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What were the best video games of 1973?
“Best” here means historically notable for their play concepts and contribution to the still-forming arcade format. The Museum of the Game’s 1973 catalog spans video, sports, racing, shooter, and paddle categories, so no three-game selection can stand for the whole field. The catalog provides a useful view of that broader range.
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Pong Doubles: a paddle game for up to four players
Atari’s Pong Doubles took the familiar Pong-style contest and expanded it to two to four players. A historical account places its arrival in autumn 1973; the Museum of the Game also lists it among that year’s video games. Its notable change was social: instead of keeping the paddle match to a simple head-to-head format, it made room for more people at the cabinet. The Museum of the Game’s catalog and Game Developer’s historical account document the title and context.
Space Race: beat the clock and dodge hazards
Space Race shifted the objective away from bouncing a ball. In the Atari Museum’s overview, one player races against a clock, or two players compete head-to-head, steering through space while avoiding meteors and asteroids in pursuit of the best time. The Museum of the Game lists it as an Atari release from 1973. That combination of racing, timed play, and obstacle avoidance makes it a strong pick for showing how arcade games were already exploring different goals. The Atari Museum overview describes its play, and the Museum of the Game catalog records its year.
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Gotcha: two players in an evolving maze
Atari’s Gotcha brought maze navigation into the arcade shortlist. The Museum of the Game classifies it under labyrinth/maze for 1973. Game Developer describes it as a two-player game in an ever-changing maze and characterizes it as the first maze game. That “first” should be understood as that source’s claim, not a universally settled designation. Its clearest distinction is the shift from reflexive paddle play to navigating a changing space while another player shares the chase. The Museum of the Game’s catalog and Game Developer’s account support those details.
How these 1973 games differ
| Game | Core mechanic | Players | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pong Doubles | Pong-style paddle match | Two to four, according to Game Developer’s historical account | Expands the paddle format to a larger group. |
| Space Race | Timed space race with meteor and asteroid avoidance | One player against the clock or two head-to-head, according to the Atari Museum overview | Centers racing, hazards, and time rather than ball-and-paddle play. |
| Gotcha | Navigation through an ever-changing maze | Two, according to Game Developer’s account | Turns the cabinet into a shared maze pursuit. |
Why Pong mattered to the arcade market
Atari’s company history says Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded the company in 1972 after earlier work on coin-operated games, and identifies Pong as a company bestseller. That context helps explain why a Pong follow-up belongs in a 1973 feature, but it does not establish that the original Pong was released in 1973. Atari’s history provides the company’s account.
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Game Developer’s 2007 historical account reports that Atari had built and sold 6,000 Pong machines by November 1973 and was then recording about $1 million in sales per month. It also reports a forecast of $15 million in sales by the June 1974 fiscal-year end; that was an expectation, not a confirmed result. For year-end 1973, the account compares Midway’s 9,000 Pong-type machines with Atari’s 6,000. These are figures reported by that historical account, rather than independently checked original company records. Game Developer’s account also reports that in a December 1973 Newsweek discussion of Pong, Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell said, “We’ve created a whole new market”.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which arcade games came out in 1973?
The three picks above are only a sample. The Museum of the Game’s 1973 catalog includes other releases across video, sports, racing, shooter, and paddle categories, indicating that arcade play was not defined by one mechanic alone. Use its year listings to explore the wider field rather than treating the Atari shortlist as a complete ranking. Browse the Museum of the Game catalog.
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