Proffering a selection of classic Atari arcade titles, Atari Anniversary Advance provides players with six of the brand's most recognizable titles released between 1978 and 1980. Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Tempest, Super Breakout, and Missile Command have all been re-created on the Game Boy Advance, offering nigh exact duplicates of the original versions. Particular titles even allow two players to take turns competing for a high score. In re-creating the original arcade "feel" on the system, designers at Digital Eclipse have provided alternate control schemes for many of the titles (a simple press of the Select button will toggle between modes).
Battlezone for example, utilizes two control schemes: a standard version that makes use of the D-pad for movement, and another, more traditional system that attempts to mimic the two-joystick setup of the original arcade machine. Centipede, Tempest, and Super Breakout, on the other hand, can be played in widescreen mode, or players can select the vertical aspect ratio, requiring the GBA system to be held sideways. Included in the package is the Atari Trivia Challenge, a mode that presents players with a series of multiple choice questions based upon the company and its games. An onscreen timer shows the time left to answer the questions, and the faster they are answered, the more points are earned. Get three answers wrong, though, and the game is over.