Games Released in 1983

1,373 new games debuted in 1983 across 10 platforms, with Atari 2600 seeing 87 releases. February was the busiest month, with 126 releases. Spy Hunter was the most popular release of the year.

Which days had the most releases?

February 1 was the busiest single day of 1983 with 118 releases.

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118 releases

February 1

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39 releases

December 31

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20 releases

January 1

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18 releases

December 1

Which month had the most releases?

The busiest release month of 1983 was February, totaling 126 titles.

How did each season compare?

Q1 was the busiest quarter of 1983 with 162 releases.

Q1 (Jan–Mar)

162 releases
Gyruss

Most popular release in Q1

Gyruss

Gyruss is a shoot 'em up video arcade game developed by Konami, and released in 1983. It was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, who had earlier created Time Pilot for Konami. Gyruss was licensed to Centuri in the United States, and was ported to numerous games consoles and home computers. It follows in the tradition of space war games such as Space Invaders and Galaga. Gyruss was the second and last game Yoshiki Okamoto designed for Konami, after Time Pilot. Due to pay disputes, he was fired after the release of this game, and soon joined Capcom, where he would write 1942 and the first Street Fighter game. The game's background music is an electronic, fast-paced arrangement of J. S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565; this particular arrangement is similar in sound to "Toccata", a rock arrangement by the UK-based instrumentalist group Sky. Gyruss is notable for using stereo sound, which according to the bonus material for Konami Arcade Classics, was achieved by utilizing discrete audio circuits. The game used three microprocessors: two Z80 microprocessors and one 6809, as well as an 8039 microcontroller. For the sound, five AY-3-8910 PSG sound chips and a DAC. Gyruss was released in both upright and cocktail cabinets. R.Hirst "KOO", M.Jones, "BOX" and the Elliott Brother's are arguably considered some of the best Gyruss players of the 1990's.

Q2 (Apr–Jun)

72 releases
Elevator Action

Most popular release in Q2

Elevator Action

Elevator Action is a 1983 arcade game by Taito. It debuted during the "Golden Age of Arcade Games". Innovative in gameplay, the game was very popular for many years. In the game, the player assumes the role of a spy who infiltrates a building filled with elevators. He must collect secret documents from the building and traverse the 30 floors of the building using an increasingly complex series of elevators. The player is pursued by enemy agents who appear from behind closed doors. These agents must be dealt with via force or evasion. Successful completion of a level involves collecting all the secret documents and traversing the building from top to bottom. In the lower floors of the building, the elevator systems are so complex that some puzzle-solving skills are needed. The game was available as a standard upright cabinet The controls consist of a 4-way joystick and two buttons, one for "shoot" and the other for jumping and kicking. The maximum number of players is two, alternating turns. The graphics are extremely simple, 2D color graphics and in-game music was composed by musician Yoshio Imamura. The game was followed by a sequel, Elevator Action II (also known as Elevator Action Returns).

Q4 (Oct–Dec)

97 releases
Spy Hunter

Most popular release in Q4

Spy Hunter

Originating in the arcades, Spy Hunter is a driving action game played from an overhead point of view. Your car is equipped with machine guns to help you get past the numerous enemies out on the road (be careful not to shoot any civilians, though!) Occasionally you will come across a weapons van, and if you drive into the back of the van your car becomes equipped with a second weapon (such as smoke screen, oil slick, or missiles). At several points the road splits and you can enter a boathouse which transforms your car into a boat temporarily. If you drive far enough the seasons change as well (watch out for icy conditions during winter!). The enemy cars will do anything to stop you, including running you off the road, firing guns from the back of a limo, or dropping bombs from a helicopter.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Atari 2600 received 87 new titles in 1983, holding the most releases. The runner up was Arcade with 65 new titles.

Atari 260087 releases
Arcade65 releases
Commodore C64/128/MAX33 releases
Texas Instruments TI-9926 releases
Atari 8-bit18 releases
ZX Spectrum15 releases
Apple II14 releases
ColecoVision14 releases
Game & Watch13 releases
PC-8800 Series13 releases

What genres were most popular?

Arcade was the dominant genre in 1983 with 141 titles. Shooter followed closely with 96.

Arcade141
Shooter96
Platform48
Adventure35
Puzzle34
Sport24
Strategy20
Racing19
Simulator16
Role-playing8
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