Games Released in April 1986

36 new games released in April 1986, with Family Computer being the most active platform. April 1 was the busiest day, with 9 new releases.

Top Platform

Family Computer

New Releases

36

Busiest Day

April 1

Arkanoid

What was the most popular game of April 1986?

Arkanoid

Arkanoid is an arcade game developed by Taito in 1986. It expanded upon Atari's Breakout games of the 1970s by adding power-ups, different types of bricks, and a variety of level layouts. The title refers to a doomed "mothership" from which the player's ship, the Vaus, escapes.

Which days had the most releases?

April 1 saw the most activity with 9 releases.

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Game cover

9 releases

April 1

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Game cover

5 releases

April 17

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4 releases

April 25

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Game cover

2 releases

April 4

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Tue, Apr 1

9 releases

Wed, Apr 2

1 release

Thu, Apr 3

No releases

Fri, Apr 4

2 releases

Sat, Apr 5

No releases

Sun, Apr 6

No releases

Mon, Apr 7

No releases

Tue, Apr 8

1 release

Wed, Apr 9

No releases

Thu, Apr 10

No releases

Fri, Apr 11

No releases

Sat, Apr 12

No releases

Sun, Apr 13

No releases

Mon, Apr 14

1 release

Tue, Apr 15

1 release

Wed, Apr 16

No releases

Thu, Apr 17

5 releases

Fri, Apr 18

2 releases

Sat, Apr 19

No releases

Sun, Apr 20

No releases

Mon, Apr 21

2 releases

Tue, Apr 22

No releases

Wed, Apr 23

1 release

Thu, Apr 24

1 release

Fri, Apr 25

4 releases

Sat, Apr 26

2 releases

Sun, Apr 27

1 release

Mon, Apr 28

No releases

Tue, Apr 29

1 release

Wed, Apr 30

2 releases

How did each week compare?

The first week of April was the busiest with 12 releases.

Week 2 (April 8–14)

2 releases
The Mysterious Murasame Castle

Most popular release in Week 2

The Mysterious Murasame Castle

Restore peace to a land that has been overridden by evil! One stormy night in feudal Japan, a mysterious force begins to take control over Murasame Castle and its lands. Each lord in four neighboring castles has taken possession of a dark sphere of power, allowing them to summon ninja armies and monsters that wreak havoc in the villages. Takamaru, a brave and young samurai apprentice, has been sent to investigate. He must infiltrate all four castles and defeat the lords before making his way to Murasame Castle. Use sword and shuriken attacks against the swarms of enemies, and unlock the secret behind the source of evil. The game was at first released exclusively for the Famicom in Japan, but it would come to the rest of the world for the first time in 2013 as part of the 3DS virtual console, as well as for Nintendo Switch Online in 2023.

Week 5 (April 29–30)

3 releases
Scary Monsters

Most popular release in Week 5

Scary Monsters

In Scary Monsters you are a hunk called Harry Johns who is trapped on a desolate island along with his girlfriend Conny. The fiend who trapped the two of you is the evil Dr. Graves, who happens to be a surgeon gone completely mad! Although at first glance the island seems pretty nice, with some beautiful green hills and forests, making it a nice setting for your own little private version of The Blue Lagoon, it soon becomes apparent that some very creepy characters inhabit this piece of land. In mansions, castles, a church and even a pyramid live Dracula, Frankenstein, a werewolf, a mummy, a witch and a rather funny looking deformed guy. And if being on the same little continent with these creeps isn’t enough, you actually have got to kill them all before you can leave the island… it just isn’t your day! The monsters are hiding in the different buildings on the island and to kill them you’ll have to find an appropriate weapon. For example, to kill Dracula, you’ll need a stake and a hammer and to kill the werewolf a gun with some silver bullets might be useful. All the necessary weapons are too scattered among the different buildings, but not necessarily in the same building as the monster it is suitable for. So you’ll have to roam the island searching through the various buildings, looking for the weapons and the monsters to use them on. One weapon can be held at a time, so remember where all the monsters and different weapons are hidden, when you see them, so you can find them later on when needed.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Family Computer received 12 new titles in April 1986. The runner up was Commodore C64/128/MAX with 5 new titles.

Family Computer12 releases
Commodore C64/128/MAX5 releases
Arcade4 releases
PC-8800 Series3 releases
Sharp X12 releases
Apple II2 releases
Family Computer Disk System2 releases
Sega Master System/Mark III2 releases
Atari ST/STE1 release
ZX Spectrum1 release

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in April 1986 with 10 titles. Arcade followed closely with 9.

Adventure10
Arcade9
Platform9
Puzzle5
Shooter5
Role-playing4
Simulator4
Strategy3
Sport3
Fighting2
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