Xenophobe
Xenophobe — frequently asked questions
- Is Xenophobe on Steam?
- No. Xenophobe 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 Xenophobe on?
- Xenophobe is available on Arcade, Atari 7800, Atari 2600, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari Lynx, Atari ST/STE, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, NES, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Lynx.
- When did Xenophobe release?
- Xenophobe was first released on December 31, 1987.
About Xenophobe
Xenophobe is a 1987 arcade game and the goal of each level is to defeat all the aliens before time runs out. Levels may contain more than one floor, and players use elevators or holes to move between floors to defeat all of the aliens. Players can also pick up more powerful weapons and other items to help in their eradication of the aliens.
Summary via IGDB.
Xenophobe on Wikipedia
Xenophobe is a 1987 action video game developed and published by Bally Midway for arcades. The game sees up to three players attempting to clear an area of as many aliens as possible under a time limit.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, Atari 7800, Atari 2600, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari Lynx, Atari ST/STE, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, NES, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Lynx
- Developer
- Bally Midway
- Publisher
- Bally Midway
- Game modes
- Single player, Co-operative, Split screen
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction, Horror, Comedy
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Built by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atari LynxDetails ↓ | 1990 | $48 | $72 | $110 | — |
| Atari 2600Details ↓ | 1991 | $21 | $36 | $52 | Atari |
| Atari 7800Details ↓ | 1989 | $62 | $88 | $131 | BlueSky Software |
Also released on: Arcade · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Atari ST/STE · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · NES · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · Lynx. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions 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
Atari Lynx · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-08-07
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
The Atari Lynx version
Epyx's three-panel arcade port, and one of the few genuinely three-player-capable games on the system.
A 1990 Epyx release and one of the earlier titles, which usually means a large print run and a low price — Xenophobe is the exception, sitting well above the platform median. The arcade original's split-screen design maps onto ComLynx naturally: link consoles and each player gets their own view of the same infested station.
It also had a Japanese release through Mumin Corporation, one of only 17 Lynx titles that did.
How it was made
Produced at Atari's newly-opened Chicago development facility, which Electronic Gaming Monthly reported in issue 5 was set up "to capture not only arcade licences, but also inject some new energy into their system". The same report credits the studio with Xenophobe and a conversion of Mat Mania that never shipped.
What the press said at the time
“The ability for two players to explore the hundreds of screens in this game from completely separate perspectives enables you to work in tandem against the tentacled terrors, or you have the option of venturing off and zapping the monsters solo. Whichever way you play, Xenophobe dishes up some of the best action Atari has ever seen.”
Cartridge & preservation record
Cartridge ROM capacity 1 megabit (128 KB), measured from the preserved cartridge image.
Surviving pre-release builds
| 1990-11-12 | Beta | 1 Mbit |
Catalogue part number PA2026
Cartridge data from the No-Intro preservation database (metadata only — names, sizes and checksums, no game data).
Worth knowing
- An expanded version of the arcade game, not a straight port. EGM #12 described the Lynx cartridge as "an expanded version of the classic coin-op". Its two-player mode is the standout: EGM #4 noted that two players explore "the hundreds of screens in this game from completely separate perspectives", either working in tandem or splitting up entirely — over ComLynx.
Before you buy
An early title, so it exists in more than one cartridge shell style — flat first-generation copies are what variant collectors want, and generalist price guides do not track them separately. A 1990 big box paired with a late curved-lip cart is a mismatch, not necessarily fraud, but it is not the original product.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
How often it sells
- Loose: about 5 times a year
- Complete: about 4 times a year
- Sealed: about 2 times a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $12.01 in Jan 2010, $30 five years ago, and $21 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $12.01 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.99 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $54 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $17.95 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $14.99 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $14.99 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $14.99 | $25 |
| Jan 2017 | $15.50 | $15.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $15.08 | $17.70 |
| Jan 2019 | $15.86 | $16.30 |
| Jan 2020 | $17.78 | $19.01 |
| Jan 2021 | $17.17 | $17.96 |
| Jan 2022 | $25 | $40 |
| Jan 2023 | $33 | $39 |
| Jan 2024 | $30 | $46 |
| Jan 2025 | $30 | $46 |
| Jan 2026 | $23 | $40 |
| Oct 2026 | $21 | $36 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Red | CX26172 | Very Rare |
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1991
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1 - 2
- Authenticity
- Low
The Atari 2600 version
One of the last new games Atari made for the 2600, an arcade conversion that arrived as the system was being wound down.
