Even Atari Game Cartridges Are Getting More Expensive Because Of Tariffs

Atari has put out updated versions of multiple classic consoles in recent years, following up its Atari 2600+ replica console from 2023 with the 7800+ in late 2024, all accompanied by honest-to-god physical cartridge releases containing classic Atari games like Berzerk, Space Duel, and Ninja Golf. However, the retro game maker just informed fans that those physical copies will now be more expensive due to tariffs.

“Today, we wanted to share an important update about how the recent increases in tariffs have affected our business,” Atari wrote to customers in an email on April 30 warning about upcoming price increases due to President Trump’s ongoing trade war with China. “Starting May 5th, we will be increasing the price of all game cartridges by 10 percent. The pricing applies to both 2600 and 7800 cartridges.”

Atari’s ‘80s-inpsired gaming lineup includes the wood-paneled 2600+ and streamlined 7800+, along with the Atari 400 Mini and VCS digital gaming set top boxes. The prices for those appear to remain unchanged, but the replica cartridges will seemingly go from $30 to $33, a small but noticeable bump due to recently levied import taxes. If you want the entire collection of old-school cartridges, you’ll easily end up spending over $60 in tariff-adjusted price increases alone.

Atari might be a household name, but it’s only the latest retro gaming device maker to alter course due to the trade war. Anbernic, which produces popular emulation handhelds that look like knock-off Game Boys, recently halted all shipments to the U.S., as has controller maker 8bitdo. Nintendo temporarily halted Switch 2 pre-orders before later raising the price of all its accessories by $5. Sony is expected to face similar pressure to increase the price of the PlayStation 5 if tariffs on China persist after current U.S. inventory gets used up.

“We understand the impact this could have on our community, and we want you all to know that we don’t make this decision lightly,” Atari wrote. “Though we have worked to absorb some of these rising costs, we won’t be able to absorb all of them. As the global trade situation continues to evolve, we will be as transparent as possible about any further adjustments we may need to make.”

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