PET News

Freshly fished out of the net...

Here you will find the latest news about the first affordable, mass-produced personal computer for private households: the Commodore PET. This ticker contains news about new game and hardware releases, latest video and podcast uploads, trivia and product information. All freshly fished from the web. RSS feed available!

News filter:
All C64 Amiga C128 Plus/4 VIC-20 PET

14.08.2026 - 'Vector Battle' game for VIC-20 and PET released
'Vector Battle' is a first-person shooter tank combat game for Commodore PET (32k required) and VIC-20 (16k required) in the style of Battlezone, the 1980 arcade by Atari. You command an armoured fighting vehicle equipped with a forward-firing cannon, defensive shields, radar and a limited fuel supply. Navigate the vector battlefield, locate hostile units, destroy them before they destroy you, and keep your machine supplied with fuel. You can get the game as digital download for little money (name your own price) to support the developer.

06.08.2026 - 'Starcade' - Game compilation for C64 / PET / VIC-20 released
'Starcade - Four games in one Package' for C64, VIC-20 with 8k or 16K memory and Commodore PET (2001, 30xx and 40xx series with 16K or 32K memory) contains: Asteroidz - Pilot your spacecraft through a dangerous asteroid field and destroy as many asteroids as possible. Stellar Ambush - Earth is under attack by wave after wave of hostile aliens. Destroy the invading forces before they overwhelm your defenses. HiVe Dive - For players who found Stellar Ambush too easy, Hive Dive provides an even greater challenge. Space Walkers - Save your base from the space walkers, large mechanized machines intent on destroying your base. You can get all the games as digital download for a fair price to support the developer.

27.07.2026 - Commodore PET and C64 game 'Tunnel Tumbler' released
'Tunnel Tumbler' is a maze video game in the style of the 1982 arcade Dig Dug by Namco for the Commodore PET (32k PET - 2001, 3032, 4032, 8032) and C64. You are the Garden Guardian, a fiercely territorial mole digging deep beneath the soil. An infestation of ravenous Borer Beetles and acid-spitting Bombardiers has invaded your underground home. Grab your trusty pneumatic dart-pump, carve out your tunnels, and defend your territory! You can get the game as digital download for little money to support the developer.

27.07.2026 - Commodore PET game 'River Run' released - free for downoad
'River Run' is a fast-paced scrolling shooter, in the vein of River Raid, for 32k Commodore PET machines. Your mission is to fly over the river, weaving through the bends and passages while keeping an eye on fuel levels. Gunboats appear in the beginning but as the difficulty increases, helicopters, diving jets and land-based tanks join the fight. Features: each river is different than the last game, gunboats, helicopters, jets, tanks and destructible buildings, low fuel warnings, bonus points for succession kills, straight or guided missiles, safe or fatal land (plays like River Raid), supports keyboard, SNES or joystick controller, top five high scores ranked, sound effects and double buffering.

27.07.2026 - 'Triple Pack' - game collection for PET released
'Triple Pack' contains 3 ports of old classics for the Commodore PET: 'Castle Smash', 'PETFall' and 'Yars Galaxy'. 'Castel Smash' is a siege-and-strategy castle action. Defend your walls from incoming fireballs, line up your shots, and bring your opponent's castle down before they bring down yours. (Commodore PET/64), PETFall is a jungle-run platforming with real stakes for Commodore PET and Colour PET [16k RAM]). Race across a massive procedurally generated world hunting for treasure, dodging rolling logs, alligators, scorpions, and quicksand that actually breathes. Yars Galaxy is a fast-paced arcade dodging and blasting. Nibble through a living shield wall, arm your cannon, and fire — then dodge your own shot on the way back. Watch the skies: later levels bring a swirl that hunts you down and a self-healing shield for Commodore PET with 32k RAM. You can get all the games as digital download for little money to support the developer.

13.07.2026 - 'Castle Smash' game for C64 and PET released
'Castle Smash' is new interpretation of Warlords, the 1981 action video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for the arcades. It's a classic four-castle showdown. Demolish everyone else's. Four warlords, one screen. Any mix of human and computer players - grab three friends for full four-player keyboard chaos, plug joysticks into both ports, or go solo against three cunning drones. Runs on any C64 (PAL or NTSC) and PET 3032/4032 or 8032 models. You can get the game as digital download for little money to support the developer.

