Games Released in 1976

64 new games debuted in 1976 across 1 platforms, with Arcade seeing 26 releases. June was the busiest month, with 5 releases. Breakout was the most popular release of the year.

Which days had the most releases?

June 1 was the busiest single day of 1976 with 4 releases.

4 releases

June 1

3 releases

October 1

3 releases

April 1

2 releases

November 1

Which month had the most releases?

The busiest release month of 1976 was June, totaling 5 titles.

How did each season compare?

Q2 was the busiest quarter of 1976 with 10 releases.

Q1 (Jan–Mar)

5 releases

Most popular release in Q1

Colossal Cave Adventure

Colossal Cave Adventure is a text adventure game, developed originally in 1976, by Will Crowther for the PDP-10 mainframe. The game was expanded upon in 1977, with help from Don Woods, and other programmers created variations on the game and ports to other systems in the following years. In the game, the player controls a character through simple text commands to explore a cave rumored to be filled with wealth. Players earn predetermined points for acquiring treasure and escaping the cave alive, with the goal to earn the maximum amount of points offered. The concept bore out from Crowther's background as a caving enthusiast, with the game's cave structured loosely around the Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky.

Q2 (Apr–Jun)

10 releases

Most popular release in Q2

Breakout

The objective of the game is to destroy a multilayered wall of bricks at the top the screen. Upon hitting the bricks with a ball which bounces off of a paddle at the bottom of the screen the bricks are destroyed. If the player misses the ball with his horizontally moveable paddle the ball is lost. After loosing five balls the game is over.

Q3 (Jul–Sep)

4 releases

Q4 (Oct–Dec)

7 releases

Most popular release in Q4

Blockade

Blockade is a black and white arcade game developed and published by Gremlin in October 1976. Using four directional buttons, each player moves their character around leaving a solid line behind them, turning at 90 degree angles. To win, a player must last longer than the opponent before hitting something, with the first person to hit something losing. The game ends after one player gains six wins. Blockade is the first of what have become known as snake games.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Arcade received 26 new titles in 1976, holding the most releases.

Arcade26 releases

What genres were most popular?

Arcade was the dominant genre in 1976 with 13 titles. Racing followed closely with 9.

Arcade13

Racing9

Shooter9

Simulator2

Sport2

Card & Board Game1

Puzzle1

Quiz/Trivia1

1975 1977

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