Play Basketball Online

Tiny players, bouncy ball—you’ll swear at missed layups but keep shooting anyway. The AI actually gets tricky on harder modes, and those rubbery physics grow on you.

Released: 1978

File size: 1.84 KB

Game Overview

Basketball on the Atari 2600 is about as simple as hoops can get—just you and another player (or the computer) going one-on-one on a tiny side-view court. The controls are basic—move, dribble, shoot, and try to block shots—but it’s weirdly satisfying once you get the timing down. The two four-minute halves fly by, and the higher difficulty actually makes the AI put up a decent fight. It’s not exactly NBA Jam, but for 1980, it got the job done.

Fair warning: the physics are… well, Atari physics. You’ll miss easy layups, the ball bounces like it’s made of rubber, and sometimes you’re not even sure why a shot went in. But that’s part of the charm. If you’ve got a friend nearby, it’s a fun little time-waster.