Editing Atari 2600 (section)

==Games==
{{Main|List of Atari 2600 games}}
{{See also|List of best-selling Atari 2600 video games}}

In 1977, nine games were released on cartridge to accompany the launch of the console: ''[[Air-Sea Battle]]'', ''[[Basic Math (video game)|Basic Math]]'', ''[[Blackjack (Atari 2600)|Blackjack]]'', ''[[Combat (video game)|Combat]]'', ''[[Indy 500 (1977 video game)|Indy 500]]'', ''[[Star Ship]]'', ''[[Street Racer (1977 video game)|Street Racer]]'', ''[[Surround (video game)|Surround]]'', and ''[[Video Olympics]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Video Games Console Library Atari VCS Launch Titles |url=http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg70-2600.htm#page=games |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808211321/http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg70-2600.htm#page=games |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |access-date=September 8, 2017}}</ref> ''Indy 500'' shipped with special "driving controllers", which are like paddles but rotate freely. ''Street Racer'' and ''Video Olympics'' use the standard paddle controllers. Atari, Inc. was the only developer for the first few years, releasing dozens of games.

[[File:Combatatarigamepack.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Cover art for Atari's games, such as this cover for ''Combat'' illustrated by Cliff Spohn, were aimed to capture the player's imagination and obviate the low fidelity of game graphics.]]

Atari determined that box art featuring only descriptions of the game and screenshots would not be sufficient to sell games in retail stores, since most games were based on abstract principles and screenshots give little information. Atari outsourced box art to Cliff Spohn, who created visually interesting artwork with implications of dynamic movement intended to engage the player's imagination while staying true to the gameplay. Spohn's style became a standard for Atari when bringing in assistant artists, including Susan Jaekel, Rick Guidice, John Enright, and Steve Hendricks.<ref name="verge box art" /> Spohn and Hendricks were the largest contributors to the covers in the Atari 2600 library. [[Ralph McQuarrie]], a concept artist on the ''[[Star Wars]]'' series, was commissioned for one cover, the arcade conversion of ''[[Vanguard (video game)|Vanguard]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wanserski |first=Nick |date=February 22, 2017 |title=How fantastical Atari box art taught the world what makes video games special |url=https://www.avclub.com/how-fantastical-atari-box-art-taught-the-world-what-mak-1798258156 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113142038/https://games.avclub.com/how-fantastical-atari-box-art-taught-the-world-what-mak-1798258156 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |access-date=April 4, 2021 |website=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref> These artists generally conferred with the programmer to learn about the game before drawing the art.<ref name="verge box art">{{Cite web |last=Webster |first=Andrew |date=September 19, 2013 |title=How Atari Box Art Turned 8-bit Games Into Virtual Wonderlands |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/19/4716444/how-atari-box-art-turned-8-bit-games-into-virtual-wonderlands |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419043337/https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/19/4716444/how-atari-box-art-turned-8-bit-games-into-virtual-wonderlands |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |access-date=April 4, 2021 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

An Atari VCS port of the ''[[Breakout (video game)|Breakout]]'' arcade game appeared in 1978. The original is in black and white with a colored overlay, and the home version is in color. In 1980, Atari released ''[[Adventure (1980 video game)|Adventure]]'',<ref name="WarrenSite">{{Cite web |last=Robinett |first=Warren |author-link=Warren Robinett |title=Adventure for the Atari 2600 Video Game Console |url=http://www.warrenrobinett.com/adventure/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025085250/http://www.warrenrobinett.com/adventure/index.html |archive-date=October 25, 2007 |access-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref> the first [[action-adventure game]], and the first home game with a hidden [[Easter egg (media)|Easter egg]].

Rick Maurer's port of Taito's ''Space Invaders'', released in 1980, was the first VCS game to sell a million copies—eventually doubling that<ref name="7best">{{Cite web |last=Kevin Day |first=Patrick |date=January 22, 2013 |title=Atari bankruptcy: Remembering the 2600, 7 bestselling games |url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/games/atari-bankruptcy-remembering-the-2600-7-bestselling-games/#/0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616181055/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/games/atari-bankruptcy-remembering-the-2600-7-bestselling-games/#/0 |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |access-date=June 27, 2018 |website=Hero Complex}}</ref> within a year<ref name="Age">{{Cite news |last=Hutcheon |first=Stephen |date=June 7, 1983 |title=The video games boom has yet to come |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fC5VAAAAIBAJ&pg=4131,3188851 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414070311/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fC5VAAAAIBAJ&pg=4131,3188851 |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |access-date=February 22, 2012 |work=[[The Age]]}}</ref> and totaling more than {{nowrap|6 million}} cartridges by 1983.<ref name="Atari"/> It became the [[killer application|killer app]] to drive console sales. Versions of Atari's own ''[[Asteroids (video game)|Asteroids]]'' and ''[[Missile Command]]'' arcade games, released in 1981, were also major hits.

