My Top 25 Lynx Games

The Atari Lynx was a notable also-ran in the original handheld console war. The Game Boy dominated the market, the Game Gear trailed behind in second. Of the original three main competitors, the Lynx came in a distant third. I think it did a little better in the UK than in most places, though. I know a few people in the early-to-mid-forties age bracket who have fond memories of it. My flatmate, who is much smarter and cooler than I, was a Lynx girl, and still champions the cause. I knew at least one kid who had a Lynx back in the day, and got the chance to play on it a few times. I can’t for the life of me remember who they were, but I do remember the console. In retrospect, it was way too big and unwieldy for a handheld, but to the small me the size and weight of it just made it seem more impressive. This was a grown-up’s machine.

The Lynx came out in 1989, shortly after the Game Boy, and represented Atari’s attempt to get control of the handheld market after Nintendo had gained dominance in home console gaming. Initially developed by Epyx Inc. who also produced several games for the system, the Lynx ended up being co-developed by the richer Atari before Epyx went under, leaving Atari with the Lynx effectively under its sole ownership. On paper, the Lynx had a hell of a lot going for it. A full colour, backlit screen, supported by a 16-bit graphics blitter. While the main processor was 8-bit, as with the Game Boy and the Game Gear (which arrived the year after), the 16-bit co-processor added additional power that allowed the Lynx to run basic pseudo-3D graphics and quite advanced scaling. It also had two sets of action buttons, allowing flexibility in play: it could be flipped over for the comfort of left-handed players, or aligned vertically for TATE mode arcade ports, something which is only now becoming common in handhelds. It even had the capacity to support eight-player gaming through chained connection cables, although I think only one game actually took advantage of this.

On the other hand, the screen had a low resolution, which impacted the graphics it could show, making 2D titles look a bit ropey, and it drained the batteries rapidly (although not as quickly as the Game Gear). It was also very expensive, but the real issue was the limited game library. Only 71 games were released during the Lynx’s official lifespan before Atari discontinued it in 1995. Telegames released a handful more, semi-offically, in the years after, while a number of others were dropped midway through development. It’s a tricky catch-22: without a hit game to shift units, the Lynx’s sales were too limited to encourage developers to make or port games to the system, but without more and better games, the system was never going to pick up the sales.

The Lynx feels like it really could have been something special, with just a few tweaks and a lucky break with a must-have game. As limited as the Lynx’s official library is, there are some solid games in there. Thanks to Atari’s latest acquisition by Infogrames, now called Atari SA, and their banking on their back catalogue, it’s recently become much easier to play official Lynx games. There’s also a healthy homebrew community making new games for the system to this day. However, for this list I decided to limit myself to the 71 officially licensed games, Telegames’ follow-up releases, and any prototypes that were finished up and released in the years after, of which there are a surprising amount. That still makes the top 25 around a third of the total catalogue, but this meant I ended up playing quite a few games that I might not have otherwise looked at.

25) Double Dragon (1993)

One of the last ports of the original Double Dragon, pre-remakes, this is deeply flawed but still pretty fun. I don’t love Double Dragon the way some do, but it’s a solid early arcade beat-em-up and, aside from the always questionable opening scene, provides some uncomplicated fun. It looks pretty good, too, although the small screen of the Lynx means the image is zoomed right in, leaving a very limited field of play that often pushes the assailants offscreen. Add some slightly fiddly controls and this is more than a bit frustrating at times, but still a decent enough brawler. I doubt it’ll be many people’s favourite way to play Double Dragon, but it still sits in the top end of the Lynx library.

Availability: I’m not aware of an official way to play the Lynx port, but if you want to play Double Dragon, you’d be better off with the original via Arcade Archives on Switch or PS4, or in the Double Dragon Trilogy for PC through Steam or GOG; or the NES version via Nintendo Classics/Switch Online.

24) Rampage (1990)

This version of the widely-ported arcade smash-em-up began as a knockoff under the name Monster Demolition, before wiser heads at Epyx bought the rights to the game itself. The original sees three hapless humans transformed into gigantic monsters, with the Lynx version adding an exclusive fourth monster, a giant rat named Ralph. It’s the usual Rampage affair, otherwise: climb up and smash down buildings while fighting off and/or eating soldiers. It’s a lark, and the Lynx version is one of the better ports.

Availability: There was a time when Rampage was regularly included on arcade compilation carts, but those times have seemingly passed.

