Pitfall!
Pitfall! is a 1982 platformer developed by Activision, designed by David Crane for the Atari 2600. Players guide the adventurer Pitfall Harry through a jungle, swinging on vines over tar pits and quicksand, leaping over rolling logs, and dodging crocodiles, scorpions, and rattlesnakes while collecting thirty-two treasures against a strict twenty-minute time limit.
A remarkable technical achievement for the Atari 2600, it packed 255 screens of scrolling jungle, generated algorithmically to fit the console's tiny memory, and included an underground passage as a risky shortcut, becoming one of the system's best-selling and most influential games. Its fluid running, jumping, and vine-swinging gameplay, along with the running-man protagonist, helped lay the groundwork for the side-scrolling platformer genre.
Pitfall! spawned a sequel and remains a landmark of early console gaming, widely available through Atari compilations and remembered as a defining title of the home-console era.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Pitfall!, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spelunky 2 Indie | € 19,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, PlayStation, Switch |
| The Adventures of Elena Temple: Definitive Edition Indie | € 4,99 | Steam Deck Untested | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Spelunky Indie | € 14,99 | Steam Deck Verified | PC, PlayStation |
Spelunky 2 Indie
€ 19,99A modern roguelike descendant of the jungle-exploration platformer with deadly traps and treasure.
Spelunky 2 runs on PC, PlayStation, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Xbox.
The Adventures of Elena Temple: Definitive Edition Indie
€ 4,99A tiny single-screen treasure hunt presented on fake vintage handhelds, all pits and timing.
The Adventures of Elena Temple: Definitive Edition runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet.
Spelunky Indie
€ 14,99The original roguelike platformer: ropes, whips, snake pits and traps, straight out of Pitfall.
Spelunky runs on PC, PlayStation. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Xbox, Switch.
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