Breakout
Breakout is a 1976 arcade game developed by Atari, conceived by Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow and engineered with early involvement from Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Players use a horizontal paddle at the bottom of the screen to bounce a ball upward, chipping away at eight rows of colorful bricks until the wall is cleared, with the ball accelerating as it breaks through to the higher rows.
An evolution of Pong's paddle concept into a single-player challenge, Breakout's addictive brick-breaking gameplay became a massive hit and a foundational arcade classic. Its simple premise, escalating speed, and the satisfying rhythm of carving a tunnel to trap the ball above the wall spawned an entire genre of block-breaking games and influenced later hits like Arkanoid.
Breakout remains widely available in compilations and inspired countless successors and clones over the decades, its enduring formula still recognizable in modern casual and mobile games.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Breakout, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
| Alternative | Price | Steam Deck | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakout: Recharged | € 8,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Holedown Indie | € 3,99 | Not on Steam | PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet |
| Wizorb Indie | € 2,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, Mac, Linux |
| Shatter Remastered Deluxe | € 14,99 | Steam Deck Untested | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
Breakout: Recharged
€ 8,99Atari's official modern Breakout with power-ups, challenge modes and local co-op.
Breakout: Recharged runs on PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Holedown Indie
€ 3,99Bounce shots downwards to break blocks, a beautifully judged mobile descendant of Breakout.
Holedown runs on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. Not available on Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch.
Wizorb Indie
€ 2,99An indie block-breaker fused with RPG elements and charming pixel-art towns to restore.
Wizorb runs on PC, Mac, Linux. Not available on iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch.
Shatter Remastered Deluxe
€ 14,99A modern brick-breaker with a stellar soundtrack and physics-driven twists on the Breakout formula.
Shatter Remastered Deluxe runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
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