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YKYMF. Price of Play

Pong

Released November 1972 Developer Atari

Two players each steer a paddle up and down their side of the screen and bat a square ball back and forth, trying to get it past the other side. It is the simplest possible video game and the one that made arcades a business; anyone old enough to hold a controller can play it.

Money health WatchFine if you understand it
Addictive design Low1 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price US$0.25Arcade cabinet
Spending ceiling Has a ceilingEverything costs A$54.95
Australian rating ACBPGRating of the Atari 50 collection: mild coarse language, mild drug references, mild themes, mild violence

How it makes money

Watch: fine if you understand it

Pong was built to be played for coins: the early arcade cabinets took about 25 cents a game, and the coin box was the whole business, with no add-ons, ads or subscriptions. It is not sold by itself today. The 1972 arcade original is one of more than 90 games in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, a one-off purchase of roughly A$55 to A$60; that collection also sells optional extra "timelines" for about A$12 each, which you do not need to play Pong.

How you pay

  • Pay per play

    The 1972 Atari cabinet charged by the game, about 25 cents on the early machines; Atari estimated a busy machine took $35 to $40 a day (140 to 160 plays) and more than 8,000 cabinets had sold by the end of 1974.

  • Pay once

    The only current way to play the arcade original is inside Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (A$54.95 on PlayStation, A$56.95 on Steam, A$59.95 on Xbox, A$60.00 on Switch); Pong is not sold on its own.

What it costs

Price: US$0.25 · everything A$54.95

WhatWherePriceChecked
One game
Launch price per game (early cabinets, per Atari's own estimates); the operator set the real price.		 Arcade cabinet ↗ US$0.25/play Nov 1972
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (compilation that includes Pong)
Pong cannot be bought on its own. Regular price; it was discounted when checked.		 Nintendo eShop (AU) · Switch ↗ A$60 Oct 2026
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (compilation that includes Pong)
Pong cannot be bought on its own.		 PlayStation Store (AU) · PS5 ↗ A$54.95 Oct 2026
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (compilation that includes Pong)
Pong cannot be bought on its own.		 Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ A$59.95 Oct 2026
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (compilation that includes Pong)
Pong cannot be bought on its own.		 Steam (AU) · PC ↗ A$56.95 Oct 2026
Atari 50 extra timeline, e.g. "The First Console War" (optional, not needed for Pong)
Three extra timelines at this price (The Wider World of Atari, The First Console War, The Namco Legendary Pack).		 Steam (AU) · PC ↗ A$11.79 Oct 2026

Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.

Age ratings

Classification

ACBPG

Australian Classification · record ↗

Rating of the Atari 50 collection: mild coarse language, mild drug references, mild themes, mild violence

Interactive elements: In-game purchases (optional extra timelines)

ESRBT

ESRB (North America) · record ↗

Rating of the Atari 50 collection: Fantasy Violence, Blood, Mild Sexual Themes, Language, Drug Reference

Interactive elements: In-Game Purchases

PEGI16

PEGI (Europe) · record ↗

Rating of the Atari 50 collection

Interactive elements: In-Game Purchases

Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes). They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the badges above are for. About rating boards

Safety & parental controls

Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?

  • No chat
  • No contact with strangers
  • No user-made content
  • No account needed

Pong itself has no violence, text or online play: two players share one screen. Atari 50, the collection that contains it, is rated PG in Australia because of interview and documentary material and some of the other games (coarse language, drug references, mild themes, mild violence), and its menu offers optional paid extra timelines (shown as in-game purchases in the ratings).

Platforms & release

Where you can play it

PlatformReleasedStore
Nintendo Switch
Included in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.		 11 November 2022 Store page ↗
PlayStation 5
Included in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.		 11 November 2022 Store page ↗
PlayStation 4
Included in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.		 11 November 2022 —
Xbox Series X|S
Included in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.		 11 November 2022 Store page ↗
Xbox One
Included in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.		 11 November 2022 —
Windows PC
Included in Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.		 11 November 2022 Store page ↗
Arcade cabinet
Location test at Andy Capp's Tavern from August 1972; commercial release in November 1972.		 November 1972 —

Further reading

Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.nintendo.com, store.playstation.com, www.xbox.com, store.steampowered.com, api.ec.nintendo.com, store.steampowered.com, displaycatalog.mp.microsoft.com, www.museumofplay.org. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.