Revisiting the Commodore VIC-20

So, I was going to do something more popular, but I was going through my collection of vintage hardware and the VIC-20 was poking out the top of one of my storage tubs, just begging for me to fire it up, so here we are, for some nostalgic ramblings about the VIC 20 and how it holds up in 2026

Let's first take a look at the haardware

What's the specs of this bad boy and when did it get released?

The VIC-20 was released in Japan in 1980 (as the VIC-1001) and everywhere else in 1981. In Germany, the machine was renamed to the VC-20, as the work VIC was pronounced similar to their word "fick" which is the German F bomb (the more you know)

The machine was discontinued in 1985, having around a 5 year lifespan (4 in some countries)

Spec-wise, the VIC-20 had the following

• CPU: MOS 6502 @ 1Mhz

• RAM: 5kb ....... 3.5kb upon startup after BASIC had occupied memory - expandable to 35kv

• Video: MOS 6561 chip allowing 16 colours in 176x184 pixels wih text mode of 22x24 characters

• Sound: MOS VIC chip with 1 noise channel and 3 square-wave channels

• Storage: Cassette tapes via the C2N Datassette, 5.25" Floppy Disks via the Commodore VIC-1540 or 1541 drive, ROM Cartridges via the cartridge slot on the back

While this sound really low end, it was quite a power house for it's time, beating a lot of the competition, which in the UK, would've been the Sinclair ZX81 (or even the ZX80)

What are some games that you can recommend?

Some of these games require RAM expansions, however, Gorf was distributed on cartridge so will work by just plugging it in to the cart slot on the back on a stock VIC-20. Gridrunner was on tape and works on an unexpanded VIC-20, but Jet Pac and Rockman both require the RAM expansion cartridge.

Is there any modern games you can recommend? Homebrew?

Yeah, the VIC-20 scene has been very active with homebrew, really showing off what the machine can do. Most of these require memory expansions though, so you probably will struggle on an unexpanded machine.

Doom

At this point, I think Doom has been ported to, or made to run, on just about anything with a CPU in it. From a TrueBlue Pregnancy Testing Kit to a Cannon Multi-Function Copier,  or even a Texas Instruments Graphing Calculator ....... hell, I bet you could run Doom on your toaster if you had a way to display it and control it.

The VIC-20 port, requiring the maximum amount of RAM (35kb) is actually a good effort. Yeah, the graphics look proper ropey, and you're playing this in a box with not much of a viewable area, but this small view enables the frame rate to keep up well enough. It plays no worse than running it on a 386 in a small window. The music is there and the sound is there, even if it's a noisy mess, and the levels are pretty accurate, controls are responsive enough, it makes for a decent port despite the shortcoming. However, that colour palette is headache inducing. Definitely worth a blast for the comedic value of saying you've got Doom on the VIC-20.

Prince Of Persia

Now this was a surprise to see on the VIC-20. It's a superb port, looking very much like the unofficial Russian port to the ZX Spectrum with very similar art style and colour palette. It controls well but it's not fully accurate to other versions contorl wise and the angle of the posts and general building isn't quite the same which might make a challenge for seasoned players.

The musical jingles are mostly present, in all their VIC-20 glory, but recognisable. I highly recommend this.

Super Monza GP 2

So, there's actually a previous version of this, but it's so similar, I found it hard to work out the difference between the two. What we have here is a arcade racer of decent quality, especially for the VIC-20. It plays well, has a good sense of speed, looks alright, but the sound is a bit annoying for me. It's definitely worth a play and if you like arcade racers, give it a go.

Super VIC TT

Did someone say "Super Hang-On for the VIC-20" ? ....... well that's exactly what this is - well, with a couple of differences. Race your bike against the clock on either Easy, Medium or Hard difficulty. You get a choice of route with left fork and right fork a bit more like OutRun tbh, but gives is some more replayability as you can try the different routes. I found the difficulty is pretty good, it's quite forgiving to you when playing on easy, but also, the collision detection is good here. The computer bikers do get on your nerves a little though, just like most racing games in general where they get in your way or come at you from behind and ram you, slowing your down.

Definitely worth a blast, especially if you like Super Hang-On on other platforms.

Should I get a VIC-20 for my retro collection?

For me, it was a resouding YES, as I'm quite a Commodore fan and wanted it for the collection. However, I will say to set your expectations accordingly, this is no Commodore 64, and will not WOW you like the C64 will, keep in mind this if from the generation before then. Also, keep in mind, if you're after original software on tape or even cartridge, the prices are somewhat high, so you may consider a multi-cart or SD2IEC like solution. 

Also, there's two different types of PSU - the two pronged variety and the DIN socket variety. The two-pronged PSU is difficult too acquire, so if you get a version of the machine with this connector, but not the PSU, be prepared to spend a lot of time and money replacing it. The DIN socket variety is the same as the C64 PSU, but it also suffers the same fate, and a faulty PSU can kill the machine. I suggest getting a modern third-party alternative.

What accessories should I get?

This depends on how much you want to spend. A RAM expansion is an absolute must - the stock spec machine cannot run a lot of software, so you'll need the RAM expansion to get the most of the machine.

Next up, storage - a lot of people recommend the Penultimate cartridge from The Future Was 8bit, however, it's not a cheap device, so tailor your expectations and budget accordingly.

We also have the likes of SD2IEC which of course emulates a disk drive, it's slow, just like a real disk drive, so be wary of that. This is what I have at the moment.

Is the VIC-20 enjoyable/does it hold up in 2026?

It's a curious machine, does well for it's time period, but you need to set your expectations accordingly as it's from a generation before the C64 or ZX Spectrum, so it's some what more basic than them.

However, if you're a retro collector, an enthusiast, or a Commodore fan, it's an absolute must.

What's next?

Not sure yet, might be Amstrad, might be another Commodore machine, or even something Acorn ..... I'll see what takes my fancy over the next few days.