23) Lemmings (1993)

Back in the nineties, everyone was playing Lemmings. It started on the Amiga and was ported to just about everything. We had a Mega Drive set up in the Sixth Form common room in the early aughts and Lemmings was the game of choice. Passwords in biro covered the walls. I don’t think I’d played it since then until I gave the Lynx version a whirl. It’s still a fun way to spend a little time, requiring just enough brainpower to be diverting. The Lynx port suffers from having a small field of play due to the screen size, but the graphics are more than up to the job of animating some pixelly, green-haired rodents.

Availability: There’s no official re-release of this version available as far as I can see, but copies of Lemmings from various platforms are not difficult to find online.

22) California Games (1989)

The pack-in game for the original Lynx, this was originally an Apple II/Commodore 64 game that was ported just about everywhere. The game includes several different sports which vary depending on the version, with the Lynx version boasting half-pipe, surfing, BMX and footbag/hacky-sack. I don’t generally go for sports games, but the limited Lynx library led me to try out a few when making this list. California Games is a nice, chill set of minigames, with graphics and sound that are just what they need to be to sell the experience. Footbag is easily my favourite, a very low-pressure game of keepy-uppy. Trivia fact: California Games is my flatmate’s favourite game.

Availability: The Lynx version is playable on Antstream, along with multiple other versions. It’s also part of the Epyx Collection: Handheld, available at the XBox Store and Nintendo Store for Switch. Alternatively, Steam hosts a package that includes not only the Lynx port, but versions for the Atari 2600, NES, C64, DOS, Master System and Mega Drive/Genesis. This can be bought alone or as part of the Epyx Bundle, which also includes California Games II. It’s also available for Evercade as part of Atari Lynx Collection 2. Unfortunately, both Lynx collections are now legacy releases, meaning they’re no longer in print, so prices have gone up. However, the Commodore 64 version of the game is on THEC64 Collection 2, which is still in print.

21) Ms. Pac-Man (1991)

What is there to say about Ms. Pac-Man after all these years? Pac-Man is a classic, and Ms. Pac-Man adds some variety and complexity without ever compromising the game's simple appeal. The Lynx port adds an extra maze variation and an additional power-up, but otherwise this is exactly what you'd expect. While the playing field is a little squished to fit on the screen, that's far better than having it scroll, as it did on other handhelds at the time.

Availability: While the Lynx version is not officially available, the original is part of the Arcade Games Series and is downloadable from the Playstation Store, XBox Store and Steam.

20) Kung Food (1992)

A Lynx exclusive by the little known UK developer Lore Games, and you can tell it’s British from the stupid sense of humour. Kung Food sees a hapless scientist make the rookie mistake of storing an experimental mutagen in his freezer, which not only turns all his perishables into monsters, but also reduces him to a small, green man who has to fight his way through said monsters. Under the daft concept and impressive (for the Lynx) graphics, this is a pretty standard side-scrolling beat-em-up. The controls are a bit clunky but it’s simple fun, and the aesthetic appeals to me.

Availability: It’s on the Atari Edition Super Pocket and Antstream.

19) Rygar (1990)

A remake of the arcade platformer also known as Warrior of Argus, Rygar on the Lynx makes quite a few changes, although not as drastically as the celebrated NES version. There’s a semblance of a story here as the foretold warrior arrives in a monster-ridden land after 10,000 years of “eternal evil.” It’s a simple game, marching through the cursed land dispatching monsters. The lack of a health bar is a pain, as a single touch does you in, but the collision detection is pretty good and there are frequent safe zones that become your jumping on point should you bite the dust. It gets a bit samey but it’s good, clean fun.

Availability: No official rerelease for the Lynx version that I can see. However, the arcade original is available as part of Hamster’s Arcade Archives range on Switch and PS4/PS5.

18) Todd’s Adventures in Slime World (1990)

Back in the early nineties, kid’s TV was full of slime and gunge. Slime’s popular again, but you don’t really see gunge these days. Anyway, Epyx took advantage of this weird fad and made the world’s slimiest game. An early Metroidvania, this sees the astronaut Todd schlep about a labyrinthine cave system covered in slime and populated by various unpleasant creatures. The environment itself is deadly in this game; Todd has to keep washing the slime off in pools of water or burning it off with shields, before it depletes his health to zero and kills him. Fortunately, you do get endless lives to keep trying with. The game gets a bit samey after a while but there are multiple game modes to help keep it fresh. The biggest deal back in the day was the multiplayer mode, allowing up to eight players to work together, but that’s pretty much impossible now unless you can find eight working Lynxes along with eight copies of the game.

