Games Released in September 1985

23 new games debuted in September 1985, with Commodore C64/128/MAX being the most active platform. September 1 was the busiest day, with 11 releases. Super Mario Bros. was the most popular release of the month.

Which days had the most releases?

September 1 saw the most activity with 11 releases.

11 releases

September 1

2 releases

September 27

2 releases

September 20

2 releases

September 17

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Sun, Sep 1

11 releases

Mon, Sep 2

1 release

Tue, Sep 3

2 releases

Wed, Sep 4

No releases

Thu, Sep 5

No releases

Fri, Sep 6

No releases

Sat, Sep 7

No releases

Sun, Sep 8

No releases

Mon, Sep 9

2 releases

Tue, Sep 10

1 release

Wed, Sep 11

No releases

Thu, Sep 12

No releases

Fri, Sep 13

1 release

Sat, Sep 14

No releases

Sun, Sep 15

No releases

Mon, Sep 16

2 releases

Tue, Sep 17

2 releases

Wed, Sep 18

No releases

Thu, Sep 19

No releases

Fri, Sep 20

2 releases

Sat, Sep 21

No releases

Sun, Sep 22

No releases

Mon, Sep 23

No releases

Tue, Sep 24

No releases

Wed, Sep 25

No releases

Thu, Sep 26

No releases

Fri, Sep 27

2 releases

Sat, Sep 28

No releases

Sun, Sep 29

No releases

Mon, Sep 30

No releases

How did each week compare?

The first week of September was the busiest with 14 releases.

Week 1 (September 1–7)

14 releases

Most popular release in Week 1

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I - The Bard's Tale

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I, better known as "The Bard's Tale", is an RPG developed by Interplay Productions in 1985 originally for the Apple II. It was quickly ported to numerous other platforms and became widely successful. This was partly because it incorporated unprecedented 3D graphic design, featuring partly animated character portraits and engaging gameplay. It also helped that the game was available on the Commodore 64-the most successful game console at the time, whereas the main competitor-the Ultima series, was not.

Week 2 (September 8–14)

4 releases

Most popular release in Week 2

Super Mario Bros.

A side scrolling 2D platformer and first entry in the Super Mario franchise, Super Mario Bros. follows Italian plumber Mario as he treks across many levels of platforming challenges featuring hostile enemies to rescue Princess Peach from the evil king Bowser.

Week 3 (September 15–21)

6 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

Spellbreaker

Spellbreaker is an interactive fiction computer game written by Dave Lebling and released by Infocom in 1985, the third and final game in the "Enchanter Trilogy". Like most of Infocom's games, it was released for many of the time's popular computer platforms, such as the Commodore 64, Atari ST and Apple II. It is Infocom's eighteenth game. Over the course of events in the trilogy's earlier games from 956 to 957 GUE (Enchanter and Sorcerer), the player's character has progressed from a novice wizard possessing a few weak spells to the leader of the Circle of Enchanters. Now, in 966 GUE (ten years after the events of Enchanter), the very foundations of Magic itself seem to be failing, and the leaders of all the Guilds in the land have gathered to demand answers. In the midst of this impassioned meeting, the crowd is suddenly transformed into a group of toads and newts. Everyone present is affected except for the player and a shadowy figure who flees the hall.

Week 4 (September 22–28)

2 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

City Connection

The NES port of City Connection, a 1-2 player comedic racing adventure platform game in which you control a car that can never be stopped. The object of the game is to drive through a series of cities and paint every part of the roads in each city as proof of your visit to that city. City Connection was remarkable for its time in that each location had its own background and music which was a variation on the main theme of the game. There are twelve locations: Manhattan, the Grand Canyon, Easter Island, Paris, Neuschwanstein Castle, London, Sydney, Egyptian temples, and cities in India, Holland, China and Japan.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Commodore C64/128/MAX received 8 new titles in September 1985. The runner up was Apple II with 6 new titles.

Commodore C64/128/MAX8 releases

Apple II6 releases

Family Computer5 releases

Amstrad CPC3 releases

Atari 8-bit3 releases

DOS3 releases

Arcade2 releases

ZX Spectrum2 releases

Atari ST/STE1 release

Epoch Super Cassette Vision1 release

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in September 1985 with 8 titles. Arcade followed closely with 7.

Adventure8

Arcade7

Shooter5

Puzzle4

Platform3

Simulator3

Sport3

Fighting1

Music1

Quiz/Trivia1

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