Toaplan's Tiger-Heli Makes First Official Atari Debut This Summer

Dust off your 7800, find a way to plug it into a TV and wait.

Plaion and Atari have announced that Toaplan's classic vertical shooter Tiger-Heli will be released for Atari 2600+, Atari 7800, and Atari 7800+ systems on July 18th, 2025. This marks the first time the 1985 arcade hit has been officially ported to Atari hardware in its 40-year history.

New port of Tiger Heli coming to the Atari 7800 from @PLAION First Look: https://t.co/3KRBut7YlZ pic.twitter.com/F31nPMmJh9

— The Immortal John Hancock (@swlovinist) April 3, 2025

Pre-orders for Tiger-Heli are available starting today at Atari.com and major retailers, priced at £24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99. The game has been developed specifically for these Atari platforms rather than being a direct emulation of the arcade original.

Developed by Japanese studio Toaplan, Tiger-Heli established itself as an influential title in the vertical scrolling shooter genre during the mid-1980s arcade boom. Players pilot an attack helicopter through four challenging stages, battling ground vehicles, aircraft, and defensive turrets while collecting power-ups to enhance their firepower and unlock special abilities.

This Atari adaptation preserves the core gameplay elements while featuring a soundtrack created using the distinctive Pokey sound chip. The port is compatible with both original Atari 7800 hardware and the newer "plus" systems released as part of Atari's retro revival initiative.

Tiger-Heli has seen numerous reissues across various platforms throughout its history. The game received a Micronics-developed NES/Famicom port in the late 1980s and has more recently appeared in collections like M2's Toaplan Arcade Garage for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, Blaze Entertainment's Toaplan Arcade 1 cartridge for Evercade, and Polymega Collection Vol. 3. A standalone PC version was released on Steam and GOG in 2024.

The July 18th release date will also see Atari launching additional cartridges for both classic and modern hardware, including Avalanche, Countermeasure 2, Dark Chambers, and Super Circus Atari.