Crackpots was published by Activision, Inc., released in 1983.

What kind of game is Crackpots?

Crackpots is a action game for the Atari 2600.

Can two people play Crackpots?

Yes. Crackpots supports multiplayer (Multiplayer). Player 1 uses the arrow keys, player 2 uses WASD, and two USB or Bluetooth gamepads can be connected instead.

How much data does Crackpots load?

The Crackpots ROM is 4 kB. It is fetched once when you press play and then cached by your browser, so returning to the game does not download it again.

Which emulators can run Crackpots?

Crackpots runs on Atari 2600 and Javatari / Stella JS Engine. You can switch between them from the emulator list further down this page if one performs better on your device.

Crackpots Game (1983) - Atari 2600

Name: Crackpots
Availability: InStock
Author: Activision, Inc.

Action / Button	Keyboard Key
D-Pad (Up / Down / Left / Right)	`Arrow Keys`
Button A	`Z` or `J`
Button B	`X` or `K`
Button X / Turbo A	`A` or `U`
Button Y / Turbo B	`S` or `I`
Select	`Shift`
Start	`Enter`

Gamepad Input	Retro Function	Keyboard Key
D-Pad / Analog	Character Movement / Steering	`▲` `▼` `◄` `►`
Button A (East)	Primary Action / Attack / Fire	`Z` / `K`
Button B (South)	Secondary / Jump / Cancel	`X` / `J`
Button X / Y	Special / Turbo / Extra Fire	`A` / `S`
Select	Insert Coin / Select Option	`Right Shift`
Start	Game Start / Pause Game	`Enter`

Gamepad Input

Retro Function

Keyboard Key

D-Pad / Analog

Character Movement / Steering

▲ ▼ ◄ ►

Button A (East)

Primary Action / Attack / Fire

Z / K

Button B (South)

Secondary / Jump / Cancel

X / J

Button X / Y

Special / Turbo / Extra Fire

A / S

Select

Insert Coin / Select Option

Right Shift

Start

Game Start / Pause Game

Enter

Emulator Core Engine	Technology	Multiplayer	Gamepad	Touch	Ads	Action / Switch
EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)	`WebAssembly / JS`	YES	YES	YES	NO	▶ ACTIVE
Atari 2600 (Recommended)	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡
Javatari / Stella JS Engine	`WebAssembly / Libretro`	YES	YES	YES	NO	PLAY ⚡

Emulator Core Engine

Technology

Multiplayer

Gamepad

Touch

Ads

Action / Switch

EmulatorJS (Default WebAssembly)

WebAssembly / JS

YES

▶ ACTIVE

Atari 2600 (Recommended)

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Javatari / Stella JS Engine

WebAssembly / Libretro

YES

PLAY ⚡

Crackpots is a 1983 action game developed by Activision for the Atari 2600. Players control Potsy, a handyman stationed on the roof of a high-rise apartment building who must defend the structure from columns of climbing pests by dropping flower pots off the ledge.

How to Play

Move Potsy left and right along the roof line to align with bugs crawling up the building walls, then drop a flower pot to knock them down before they reach the top windows. Pests ascend in steady columns, and any bug that enters a window eats away at the building’s support structure. If six pests breach the top line during a wave, a layer of the roof drops out from under Potsy. Clear each wave to prevent the building from collapsing completely.

Controls: Use the Left and Right Arrow keys to position Potsy on the roof, and press Spacebar to drop a flower pot. Function keys F11 and F12 handle Select and Reset in the browser emulator.

Tips

Lead your targets: Drop flower pots slightly before a bug reaches your column to account for fall time as pests climb higher.
Prioritize fast columns: Watch for faster-moving pest types in later waves and clear those lines first to protect the roof.
Don’t waste pots: Timing drops accurately avoids empty windows while your next pot resets.