Atari Breakout is a classic arcade-style video game originally released by Atari in 1976. It is a simple yet addictive brick-breaking game built upon the idea of controlling a paddle to bounce a ball upward to destroy rows of bricks. Breakout is considered one of the earliest and most influential games in the arcade era and helped shape the foundation of many later puzzle and action games.

In Breakout, the player controls a horizontal paddle located at the bottom of the screen. A ball continuously bounces around the playfield, and the player must prevent it from falling off the bottom edge. Each time the ball hits a brick, that brick disappears and the player earns points. As more bricks are cleared, the ball often speeds up, increasing the difficulty. The goal is to remove all the bricks on the screen without losing all of your lives.

The game’s design is simple, featuring a clean layout of bricks on top, a paddle at the bottom, and a single ball in play. Despite its minimalism, Breakout became popular because of its fast-paced action, strategic aiming, and satisfying sense of progression as the brick layers disappear. It also inspired many future games, including Arkanoid and numerous modern brick-breaker adaptations.

Atari Breakout remains iconic today, admired for its straightforward gameplay, historical significance, and influence on game design. It continues to be recreated, reimagined, and enjoyed by players of all ages.