Availability: Slime World is part of Atari Lynx Collection 2 for Evercade. It’s also playable on Antstream, and is part of the Epyx Collection: Handheld for Switch and XBox. An edition combining the Lynx and Mega Drive versions is available through Steam, and can be bought on its own, or as part of two bundles: the Lynx Collection or Epyx Bundle.

17) Zarlor Mercenary (1990)

A vertically scrolling shoot-em-up from Epyx, Zarlor Mercenary sees you play the bad guy as one of a team of mercenaries hired by the invading Zarlor to clear out the Mendicant homeworld in preparation for colonisation. You pick from a bunch of nasty galactic ne’er-do-wells with different weapons, although you end up flying an identical ship so the visuals aren’t all that interesting. Your mission is simply to destroy everything in your path, earning you money to buy weapons and do the same on the nest level. It isn’t the deepest of games, but it’s a fun time. I suspect I’d rank it higher if I’d had the opportunity to play it multiplayer, which is clearly where it comes alive. Talking of which, Conway’s Game of Life is hidden in the game as an Easter egg.

Availability: Zarlor Mercenary is part of Atari Lynx Collection 2 for Evercade and the Epyx Collection: Handheld for Switch and XBox, and is available for PC via Steam, on its own or as part of both the Lynx Collection and Epyx Bundle.

16) Joust (1992)

Joust was ten years old by the time it was ported to the Lynx, but it’s still a cracking arcade platform-fighter and it works very well on the handheld. There’s not a great deal to Joust, but what there is charming: you play a noble knight riding upon a flying ostrich, battling evil knights on buzzards, and the occasional pterodactyl. You, and a fellow knight upon his own avian steed in two-player mode, have to flap your birds’ wings and try to take out your enemies before they get you. Oh, and you’re seemingly inside a volcano, for some reason. It’s hard not to love an idea like that.

Availability: The arcade version was on Antstream but was taken off in 2023 on expiry of the licence, but that’s not to say it won’t be back. It tends to turn up in arcade compilations from time to time.

15) Blue Lightning (1989)

One Epyx’s launch titles for the Lynx, Blue Lightning is well known as a knock-off of Sega’s arcade hit After Burner, although the name rips off the movie Blue Thunder. Originality isn’t everything though, and Blue Lightning is an excellent example of an air combat game, combining the third-person shoot-em-up and flight simulator genres to great effect. The graphics are spot-on, with the pseudo-3D and scaling effects a perfect demonstration of what the Lynx graphics processor could do. It gets a bit samey, and a bit of music wouldn’t hurt, but this is a solid game.

Availability: Plenty. It’s on Steam, available alone or as part of both the Lynx Collection and Epyx Bundle. It’s also part of the Epyx Collection: Handheld for XBox Series X/S and Switch. Finally, it’s on the Atari Lynx Collection 2 cart for Evercade.

14) Toki (1992)

A widely ported 1989 arcade platformer, Toki sees an unfortunate tribesman transformed into a gorilla-like creature by an evil witchdoctor. Fortunately, in his simian form, Toki can spit projectiles at his enemies, making this basically a run-and-gun. There are plenty of power-ups, which is a mercy, as the difficulty is pretty high and Toki only gets one hit point. You so much as enter the breathing space of an enemy and you’re done. The game includes minecart sections, making it almost seem like a proto-Donkey Kong Country. Some versions of this game were named Legend of JuJu, while the Mega Drive/Genesis version got the wonderful title Toki: Going Ape Spit.

Availability: The Lynx version specifically doesn’t appear to be available from an official source, but there is a remake by Microids available widely on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Amazon Luna and Steam.

13) Checkered Flag (1991)

A cracking vanishing point, behind-the-car racer made by Atari specifically for the Lynx, Checkered Flag really takes advantage of the console’s ability to simulate a 3D scrolling playing field. It’s well designed for the Lynx’s capabilities, allowing six players to compete if you happen to have enough copies of the game and all the relevant equipment. That’s pretty unlikely, but thankfully there’s a ton of options you can tweak in single-player mode, from the number of computer-controlled opponents and number of laps, to the gender of your driver. That choice dictates whether you get a hunky man or sexy lady presenting your trophy at the end. It assumes you’re straight, of course, but that’s pretty good for the early nineties. Could have avoided the issue with a big fish like Mario Kart, though.