Xenophobe started as a 1987 Bally Midway arcade game about clearing an area of aliens against the clock. Atari Corp announced the 2600 conversion in 1990, and it reached stores in the US in spring 1991 alongside Ikari Warriors, MotoRodeo and Sentinel, the last new 2600 games Atari released in North America.
That timing is the main reason to own it. Little is documented about how the 2600 version itself played or was received.
Cartridge & preservation record
Program size 16 KB, measured from the preserved dump.
Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · NES · Atari 7800 · ZX Spectrum · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · Lynx
| Atari 2600 | Atari |
| Atari 7800 | BlueSky Software |
| Lynx | Epyx |
| NES | Sunsoft |
| Commodore 64 | Microplay |
- Lynx. IGN's Robert A. Jung called the Lynx version arguably more fun than the arcade original; it also adds the Festor enemy found in the arcade game.
- Atari 8-bit. A port to Atari 8-bit computers was worked on but never published.
Before you buy
Low risk. No reproductions are documented. Late Atari Corp carts use a universal 2600/7800 shell with no dust door and a cheaper gray label, and new collectors sometimes mistake them for fakes. That shell is correct for this game.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 7800 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about once a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $30 in Jan 2010, $34 five years ago, and $62 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $30 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $13.72 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $8.20 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $9.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $8.38 | $40 |
| Jan 2015 | $13.51 | $23 |
| Jan 2016 | $14.99 | $25 |
| Jan 2017 | $20 | $35 |
| Jan 2018 | $23 | $24 |
| Jan 2019 | $24 | $33 |
| Jan 2020 | $23 | $46 |
| Jan 2021 | $36 | $55 |
| Jan 2022 | $32 | $50 |
| Jan 2023 | $40 | $41 |
| Jan 2024 | $43 | $59 |
| Jan 2025 | $58 | $90 |
| Jan 2026 | $73 | $98 |
| Oct 2026 | $62 | $88 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Documented sales
10,767 US copies invoiced by Atari 1989–1990
By year: 1989 9,654 · 1990 1,113. Ranked 29 of the 39 Atari 7800 cartridges in Atari's internal reports. These count cartridges shipped to US stores, less returns, not copies sold to players.
Source: Atari Corporation's internal 7800 software sales reports (1986–1990)
Release record
| Territory | Label | Catalog # | MSRP | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America Atari | Color | CX7858 | $34.99 | Scarce+ |
- North America: Price new: Computer Entertainer, Sept 1989.
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 7800 software database
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1989
- Controller
- Pro-Line Joystick
- Players
- 1 - 2
- Authenticity
- Med
The Atari 7800 version
BlueSky's 7800 Xenophobe: a two-player alien shooter that is scarce and priced like it.
BlueSky Software handled the 7800 port, according to Wikipedia, while Epyx did the Lynx one, and Atari Corporation published it in 1989, well before the 2600 version above. Video Games & Computer Entertainment's December 1989 Atari announcement described it as a mission to regain control of Earth's space stations taken over by hostile aliens, played cooperatively or competitively by one or two gamers.
Computer Entertainer's September 1989 schedule and the Current Notes show report both listed it among the 7800 games Atari was bringing out that fall.
How it was made
BlueSky Software ported the 7800 version and Atari Corporation published it, with the catalogue number CX 7858.
Also on other platforms
Lynx
| Atari 7800 | BlueSky Software |
| Lynx | Epyx |
Worth knowing
- From the 7800 manual. A second player can join at any time; split-screen play.
- From the 7800 manual. Four skill levels: Novice, Standard, Advanced, Expert.
Before you buy
Medium risk, driven by price. AtariAge rates the color-label cartridge Scarce+, and sealed copies run well above loose ones, so the box and manual carry real value. It uses the Pro-Line two-button stick and supports two players. A PAL release exists, so check the region.
Xenophobe screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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