 |
| Jan 2024 | $35 | $130 |
| Jan 2025 | $35 | $131 |
| Jan 2026 | $34 | $124 |
| Oct 2026 | $35 | $140 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1984
- Authenticity
- Low
The Intellivision version
Coleco's driving game on a console that never had the controls for it.
Coleco released Turbo for the Intellivision in January 1984, a conversion of the Sega arcade game. The ColecoVision version had a steering wheel module, but the Intellivision version relies on the disc, and Computer Entertainer said it had serious flaws: the steering was so unresponsive that crashes were hard to avoid, and it did not recommend the cartridge.
That makes it a title to buy for completeness, not for play, though it is among the expensive Coleco Intellivision carts.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 11 | February 1984 | Graphics ★½ · Play-Action ★ |
“This is a flaw in the program which should never have been allowed out of quality control.”
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.
Before you buy
Coleco's Intellivision carts, apart from Mouse Trap, came without keypad overlays. CBS Electronics sold a European Turbo in a multilingual box. The cartridge is pricey, and a boxed, complete copy costs several times the loose cart, so most of what you pay for is the packaging.
Turbo screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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