Launch games use 2K ROMs. 4K eventually became standard with games such as ''Space Invaders''.<ref name="horton">{{Cite web |last=Horton |first=Kevin |date=1996 |title=Info about cart sizes and bankswitching methods |url=http://www.classic-games.com/atari2600/bankswitch.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223035123/http://www.classic-games.com/atari2600/bankswitch.html |archive-date=February 23, 2021 |access-date=November 22, 2018}}</ref> The VCS port of ''Asteroids'' (1981) was the first game for the system to use 8K via a [[bank switching]] technique between two 4K segments.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Grand |first=Joe |url=https://archive.org/details/hardwarehackingh00gran |title=Hardware Hacking |date=2004 |publisher=Syngress Publishing |isbn=978-1932266832 |url-access=registration}}</ref> Some games including Atari's ports of ''[[Dig Dug]]'' and ''[[Crystal Castles (video game)|Crystal Castles]]'', are 16K cartridges.<ref name=horton/> One of the final games, ''[[Fatal Run]]'' (1990), doubled this to 32K.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atari 2600 VCS Fatal Run : scans, dump, download, screenshots, ads, videos, catalog, instructions, roms |url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-fatal-run_16746.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520124402/http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-fatal-run_16746.html |archive-date=May 20, 2018 |access-date=May 20, 2018 |website=www.atarimania.com}}</ref>

Many early VCS titles were able to display in both monochrome (black and white) and full color through the use of the "TV type" switch on the console. This allowed the VCS games to function on both monochrome and color televisions. However, beginning around the rebranding from "VCS" to "2600", support for black and white display modes diminished greatly, with most releases during this period only displaying in color and the TV type switch serving no function. Late releases such as ''[[Secret Quest]]'', began using the TV type switch for gameplay functions, such as pausing.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-03-22 |title=Nerdly Pleasures: The Forgotten Switch : The Atari 2600's B&W/Color Switch |url=https://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-forgotten-switch-atari-2600s-b.html |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=Nerdly Pleasures |archive-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128053245/http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-forgotten-switch-atari-2600s-b.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Two Atari-published games, both from the system's peak in 1982, ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''<ref name="1up" /> and ''Pac-Man'',<ref name="sales">{{Cite web |last=Vendel |first=Curt |title=The Atari 2600 Video Computer System |url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600/atari2600.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118032119/http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600/atari2600.html |archive-date=January 18, 2013 |access-date=November 13, 2007 |website=The Atari Museum}}</ref> were rushed to market and are cited as factors in the video game crash of 1983.

A company named [[American Multiple Industries]] produced a number of [[pornography|pornographic]] games for the 2600 under the ''Mystique Presents Swedish Erotica'' label. The most notorious, ''[[Custer's Revenge]]'', was protested by women's and [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] groups<ref>{{Cite web |title=AGH – Third Party Profile: Mystique |url=http://www.atarihq.com/2678/3party/mystique.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207035221/http://www.atarihq.com/2678/3party/mystique.html |archive-date=December 7, 2008 |access-date=July 6, 2009 |publisher=AtariHQ.com}}</ref> because it depicted [[George Armstrong Custer|General George Armstrong Custer]] raping a bound Native American woman.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fragmaster |title=Custer's Revenge |url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=282 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416185618/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=282 |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |access-date=July 6, 2009 |publisher=Classic Gaming |df=mdy}}</ref> Atari sued American Multiple Industries in court over the release of the game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Lauren |title=When Two Tribes Go to War: A History of Video Game Controversy |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6090892/p-3.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709233617/http://www.gamespot.com/features/6090892/p-3.html |archive-date=July 9, 2009 |access-date=July 6, 2009 |website=GameSpot |page=3 |df=mdy}}</ref>