Availability: Checkered Flag is part of Atari Lynx Collection 2 for Evercade, and is the only game from that cart that’s also on the Atari Edition Super Pocket. It’s also available on Steam, either alone or as part of the Lynx Collection bundle.

12) Turbo Sub (1991)

This arcade shooter was already six years old by the time it got its one-and-only console port to the Lynx, but it remains one of the more unusual examples of its genre even now. Played from the first person perspective in the eponymous submersible, Turbo Sub sees you defend 28th century Earth from an invasion by aliens who are after our oceans. The gimmick of the game is that you must fight them both over and under the waves, which adds some variety to an otherwise somewhat samey game. It’s simple fun, though, with a nicely balanced difficulty curve.

Availability: Turbo Sub is included on the Atari Edition Super Pocket from Blaze/HyperMegaTech, and the Atari 50 collection, which is available widely, on the new Atari VCS, PS4 and PS5, Switch, XBox One and Series X/S, and PC via Steam.

11) Robo-Squash (1990)

I say I’m not into sports games but… well, Robo-Squash isn’t really a sports game. Aside from the lovely conceit that you’re playing a game of squash to decide the fate of the galactic federation, this plays more like a blockbreaker game viewed from above. Bouncing a splattable ball back and forth through blocks, power-ups and disembodied oddities, it’s a strange one but simple and a little addictive.

Availability: Robo-Squash is included on the Atari Edition Super Pocket from Blaze/HyperMegaTech.

10) STUN Runner (1991)

That’s Spread Tunnel Underground Network, dontchaknow. Atari’s sci-fi arcade game was a hit in 1989, a polygonal 3D racer that translates very well to the Lynx. This is exactly the sort of game the Lynx was designed to run, and like Blue Lightning it’s a great showcase for what the system’s graphics processor can do. Your little spacecar belts through and circles inside neon tunnels in various futuristic environments. The racer leads to a final challenge which is simply to get as far as possible through an increasingly hazardous course under the time limit.

Availability: The last confirmed re-release for the arcade version I can see was as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 3 back in the mid-noughties, and no sign of an official rerelease of the Lynx port.

9) Robotron: 2084 (1991)

For a basic port of a 1982 game, Robotron is a game great game on the Lynx. Had I played this in ’91 I probably would have been sniffy of the graphics, but their simplicity actually works in the console’s favour and means you focus on the gameplay. It’s not a perfect port, since the arcade game requires the use of two joysticks, one to move the player and one to aim. The getaround, holding the B button down to shift into aiming mode, works well enough though. It’s a straightforward shooter and extremely playable.

Availability: There’s no official release currently on the market, but the arcade version often appears in retro packages. It was taken off Antstream in 2023 on expiry of the licence; hopefully it’ll be back.

8) Super Asteroids & Missile Command (1995)

The last game Atari released for the Lynx, going out strong with an update of two of its best archive games. Both Asteroids and Missile Command are among the most popular and highly rated Atari arcade games, so updating them and bundling them together makes sense. Super Asteroids is a more structured but less frenetic version of the game, while Super Missile Command is actually faster paced than the original. The Missile Command update is the better of the two, adding a strategic element in buying weapons upgrades; while the additions to Asteroids are fun, they don’t really improve the experience. The loss of the classic vector graphics is a bit of a shame, although the simple, colourful look is pretty nice.

Availability: You can find this on the Evercade Atari Lynx Collection 1 and the Atari Edition Super Pocket, the Atari 50 Collection, and Antstream.

7) Block Out (1991)

An arcade puzzler that was widely ported in the day, Block Out is a 3D falling block-style game that sees various polycube blocks descend into a pit, which can be rotated through all planes to slot together. Should you manage to complete a layer, it vanishes, giving you more time to build up your score before a block reaches the ceiling and ends your game. Five years after the Lynx release, 3D Tetris released on the Virtual Boy. Block Out is essentially the same, except you can actually see what’s happening. The controls are a bit fiddly on the Lynx, but it’s a compelling, very challenging game that’s satisfying once you get to grips with it. It’s never going to stand up to the classic Tetris, but it’s a fun alternative.

Availability: I can’t see an official release of the Lynx version anywwhere but the arcade original is playable on Antstream and is included on the Technōs Edition Super Pocket from Blaze/Hyper Mega Tech.

