Choplifter
Choplifter is a 1982 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed by Dan Gorlin and published by Broderbund for the Apple II. It was ported to the Atari 8-bit computers the same year, and later to the VIC-20, Commodore 64, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, MSX, and Thomson computers. In 1985, Sega released a remake for arcades, with subsequent ports published for the Master System and Famicom in 1986. Graphically enhanced versions for the Atari 8-bit computers and the Atari 7800 were also released in 1988 by Atari Corporation.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1982
- Developer
- Dan Gorlin
- Platforms
- 1 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 1 May 1982 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Dan Gorlin |
| Publisher | Broderbund |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Genres | action game |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q1076255, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Choplifter? How long to beat it
Total play time for Choplifter is about 11.5 hours to do everything, and around 0.9 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 0.9h | 17 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 11.5h | 1 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Choplifter sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Choplifter lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 31ahead of 0% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 25ahead of 69% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Choplifter
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Common questions about Choplifter
What platforms is Choplifter on?
Choplifter is available on Nintendo Entertainment System. It first released in 1982.
Who made Choplifter?
Choplifter was developed by Dan Gorlin and published by Broderbund.
How long does it take to beat Choplifter?
about 0.9 hours for the main story, 11.5 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.