Activision Embraces Physical Games With 39 Classic Rereleases
Overview & Key Takeaways
Atari and Activision are teaming up to bring back some of the Atari 2600's most iconic games as working physical cartridges.
Amid a dour outlook for physical games, two publishers are teaming up to buck that trend: Atari is teaming up with Activision to rerelease some of the Atari 2600's most iconic games. The Atari x Activision Collection will bring back 39 of Activision's oldest games on working, physical cartridges that are compatible with the original Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 consoles.
If you're looking to collect them all, though, be prepared to spend up to $1,000.
Long before Activision was known for making Call of Duty, the studio got its start developing games for the Atari 2600. Activision, which was founded by former Atari employees, was responsible for some of the console's best games, including Pitfall! and River Raid. Despite that history, Activision distanced itself from its roots as time went on, especially after getting acquired by Microsoft in 2023. The newfound collaboration will unlock a treasure trove of buried history for the first time in decades.
The Atari x Activision Collection's period-accurate cartridges will be functional on classic consoles, as well as the modern Atari 2600+ and Atari 7800+ systems. A dozen of the 39 games will launch as Standard Edition cartridges that will be available to purchase for $34.99 each. Pitfall!, River Raid, Megamania, Enduro, and more will be available to purchase individually in November, while The Activision Decathlon and Pitfall 2: Lost Caverns will ship at a later date.
Box set price and details
Image: Atari/Activision
If you want to own the rest of the games, things start to get a little complicated — and pricey. The rest of the classic Activision games will only be purchasable in Deluxe Box Sets. There will be four sets total, with each containing between nine and ten games. Each of those sets will cost $249.99 and ship out at different times.Here's the breakdown of each, according to Atari's press release:
- Treasure Collection (November 2026): A 10-game collection featuring Pitfall!, River Raid, Megamania, Chopper Command and Grand Prix.
- Speed Collection (Spring 2027): 10 high-octane titles, including Enduro, HERO, The Activision Decathlon and Laser Blast.
- Secrets Collection (Summer 2027): Nine classics featuring Kaboom!, Keystone Kapers, Private Eye and Starmaster.
- Victory Collection (Fall 2027): Ten 2600 titles, including Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, River Raid II, Pressure Cooker and Beamrider.
If you're a hardcore collector, you can buy everything at once via a Complete Collection that will retail for a whopping $999.96. That will include all four box sets and an unannounced collector's item.
Preorders for the Standard Edition cartridges, the Treasure Collection, and the Complete Collection are open now via Atari's website.
