Combat (1977)
Combat is a 1977 multiplayer action game for the Atari 2600 and one of the system’s defining early pack-in titles. Two players face off as tanks or planes across dozens of rule-sets—open arenas, maze walls, ricochet shots, “invisible” variants, and more—delivering fast, readable competitive play long before online multiplayer existed.
Game Data
| Release Year | 1977 |
| Developer | Atari, Inc. |
| Publisher | Atari, Inc. |
| Platform | Atari 2600 (VCS) |
| Genre | Action / Shooter (Competitive) |
| Players | 1–2 |
| Original Media | Cartridge (often bundled) |
Gameplay:
Pick a game type (tanks, biplanes, jets, “tank-pong”, invisible variants, etc.). Outmaneuver your opponent,
line up shots, and use arena geometry (walls / mazes) for positioning and ricochet tactics.
Story:
No narrative—Combat is pure head-to-head play. The fun comes from quick rounds, simple controls,
and lots of mode variety.
Trivia:
Combat shipped as a pack-in for many Atari VCS/2600 units, making it one of the most widely played early home
multiplayer games.
Combat is “arcade fundamentals” distilled for the living room: instant readability, quick rematches, and a ruleset selector that effectively turns one cartridge into a mini collection of competitive games.
Screenshots / Media
Timeline / Versions
Why Combat Was Historically Important
Combat helped define what “multiplayer at home” could feel like in the late 1970s: immediate, competitive, and endlessly replayable. Its readable arenas, quick rounds, and “many games in one” mode selector turned a simple concept into a social staple—showing that a console could deliver arcade-style versus play without the arcade.