6) Bubble Trouble (1993)

There are a lot of games called Bubble Trouble, but this one in particular is an odd little shoot-em-up from Telegames, with one of the best backstories I’ve seen. Travis, a physicist experimenting at home, accidentally creates a black hole in his bathroom and is pulled through to bubbly submolecular realm. Befriended and swallowed by a benign bubble, he bounces through this weird universe, shooting bubbles at deadly entities and searching for radioactive particles to move himself between dimensions. Once you’ve got the hang of rebounding off everything this is a lot of fun, and the graphics are some of the best for a 2D game on the Lynx. Short but entertaining.

Availability: I’m guessing there’s some tricky rights to this one, as I can’t find an official rerelease anywhere.

5) Klax (1990)

There's not much to say about Klax that I didn't say in the Game Gear entry. This sits much higher up in the Lynx list on the strength of being a somewhat better port, but also significantly less competition. A simple colour-match game is a natural fit for a colour handheld, and being able to utilise the screen vertically is a boon for the setup. Apologies to Qix and Crystal Mines fans, I find those games frustrating in spite of their cleverness. This is just straightforwardly fun.

Availability: I can’t see an official release anywhere these days, but it’s very easy to find online unofficially.

4) Scrapyard Dog (1991)

A remake of the pug ugly original version on the Atari 7800, Scrapyard Dog is a pretty straightforward platformer but has some hidden depths. It’s a lot more attractive than the 7800 version and has about twice as many levels. You play some hapless chap as he traverses rundown junk yards in search of his kidnapped dog, Scraps. You can throw cans at the various critters out to get you and even buy guns and other power-ups to give you an edge. The graphics are simple but easy on the eye and while it seems simplistic at first, there are a ton of secrets hidden in each level. Best advice is to try crouching on every bin, block or machine you see in case you get teleported somewhere interesting.

Availability: Lynx Scrapyard Dog is on Atari Edition Super Pocket and in Atari Lynx Collection 1. It’s also in the Atari 50 collection along with the 7800 version.

3) RoadBlasters (1990)

An excellent port of the 1987 arcade original – the very game that Turbo crashed in Wreck-It Ralph, trivia fans! A racing/combat game, RoadBlasters sees you belting round a track, avoiding your competitors or taking them out with your handy, car-mounted blaster. A lot of this era’s behind-the-car perspective games are a bit sluggish, but RoadBlasters has a tremendous sense of speed, with the challenge of making it through fifty short rallies adding a potentially long play time while maintaining that pace. While you’ll crash and burn up your car multiple times, the real concern is running out of fuel before ending the contest.

Availability: No official availability at present that I can see.

2) Gates of Zendocon (1989)

When I first played this, I wasn’t too taken with it. I even wondered if there was something up with my copy, given how slowly it was running. Turns out Gates of Zendocon is just a very leisurely paced shoot-em-up. After putting some time into it, I found myself really getting into it. One of the launch titles for the Lynx, this was another Epyx game, created by the same names behind Slime World. You fly a spaceship equipped with lasers and bombs, battling sundry bizarre aliens commanded by the eponymous Zendocon, a megalomaniacal spider. Zendocon controls multiple universes, all aesthetically unique, and your ship travels between them through transport gates. The enemies do their best to knock bits off your ship, but some are acting against their will and join you once you free them. It’s leisurely and a lot of fun, and it’s nice to have a change of pace sometimes.

Availability: It’s part of Atari Lynx Collection 2 for Evercade and the Epyx Collection: Handheld for Switch and XBox, and is available for PC via Steam, on its own or as part of both the Lynx Collection and Epyx Bundle.

1) Chip’s Challenge (1989)

One of the first games for the Lynx, this was then ported to several home computer systems. I remember playing this on the PCs at school. While it suits computer gaming well, handheld play fits this inventive puzzler even better. Played from a top-down perspective, you control the eponymous Chip as he makes his way around maze-like levels full of locked gates, deadly hazards and pursuing monsters. Each level has a number of computer chips which must be collected to unlock the exit and advance to the next. It starts simply enough but gets challenging quickly, and there are over 140 levels on increasingly obtuse logic puzzles. It’s an incredibly moreish game and one of the absolute highlights of the system.

Availability: It’s part of Atari Lynx Collection 2 for Evercade. The PC version is also available for free on Steam, or there’s the option to buy a collection that includes the Lynx version, along with ports for the Mega Drive/Genesis, SNES, Sinclair Spectrum, C64 and Amiga. You can get this one as part of the Epyx Bundle as well. The SNES version is also on Antstream. Creator Chuck Somerville has also followed it up with two sequels, Chip’s Challenge 2 and Chuck’s Challenge 3D, both available to buy through Steam.