Atari’s Greatest Hits for iOS is free for today

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If you’re a fan of Atari’s vintage arcade games and games for the Atari 2600 video game console – titles like Asteroids, Tempest, Missile Command and Centipede – make sure to stop by the App Store this weekend and download Atari’s Greatest Hits. It’s free to unlock all 99 games included in this collection through the end of the day today – September 1, 2012.

Atari’s Greatest Hits combine recreations of Atari’s stand-up, coin-op video games from the 1970s and 1980s along with recreations of cartridges originally developed to work on its legendary Atari 2600 home video game console.

Normally Atari’s Greatest Hits comes only with Missile Command unlocked; the rest of the games must be acquired using In-App Purchases in packs or by unlocking the entire collection for $9.99. But thanks to a deal with Appoday, the entire package is free until the end of the day.

If you find the on-screen controls frustrating, you can consider a couple of alternatives: the iCade, a popular mini arcade game cabinet for your iPad sold by ThinkGeek, or the officially-branded Atari Arcade – Duo Powered joystick interface made by Discovery Bay Games, which I’ve seen on the shelves of my local Apple Store.



  • Pohl Longsine

    Once the app is downloaded, it’s not clear what one needs to do to unlock the entire collection. Has anyone figured it out?

    • Peter Cohen

      Just try to play any of the games beside Missile Command – Asteroids, Centipede, etc.

  • Franko65

    Thanx Peter Worth it just to hear the arcade music! I sent a message via the app store to my nieces (both 9 and 12); they called me 20 minutes later asking what I found fun in these “oldies” sigh I feel old now ;)

  • Jay

    Sadly,I have discovered that the icade mobile isn’t supported with Atari’s greatest hits.

    • Peter Cohen

      The uninitiated should bear in mind that the iCade Mobile is a distinctly different device from the iCade iPad cabinet I mentioned in the story. It’s designed to provide a hardware game controller interface for an iPhone or iPod touch.

  • http://twitter.com/Moeskido Moeskido

    Thanks, Peter. This just might take me back to the game room at my college’s student union building and my 1980 fighting weight.

  • owmyheadhurts

    @Pohl Tap on the icon on the bottom that looks like a cartridge. Tap on Atari 2600 A-Z Tap the check mark next to each game you want to unlock and it will download to your device. Do the same with Arcade A-Z.

    Thanks Peter!

  • TicTacToe

    Oh dammnit, seems as of today, 3 Sep 2012 it’s no longer free. You have to pay £6.99 to get “complete 99-game collection”