Atari and Activision are officially making amends: after nearly 50 years apart, the two video game giants are teaming up to rerelease 39 classic titles from the Atari 2600 era on physical cartridges.

The announcement was made at Gamescom 2026, and it's sure to delight collectors and nostalgics alike: Atari and Activision are launching the Atari x Activision Collection, a physical rerelease program bringing back 39 Activision-published Atari 2600 games, including the unmissable Pitfall!, River Raid, and Kaboom!.

A historic reconciliation

The nod to history here is far from a coincidence. Activision was founded in 1979 by four former Atari programmers — David Crane, Alan Miller, Bob Whitehead, and Larry Kaplan — who were unhappy with their working conditions at the console maker. Their departure gave birth to the very first third-party publisher in video game history, a break that reshaped the industry. Nearly half a century later, the two companies are officially making up around this shared project.

The details of the offer

The collection comes in three formats.

Twelve Standard Edition cartridges, sold separately at $34.99 each (black cartridge + full-color manual): Pitfall!, River Raid, MegaMania, Enduro, Kaboom!, H.E.R.O., Keystone Kapers, Private Eye, Pressure Cooker, River Raid II, Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, and The Activision Decathlon.

Four Deluxe box sets at $249.99 each (colorful cartridge, embroidered patch, and exclusive pin per game), releasing in staggered waves over a year:

• Treasure Collection (10 games, November 2026): Pitfall!, River Raid, MegaMania, Dragster, Freeway, Grand Prix, Chopper Command, Sky Jinks, Barnstorming, Dolphin
• Speed Collection (10 games, Spring 2027): Enduro, H.E.R.O., The Activision Decathlon, Boxing, Checkers, Fishing Derby, Skiing, Laser Blast, Stampede, Tennis
• Secrets Collection (9 games, Summer 2027): Keystone Kapers, Kaboom!, Private Eye, Starmaster, Spider Fighter, Seaquest, Bridge, Oink!, Ice Hockey
• Victory Collection (10 games, Fall 2027): Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, River Raid II, Pressure Cooker, Plaque Attack, Robot Tank, Crackpots, Frostbite, Beamrider, Cosmic Commuter, Space Shuttle: A Journey Into Space

A Complete Collection at $999.96 bundles all four box sets, with free shipping and 12 bonus metal trading cards.

All cartridges, standard and deluxe alike, are compatible with the modern Atari 2600+/7800+ as well as original 2600/7800 hardware.

A collection… for collectors

The positioning is clearly aimed at the premium collector market rather than the casual player: at nearly $1,000 for the complete collection, this is far removed from the simple pleasure of putting Pitfall! back on the shelf. Staggering the releases across all of 2027 lets Atari keep attention on the project over time, but it also means a long wait for fans chasing titles like Pitfall II or Beamrider. That said, guaranteed compatibility with original hardware is a genuine plus for the retrogaming community, in a moment when nostalgic physical rereleases are clearly having a moment.

Pre-orders are open now on Atari's official website.

Sources: Atari, RetroDodo, GamesRadar+, Time Extension

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