Games Released in April 1986

30 new games debuted in April 1986, with Family Computer being the most active platform. April 1 was the busiest day, with 9 releases. Arkanoid was the most popular release of the month.

Which days had the most releases?

April 1 saw the most activity with 9 releases.

9 releases

April 1

5 releases

April 17

4 releases

April 25

2 releases

April 30

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 1 (April 1–7)

12 releases

Week 2 (April 8–14)

2 releases

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 3 (April 15–21)

10 releases

Most popular release in Week 3

The Legend of Kage

The Legend of Kage is a port of the 1985 arcade game under the same name. The player is armed with a kodachi shortsword and an unlimited amount of shuriken. Grabbing a crystal ball causes the player character's Kage's clothes to change to the next level in colour and thereby attain certain powers (bigger shuriken and/or faster speed); if Kage is hit while in green or orange clothes, he does not die but revert to his normal red clothes. Grabbing a scroll causes Kage to stand still and meditate for several seconds while approaching enemies drop to the ground dead.

Week 4 (April 22–28)

9 releases

Most popular release in Week 4

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.

Week 5 (April 29–30)

3 releases

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

Apple II2 releases

Family Computer Disk System2 releases

Sega Master System/Mark III2 releases

Sharp X12 releases

Amstrad CPC1 release

Atari ST/STE1 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

Sport3

Strategy3

Fighting2

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