Retrospective reviews found the graphics and sound for Surround weak, while remaining effective as a two-player competitive game.

The computer-controlled blocks move automatically across the screen and can be navigated up, down, left, right, and, in some modes, diagonally along the playing field.

[8] The release also features two "Video Graffiti" modes, which let the player to create digital illustrations with the joystick.

[10] Prior to the release of Surround, designer Lane Hauck developed the arcade game Blockade (1976) for Gremlin Industries.

[11][12] At the time of Blockade's release, counterfeiting was high and public demand for the game was not as long-lasting as the company had hoped.

In 1977, Miller responded to an ad by Atari looking for someone with microprocessor knowledge and was hired and began working on Surround as his first task.

[20][21] It was also released to portable game compilations such as Atari Greatest Hits for Nintendo DS and iOS-based smartphones.

[27][28] The pair found the 2-player mode with faster speed and diagonal movement to be the most competitive and promoted frequent replays.

[8][27] David H. Ahl found all the launch titles for the Atari VCS were designed for repeat playthroughs, and that Surround specifically had complex gameplay and fantastic sound effects.

[25][30] Brett Alan Weiss, writing for online database AllGame, echoed the previous statements of the game's sound and visuals being overly simplistic while two-player matches were highly competitive and entertaining.

Bunch concluded that the 1970s titles for the system were "frequently overlooked, but Surround is one of the few–alongside with the likes of Combat, Air-Sea Battle and Indy 500–that really holds up.