06.07.2026 - Lost for 45 years: Catacombs and Goblin Towers for the Commodore PET recovered
Two of the earliest British text adventures ever sold - Catacombs and Goblin Towers, both written by Brian Cotton and published by Supersoft in 1981 - have been recovered in their original Commodore PET form. Until now, only later Commodore 64 releases were known to survive: the 1983 and 1987 versions of Goblin Towers, and the 1986 "Classic Quests" reissue of Catacombs. The PET originals were considered lost. That changed when Colin Haynes came forward with his original copies of both games and offered them for preservation...

26.05.2026 - Commodore PET game 'Pengy' released - free for download
'Pengy' for Commodore PET is an adaptation of a 1992 PC shareware title and takes some inspiration from the classic arcade game Pengo, which was published by SEGA in 1982. You play as Pengy, and your goal is to align the three diamond blocks either horizontally or vertically in order to advance to the next level. Of course, angry walruses stand in your way, but you can crush them by sliding ice blocks across the playfield.

07.03.2026 - Video: Escape From PETSCII Castle - A First-Person Shooter for Commodore C64 - Preview 5
New footage of the soon-to-be-released first-person shooter game for the Commodore 64 - Escape From PETSCII Castle - an adaptation of a PET release of the same game, which itself was inspired by Wolfenstein 3D. This time showing a full playthrough of Level 4. Enemy robots and sentries. Pick up ammo, health, weapons and gold. Multiple difficulty levels.

31.12.2025 - 'Berserk' for the Commodore PET released
'Berserk', the well known arcade game from 1980 by Stern Electronics, now got ported to the the Commodore PET. There is a version for Commodore 2001 with 32k or a 3032/4032 machine and also for the Colour PET. Features: Over 200 unique rooms, written entirely in machine language, three robot styles, multi-firing ability, 80x50 resolution, allows keyboard, Stupid PET Tricks joystick and SNES controller input. You can get the game as digital download for a bargain to support the developer.

23.12.2025 - Quarx Part 2 - C64 and PET versions - video by 'The 8-Bit Guy'
So, in the last video about Quarx, 'The 8-Bit Guy' covered the VIC-20 version and some of the design challenges he had with that. And then he promised to do an update on the PET and C64 versions. And so that's what we're going to look at today, along with some interesting challenges getting a VIC-20 cartridge made, and trying the game out on the new Commodore 64 Ultimate. 

30.11.2025 - Video: Escape From PETSCII Castle - A First-Person Shooter for Commodore C64 - Preview 4
New footage showing the current gameplay of the soon-to-be-released first-person shooter game for the Commodore 64 - Escape From PETSCII Castle. An adaptation of a PET release of the same game, which itself was inspired by Wolfenstein 3D. Current version features: two different enemies (sprites with masking behind walls), items for pick up as you go along - ammo, health, gold, keys and different weapons - knife, pistol, rifle and machine gun (for now graphics from amazing Grey)

25.11.2025 - 'Capture C16' - game for C16 / Plus/4 released - free for download
'Capture C16' is a challenging puzzle, and difficult to beat when one plays against the computer. The game was originally written in Dartmouth BASIC in 1976 for mainframe and teletype terminal, and appeared in People's Computers magazine in the July/August 1977 issue. This new C16 version is based on a PET version from Oglesby's 1980 book "PET Games and Recreations". It has added color and sound, and it's converted for C16 PETSCII characters and video RAM.

23.10.2025 - 'Sperrbildschirm' - game for 8-bit Commodore machines released as free download
'Sperrbildschirm' is a puzzle game for Commodore PET, C64, C128, and Plus4 as well as C16.. Can you crack the code? A strange new machine has arrived. Its glowing screen stays hidden behind mysterious barriers: shifting patterns, secret numbers, and even phantom fingerprints. Only the sharpest minds will discover how to break through.

06.08.2025 - Little Computer People : A Commodore 64 SPECIAL - video by 'BastichB 64K'
A mini documentary for the 1985 original pet simulator "Little Computer People" on the Commodore 64.