Play Pickup Online

You're a blocky blob (or spaceship?) grabbing dots while dodging janky enemies—it shouldn't be this satisfying, but somehow it is. Pure Atari weirdness from 2002 that plays like a lost '83 prototype.

Released: 2002

File size: 3.33 KB

Game Overview

Pickup is one of those weird little Atari 2600 games that came out way after everyone had moved on to newer consoles. You’re just this blocky guy (or maybe a spaceship? Honestly hard to tell) scooping up dots while dodging other blocky things that want to ruin your day. It’s stupidly simple, but there’s something satisfying about clearing the screen without getting wrecked by whatever’s chasing you.

For a game made in 2002, it feels like a time capsule—like someone dug up an unfinished prototype from 1983 and polished it just enough to work. The controls are janky in that classic Atari way, where you’ll occasionally overshoot your target and immediately regret it. But once you get the rhythm down, it’s weirdly hypnotic. Definitely more fun than it has any right to be.

If you’re into retro games that don’t overcomplicate things, this is a neat little oddity to kill 10 minutes with. Just don’t expect deep strategy or flashy graphics.