Commodore 64 Home Computer Timeline Overview

The Commodore 64 (C64) is the best-selling single computer model of all time, with an estimated 12.5 to 30 million units sold during its 12-year production run. 

Commodore 64 Annual Timeline

  • 1981: Development Phase
    • January: Engineers at MOS Technology begin a project to design state-of-the-art video and sound chips (VIC-II and SID) for the next generation of games consoles.
    • November: The cutting-edge chips are completed, and Commodore decides to use them for a new home computer to succeed the VIC-20.
  • 1982: Launch and Early Expansion
    • January: The Commodore 64 is officially introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with a starting price of $595.
    • August: The C64 begins shipping in the USA, featuring its iconic “breadbox” design.
    • Other Models: The Japan-only MAX Machine (a console version) and the Educator 64 (aimed at schools) are also released.
  • 1983: Price Wars and Portables
    • January: Commodore introduces the SX-64, the world’s first portable computer with a colour screen, retailing for approximately $1,600.
    • June: To dominate the market, Commodore slashes the C64 price to $300, triggering an intense price war that drives competitors like Texas Instruments out of the market.
  • 1984: Leadership Changes
    • January: Founder Jack Tramiel resigns from Commodore after a disagreement with chairman Irving Gould.
    • Expansion: The Commodore 16 and Plus/4 are introduced as low-cost alternatives, though they lack full C64 compatibility.
  • 1985: Peak Performance
    • C128 Release: Commodore launches the Commodore 128, which includes a dedicated C64 compatibility mode to leverage the existing library.
    • Gaming Dominance: The C64 becomes the primary platform for video games, with thousands of titles released by developers like System 3 and MicroProse.
  • 1986: The Redesign
    • May: The Commodore 64C is released, featuring a sleeker, flatter cream-coloured case similar to the Amiga 500.
    • Milestones: To celebrate selling one million units in Germany, a limited “Gold Edition” is presented at the BMW museum.
  • 1987–1989: Late-Era Variants
    • 1987: The C64 Aldi is sold through German supermarkets as a budget model.
    • 1988: The C64G is introduced, returning to the original breadbox shape but using the modern 64C internal hardware.
  • 1990: Consolidation and Consoles
    • C64 Games System (GS): Commodore attempts to enter the console market by releasing the C64 GS (a keyboardless C64), but it fails to compete with the rising 16-bit systems like the Sega Genesis.
  • 1994: The End of an Era
    • April: Despite reaching a final sales total of roughly 17–22 million units, Commodore International files for bankruptcy and the C64 is officially discontinued. 

Commodore 64 Home Computer Timeline Overview

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Author: Mark Whitfield

Welcome to my site! After graduating in Computing in 1990, I accepted a position as a programmer at a Runcorn based software house specialising in electronic banking software, namely sp/ARCHITECT-BANK on Tandem Computers (now HPE NonStop). This was before the internet became more prevalent and so the notion of enabling desktop access to company accounts for inter-account transfers and book keeping was still quite a cutting edge idea (and smartphones only ever hinted at in Space 1999). The company was called The Software Partnership (which was taken over by Deluxe Data in 1994). I spent 5 years in Runcorn developing code for SP/ARCHITECT for various banks like TSB, Bank of Scotland, Rabobank and Girofon (Denmark) to name but a few. I then moved onto a software house in Salford Quays for further bank facing projects. After a further 23 years in the IT industry and now a Senior IT Project Manager (both Agile and Waterfall delivery), I thought I would echo out my Career Profile in this corner of the internet for quick and easy access.

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