Video Games Released in 1979

1979 in Review:

In 1979, the video game industry continued to grow rapidly and saw several significant developments. Here are some key events that took place in the video game industry in 1979:

1. Atari 2600: The Atari 2600 home console was released in 1979 and quickly became the most popular console of its time. The console’s success was due in large part to the release of several popular games, including “Asteroids,” “Space Invaders,” and “Pac-Man.”
2. Pac-Man: Speaking of “Pac-Man,” the game was released in 1979 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. It was one of the first games to feature a central character and storyline, and it helped to popularize the concept of “power-ups” and “bonus levels” in video games.
3. Handheld gaming: In 1979, the first handheld electronic game was released by Mattel. The game, called “Auto Race,” was a simple racing game that was played on a small LCD screen.
4. Arcade gaming: While home console gaming was becoming more popular, arcade gaming continued to dominate the industry in 1979. Some of the most popular arcade games of the year included “Galaxian,” “Lunar Lander,” and “Star Trek.”
5. The rise of Activision: In 1979, a group of former Atari employees founded Activision, which became the first third-party video game developer. Activision would go on to produce several popular games, including “Pitfall!” and “River Raid.”

Overall, 1979 was another important year in the history of video games, with the release of several iconic games and the continued growth of the industry as a whole.

Video Games Released in 1979:

Here is our enormous collection of video games released in 1979 and detailed information on each. As always, new games are added to this collection regularly.

Click on a game listing to find out much more about it.