5 Weirdest Unlicensed Games on Retro Consoles

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Unlicensed games used to be a much bigger issue, especially in the 1970s and 80s. Consoles like the Atari 2600, which didn’t have copyright protection, were flooded with them. Over the years, many different people and companies made these games, and while titles like Action 52 are well-known, some were truly strange. Here are five of the weirdest unlicensed games that showed up on older consoles, presented in no specific order.

1) Red Sea Crossing – Atari 2600

Back in the early 1980s, many unofficial video games based on Bible stories popped up, and they were often quite strange. It wasn’t the religious content that made them odd, but rather their inability to be genuinely fun or engaging. A particularly interesting example is Red Sea Crossing, released in 1983 through mail order. The game was largely forgotten until 2007, when a rare copy – one of only four known to exist – was discovered at a garage sale. It’s actually the first commercial console game based on a Bible story, and it wasn’t made by Atari. Players control Moses as he leads his people through the Red Sea, dodging obstacles while being chased by the Egyptians.

2) Beat ‘Em and Eat ‘Em – Atari 2600

Atari also became known for a strange category of games aimed at adults. One particularly notorious example was Beat ‘Em and Eat ‘Em, released in 1982. Despite its simple, pixelated graphics, it was essentially a pornographic video game. Players controlled two naked women who had to catch falling objects with their mouths. A reversed-gender version, called Philly Flasher, also existed, with identical gameplay. The very existence of these games is strange, but they’ve gained notoriety for being so bizarre and offensive.

3) Somari – NES and Famicom

Unlike most unofficial games which created original stories, Somari was a direct copy of the popular Sega Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog. Sold mostly in Eastern Europe and Asia, Somari replaced Sonic with Mario – a combination of both characters’ names. The game’s creators didn’t even try to disguise it as anything other than a bootleg copy, which makes it particularly unusual. It was developed for the Nintendo Famicom, a console that wasn’t powerful enough to run the game properly, resulting in a glitchy and strange blend of Sonic and Mario gameplay.

4) Hong Kong ‘97 – Famicom

Frustrated with the video game industry, journalist Kowloon Kurosawa teamed up with a friend and spent a week creating the game Hong Kong ‘97. This unofficial game, made for the Super Famicom, was designed as a parody, poking fun at everything about the industry. It’s intentionally offensive, poorly made, and completely ridiculous – and that was the goal. Though it didn’t sell many copies initially, like most unofficial games, it gained a dedicated following for just how bad it is. Surprisingly, a sequel is currently being developed and is expected to be released around 2026.

5) Custer’s Revenge – Atari 2600

Among the most notorious games for the Atari 2600 is Custer’s Revenge, a deeply offensive title released in 1982. Despite its simple graphics, the game is shockingly disturbing. Players control a nude George Armstrong Custer attempting to exact revenge for the Battle of the Little Bighorn by capturing and sexually assaulting nude Native American women tied to poles. Avoiding flaming arrows is just one element of this incredibly problematic game, which is widely considered one of the worst and most offensive ideas ever realized in video game history.

Have you ever found one of those strange, unofficial retro games? I’m always curious to hear about them! Come share your stories with me and everyone else over on the ComicBook Forum – let’s talk about it!

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2026-01-19 16:13