Polybius
Description
This game was out for a very short trial run of one month in small arcades in Portland Oregon in 1981. Produced by the company Sinnesloschen, the game gave many players nightmares and many who played it completely swore off all video games afterwards. Others complained of having blackouts and memory loss. Employees of the manufacturer, in black coats came and collected data from the machines as part of a lease agreement. After only one month, all of the machines were removed. ROM's of this game are rumored to be in the hands of some collectors but at this time they are not generally available.
In actual fact, this game is one of many urban legends and hoaxes found on the internet. The only 'evidence' of this game ever existing is a title screenshot easily produced in Photoshop. Then again, perhaps that's just what the men in black coats want us to believe.
Polybius was produced by Unknown in 1981.
Unknown released 761 machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1700. Unknown was based in United States.
Other machines made by Unknown during the time period Polybius was produced include: Defense, Hot Race, Cruncher, Defense Command, Galaxy, Car Race, Donkey King, Big Kong, Billiards The, and Frog
Specs
| Name | Polybius |
|---|---|
| Developer | Unknown (United States) |
| Year | 1981 |
| Type | Videogame |
| KLOV/MOG # | 11344 |
| Class | Concept, One-Off, or Hoax |
| Cabinet Styles |
|
Polybius KLOV/IAM 5 Point User Score: 2.63 (1 vote)
Fun Factor: 2.25
Overall Like |
2.00 |
|---|---|
| Fun (Social) | 0.00 |
| Fun (Solo) | 2.00 |
| Collector Desire | 5.00 |
Technical Rating: 3.00
| Gameplay | 1.00 |
|---|---|
| Graphics | 3.00 |
| Originality | 5.00 |
| Sound/Music | 3.00 |
Personal Impressions and Technical Impressions each account for half of the total score.
Within the Personal Impressions category, Like
carries a little more weight than the other factors.
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Images
VAPS Arcade/Coin-Op Polybius Census
There are 16,777 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 10,137 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 172,846 machines (7,256 unique titles).
There are 2 known instances of this machine owned by Polybius collectors who are active members. Of these, 1 of them are original dedicated machines. 1 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet. Additionally, former members held 5 original machines.
Wanted - No active members have added this machine to their wish list. Former members previously were looking for 2 games.
This game ranks a 3 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.
This game ranks a 3 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.
Rarity and Popularity independently are not necessarily indications of value. [More Information]
Additional References (logged in members often see more)
eBay Listings
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MLA Citation Style
"Polybius - Videogame by Unknown." Museum of the Game, www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/polybius. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.
Chicago Bibliographic
International Arcade Museum. "Polybius - Videogame by Unknown." Accessed July 15, 2026. https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/polybius.
Chicago Footnote/Endnote
1. "Polybius - Videogame by Unknown," International Arcade Museum, accessed July 15, 2026, https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/polybius.
APA Bibliographic
International Arcade Museum. (n.d.). Polybius - videogame by Unknown. Retrieved July 15, 2026 from https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/polybius