Atari 2600 logo
Atari 2600 Logo

Pitfall! by Activision on the Atari 2600

Pitfall! is a platform video game designed by David Crane for the Atari 2600 and released by Activision in 1982.

General Information

Developer - Activision

Publisher - Activision

Release - August 20, 1982

Platform(s) - Atari 2600

Number of Players - Single-player

Genre - Platform

The player controls Pitfall Harry and is tasked with collecting all the treasures in a jungle within 20 minutes. The world consists of 255 screens which are horizontally connected in a flip screen manner. Each screen has one or more hazards: quicksand, tarpits, rolling logs, crocodiles, snakes, scorpions, campfires, and swinging vines.

Pitfall! received positive reviews upon release and is now considered one of the greatest video games ever made. It is one of the best-selling games on the Atari 2600, with over four million copies sold. It was the top video game on the Billboard charts for more than a year, and helped define the flip-screen platform game genre. All versions of the game sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

The series of games started by Pitfall! includes releases for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. A more sophisticated, vertically scrolling sequel, Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, was initially published for the Atari 2600 in 1984.

VIEW ATARI GAMES BY

Recent Atari Game Additions

VIEW ATARI GAMES BY