Castle Blast
Atari 5200 · 2002
About this game
Castle Blast is shoot'em up based on the 5th screen of Atari's 2600 Phoenix where you take on the mothership.
Castle Blast is Ronen Habot's first foray into programming the Atari 5200.
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Ronen used this experience as a means to write a tutorial on Atari 5200 programming to assist others who might want to write games for the system.
Castle Blast made its debut at the 2002 Classic Gaming Expo, where it was sold with a box, manual and cart.
AtariAge held a Castle Blast Label Contest in April, 2002.
Castle Blast may be ordered directly from the author, Ronen Habot, by visiting the Castle Blast Development Page.
The object of this game is to destroy the Castle on the Mothership.
You fire Vertical Trajectory Missiles, or VTMs, at the shield on the bottom of the Mothership.
When you penetrate the shield, then blast the Castle.
To score extra points, you can also shoot the enemy spaceships flying overhead.
If you destroy the Castle, you advance to the next level, where you will need to contend with Focused Energy Beams, or FEBs, fired from the Mothership.
There will also be stars appearing in the sky, making it harder to target the spaceships.
If you manage to obliterate the Castle again, you will proceed to the next level, which adds ground-based tanks assaulting you.
You have Horizontal Trajectory Missiles, or HTMs, to deal with this new enemy but do not lose sight of your primary goal.
Your joystick moves you left or right.
The lower button fires VTMs, the upper button fires HTMs.
About Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 (1982) was Atari's attempt to modernize the 2600 formula with better graphics and an analog joystick, but it launched just before the North American video game market crash of 1983 and never recovered commercially. Its short, crash-era lifespan means a comparatively small library, making the 5200 a niche but accessible corner of early-console collecting.
Gamevaro tracks Castle Blast for Atari 5200 with separate market values for loose, complete-in-box (CIB) and factory-sealed copies, sourced from real eBay sales. Prices also vary by region — PAL, NTSC-U and NTSC-J releases of the same game often sell for different amounts due to print run sizes and regional collector demand.
Adding Castle Blast to a Gamevaro collection takes seconds — search by title or scan the box barcode, and the app fills in cover art, release details and current pricing automatically. This A5200 release dates back to 2002.
Price history
Market values by condition
Recent sales
| Date | Type | Region | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-16 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.40 |
| 2026-07-16 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.58 |
| 2026-07-14 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.34 |
| 2026-07-14 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.54 |
| 2026-07-13 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.53 |
| 2026-07-13 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.33 |
| 2026-07-12 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.33 |
| 2026-07-12 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.53 |
| 2026-07-10 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.31 |
| 2026-07-10 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.52 |
| 2026-07-09 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.58 |
| 2026-07-09 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.40 |
| 2026-07-08 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.52 |
| 2026-07-08 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.32 |
| 2026-07-06 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.49 |
| 2026-07-06 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.28 |
| 2026-07-04 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.28 |
| 2026-07-04 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.49 |
| 2026-06-30 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €32.40 |
| 2026-06-30 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.58 |
| 2026-06-18 | Sealed / New | NTSC-U | €31.87 |
| 2026-06-18 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €22.21 |
Market insights
Rarity & condition
Castle Blast has a steady sales history on the tracked marketplaces, meaning enough copies circulate to establish a reliable market price.
Complete-in-box (CIB) copies typically command a premium over loose cartridges/discs because the original box and manual are more fragile and get discarded or damaged over time — fewer complete sets survive.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Castle Blast worth?
Castle Blast for Atari 5200 is currently worth €22.58 loose, and €32.40 factory sealed. Prices are based on real sales and update regularly on Gamevaro.
Is Castle Blast rare?
Castle Blast has a steady sales history on the tracked marketplaces, meaning it trades hands regularly and isn't considered particularly rare.
What's the difference between loose, CIB and sealed for Castle Blast?
Loose means cartridge or disc only, CIB (complete in box) includes the original box and manual, and sealed means factory-sealed and never opened. These are tracked as separate market values because the price gap between them can be significant, especially for older releases.
Ratings & Reviews
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