THE 800XL brings back the keyboard and cartridge slot alongside Atari’s 8-bit games. Retro Games Ltd.’s recreation includes a full-sized mechanical keyboard and built-in Atari BASIC, with HDMI output for modern displays. Pre-orders opened on 8th October 2026 at £199.99 in the UK, and shipping begins on 23rd April 2027.
Atari announced the machine, with PLAION REPLAI handling manufacturing and distribution. International prices are US$219.99, €219.99 and A$349.99. The package includes a THECXSTICK joystick, HDMI cable, USB-A to USB-C power cable and Quick Guide.
The original Atari 800XL arrived in 1983 with 64KB of memory, built-in BASIC and a cartridge slot within its keyboard case. The recreation follows its keyboard computer design while adding USB storage, save states and rewind. Atari describes the original as its best-selling 8-bit computer.
Software support covers the Atari 400, 800, XL and XE computer families, plus games developed for the Atari 5200 console. You have a working cartridge slot and USB loading for cartridge, disk and cassette images. Compatibility with individual titles has not been detailed.
BASIC also gives the keyboard a purpose beyond selecting games. You have BASIC for writing, saving and loading programs, whether returning to old projects or starting from scratch. Programming remains part of the package alongside the built-in game carousel.
25 built-in games and two hidden extras
THE 800XL includes 25 licensed games, comprising eight Atari first-party titles and 17 third-party releases. The selection includes M.U.L.E., Boulder Dash, The Seven Cities of Gold and Miner 2049er. Atari games such as Asteroids, Centipede and Missile Command also feature.
The complete lineup is Airball, Asteroids, Basketball, BattleZone, Berzerk, Boulder Dash, Bristles, Capture the Flag, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Elektraglide, Encounter, Flip and Flop, Henry’s House, Hover Bovver, Lee, M.U.L.E., Millipede, Miner 2049er, Missile Command, O’Riley’s Mine, The Seven Cities of Gold, Star Raiders II, Wavy Navy and Yoomp!.
Two further titles, Castle Crisis and Super Breakout, sit hidden on the carousel. Connecting an analogue controller unlocks them. They are additional to the advertised 25-game selection.
HDMI supports PAL at 50Hz and NTSC at 60Hz, with 4:3 and pixel-perfect display modes. Optional CRT filters provide another display setting. Four USB-A ports accommodate storage and additional controllers, while the machine receives power through USB-C.
Four save slots per game and up to 30 seconds of rewind apply to built-in games, USB-loaded software and cartridges. These additions give you ways to resume or retry games alongside the original software experience.
The supplied THECXSTICK recreates Atari’s joystick design with a fire button and seven additional action and function buttons. Those controls accompany the mechanical keyboard, so the box includes input options for both games and BASIC.
View THE 800XL’s details through Atari and PLAION REPLAI, or watch the announcement trailer.
