In the late 1970s and early 1980s, arcade video games’ widespread success, accessibility, and influence gave way to a period many affectionately remember as gaming’s “golden age.” The industry, still in its infancy, introduced the uninitiated to genres and IPs consumers worldwide have come to know and love.

As arcades thrived, the inception of home consoles — namely Atari, Inc.’s 1977 launch of the Atari 2600 — solidified gaming’s place as an entertainment medium alongside television, film, and music.

Top titles of yesteryear may seem simple by today’s standards. But nearly 50 years later, Atari’s influential shoot-’em-ups, platformers, and racing games continue to shape modern gameplay mechanics. These 13 beloved Atari releases are the blueprint for many modern titles, and without them, the gaming landscape would look wildly different.

Asteroids (1981)

One of the most nerve-wracking titles on the list, players navigate a saucer-like spacecraft through stubborn and seemingly indestructible asteroids. Despite its simplicity — your tiny playable triangle sliding past soaring debris, all atop a black background — Asteroids is still challenging enough to frustrate even the most seasoned gamers.

Pitfall! (1982)

Me and Pitfall Harry still have beef.

In this classic platformer — a genre in which player characters traverse challenging terrain, hop over obstacles, and leap to ledges — gamers explore the jungle, leading Pitfall Harry past croc-filled bodies of water, rolling logs, and other hazards. Adventurers get 20 minutes to swing from vines, scale ladders, stave off scorpions, and locate treasure.

Space Invaders (1978)

In Space Invaders, one of the more recognizable titles in both title and gameplay, gamers control a neon green ship fixed to the bottom of the screen. Opposite the player-controlled laser cannon, agile aliens quickly zip downwards, zig-zagging from left to right. Your objective? Gun ’em down before your space is invaded (see what I did there?).

Space Invaders‘ gameplay, inspired by Breakout, paved the way for similar shooter titles today; the title walked its so smash-hit successors like Doom and Call of Duty could run.

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Pac-Man (1980)

In all his round and hungry glory, the character waka-waka‘d his way into the hearts of gamers worldwide. Additionally, the title, heralded by gamers of all ages, remains one of the most successful and well-liked games ever developed.

The gameplay is iconic: propel Pac-Man through a maze, munching all bright yellow dots and assorted fruits to move to the next stage. Avoid Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde, the colorful ghosts housed in the center, champing at the bit — literally — to end your run. From the charming cutscenes to the bleeps, bloops, and other gameplay sounds that live in our heads rent-free, the Pac-Man IP earned its position among the industry’s best.

Pole Position (1982)

“PREPARE TO QUALIFY”

In this classic racer, players drive a Formula One car through the twists and turns of Fuji Speedway — but you’ve gotta qualify first! Charming graphics, immersive tire screeches, enraging hazards, and hard-to-lap opponents give the race a high-stakes feel. The title was the first of its kind; Pole Position brought realistic racing circuits to gaming and was the first to boast racing wheel capabilities.

Centipede (1981)

Akin to Space Invaders‘ fixed position, Centipede players control the Bug Blaster, a vessel that does just that. Shoot down creepy-crawlers as they descend downward, staving them off and keeping your home base safe from infestation. However, like a kind of extraterrestrial hydra, these critters split and reproduce after taking damage.

Centipede remains one of the most well-known games ever released, with gameplay clones found anywhere from cell phones and tabletop interpretations to graphing calculators, all paying homage to the retro gaming classic.

Breakout (1976)

Bash bricks and clear the screen in Breakout, a revolutionary action title inspired by Pong‘s release just a few years prior. The game was a labor of love created by innovators at Namco with contributions from Apple’s Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.

Players pull and push a paddle from left to right, intentionally bouncing a tiny ball into colorful bricks at the top of the screen. The difficulty increases as gamers progress; the ball shrinks, movements grow frantic, and your allotted three lives disappear quickly (if you’re anything like me).

Missle Command (1980)

Defend cities from nuclear disaster in Missle Command, an aggressive shooter that drew influence from the Cold War.

The title introduced gameplay elements we still incorporate today. Its militarized heads-up display, or HUD, boasted elements like crosshairs, adding immersion to a title that successfully stoked real-world anxieties. Missle Command‘s scoring system also proved a hit among arcade gamers everywhere, adding an element of competition that, as we all know, has only grown since.

Pong (1972)

The blueprint, the OG, THE game — call it what you want, but even novice gamers know Pong‘s table tennis-inspired gameplay brought gaming to the mainstream.

The display was minimal: opponents’ paddles sat on opposite sides of the screen, with each gamer’s score hovering above their respective paddle. Down the center, a dotted line divides each player’s territory. The ball bounces from player to player, hitting all sides of the screen. Player 1 works to launch the small ball past Player 2’s paddle, each successful “goal” earning one point.

Pong quickly became a household name, cementing its place in our cultural zeitgeist. The title is still available and playable on modern consoles and mobile devices.

Dig Dug (1982)

Cute? Yes. Addictive? Yes. Infuriating? My goodness, yes.

Gamers control the titular character as he digs through terrain to reach subterranean baddies. From fire-breathing dragons to goggle-clad Pookas, Dig-Dug quite literally blows up the competition, inflating each opponent using his trusty air pump. The game upped the difficulty, allowing gamers to receive damage from creatures that fall from collapsing tunnels. Thanks to Dig-Dug‘s success, digging elements found their way to future titles.

Donkey Kong (1981)

A pioneer among platformers, Donkey Kong remains among the most recognizable video game characters and IPs today. In the 1981 release, gamers played as Mario, leaping from slanted pathways over barrels to rescue the damsel-in-distress Pauline. Even one brush with a barrel or other hazard costs players one of three lives, adding to the challenge.

Like Donkey Kong, modern-day gamers still dodge baddies, rescue allies, and navigate various platforms. The game’s commercial success beget sequels, clones, and ample pop culture references.

Mario Bros. (1983)

The Italian plumber and his brother are arguably some of the most well-known characters in media, regardless of audience demographics. But that recognizability wouldn’t exist if 1983’s Mario Bros. had not introduced us to the mustachioed siblings. In this title, players face off against different enemies in the sewers. This is the first time players see a “red shell,” but their role in Super Mario Bros. (1985) is more similar to modern gameplay.

I needn’t wax poetic about how the overall-clad tradesmen influenced gaming as a whole, but the first title deserves its (fire) flowers.

Berzerk (1980)

Berzerk merged two existing gameplay elements — maze and shoot-’em-up mechanics — to create something novel. Players annihilate persistent robot baddies as they work their way out of maze-like stages. The sci-fi title was difficult, locking players in place as they shoot. Baddies patrolled nearby, doing their best to make sure gamers couldn’t make it out easy.

Berzerk and arcade shooter Stratovox, both released in 1980, were the first titles to incorporate voice synthesis. These games are largely responsible for voice acting in games as we know it.

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Read More:

• 10 Best Games From the 1990s
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