Games Released in August 1988

43 new games released in August 1988, with Family Computer being the most active platform. August 1 was the busiest day, with 6 new releases.

Top Platform

Family Computer

New Releases

43

Busiest Day

August 1

Golvellius: Valley of Doom

What was the most popular game of August 1988?

Golvellius: Valley of Doom

Enter the world of Golvellius. Where demons rule the valley of water...and control the creatures of land, sea and air. Where almost everyone stands against you. There is only one way in...and no way out except victory or death! It's an adventure that will take you across deserts and mountains, oceans and forests...through eerie graveyards and caves filled with danger and surprise. Golvellius has a PASSWORD SAVE feature that lets you keep all your possessions. So you never have to start an adventure empty handed!

Which days had the most releases?

August 1 saw the most activity with 6 releases.

Game cover
Game cover

6 releases

August 1

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Game cover

5 releases

August 10

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4 releases

August 12

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Game cover

4 releases

August 19

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Mon, Aug 1

6 releases

Tue, Aug 2

2 releases

Wed, Aug 3

1 release

Thu, Aug 4

No releases

Fri, Aug 5

1 release

Sat, Aug 6

No releases

Sun, Aug 7

No releases

Mon, Aug 8

1 release

Tue, Aug 9

3 releases

Wed, Aug 10

5 releases

Thu, Aug 11

2 releases

Fri, Aug 12

4 releases

Sat, Aug 13

No releases

Sun, Aug 14

2 releases

Mon, Aug 15

1 release

Tue, Aug 16

No releases

Wed, Aug 17

1 release

Thu, Aug 18

1 release

Fri, Aug 19

4 releases

Sat, Aug 20

1 release

Sun, Aug 21

No releases

Mon, Aug 22

1 release

Tue, Aug 23

1 release

Wed, Aug 24

No releases

Thu, Aug 25

No releases

Fri, Aug 26

3 releases

Sat, Aug 27

No releases

Sun, Aug 28

No releases

Mon, Aug 29

No releases

Tue, Aug 30

3 releases

Wed, Aug 31

No releases

How did each week compare?

The second week of August was the busiest with 17 releases.

Week 1 (August 1–7)

10 releases
Power Drift

Most popular release in Week 1

Power Drift

Power Drift is a kart racing game released in arcades by Sega in 1988. More technologically advanced than Sega's earlier 2.5D racing games, like Hang-On (1985) and Out Run (1986), in Power Drift the entire world and track consist of sprites. The upgraded hardware of the Sega Y Board allows individual sprites and the background to be rotated–even while being scaled–making the visuals more dynamic. Designed and directed by Yu Suzuki, the game was a critical and commercial success upon release in arcades. It was subsequently ported to various home computers in Europe by Activision in 1989, followed by a PC Engine port published in Japan by Asmik Ace in 1990. It was not released on Sega consoles until the Sega Ages release for the Sega Saturn in 1998.

Week 3 (August 15–21)

8 releases
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War

Most popular release in Week 3

P.O.W.: Prisoners of War

The arcade version of Prisoners of War can be played by up to two players simultaneously, In La Havana, Cuba Player 1 controls a prisoner dressed in blue named Snake, while Player 2 controls one in red named Bart. The objective is to escape from the enemy's base by fighting their way through four stages filled with numerous soldiers trying to impede the player's escape. The stages consist of a POW camp, a warehouse, a jungle, and the enemy's base. Enemies includes foot soldiers, commandos, and green berets. The controls consists of an eight-way joystick for moving the character and three action buttons for punching, kicking, and jumping. here are also three special attacks performed by pressing two buttons in combination: a jump kick (jump, and then kick), a back punch (jump and punch simultaneously), and a headbutt (punch and kick simultaneously). The player can also pick up one of two weapons dropped by defeated enemies: a throwing knife and a machine gun. When wielding the machine gun, the player can fire it by pressing the kick button or conserve its ammo by pressing the punch button to gun whip enemies.

Week 5 (August 29–31)

3 releases
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones

Most popular release in Week 5

Keith Courage in Alpha Zones

Now the Battle is in Your Hands. You are Keith Courage. Struck by a giant meteor, the world has been invaded by strange creatures from another planet. Burrowing deep within the Earth's surface, the Planet of B.A.D. (Beastly Alien Dudes) seeks to take over the world. As a member of N.I.C.E. (Nations of International Citizens for Earth), your mission is to defeat B.A.D. and bring peace back to the world. Armed only with a sword, you must first defeat the outpost guards. Then, enter the Underworld. Here you activate the awesome Nova Suit. A secret force left to you by your fallen father, you are half man, half mechanical monster. Nearly invincible, your sword cracks with the power of lightning, as you wreak havoc on the fearsome Dudes. Your goal is to reach the Robo Zone (the seventh Alpha Zone), headquarters of B.A.D. Succeed here and you will have won the game, recapturing the Earth and restoring humanity's place in the universe. You have help along the way. Four friends offer you advice, swords, bombs, and extra lives. Collect the stolen riches left behind by the invaders and buy your way out of trouble with money.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Family Computer received 18 new titles in August 1988. The runner up was Arcade with 6 new titles.

Family Computer18 releases
Arcade6 releases
Family Computer Disk System5 releases
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine4 releases
Mac2 releases
DOS1 release
Sharp X11 release
ZX Spectrum1 release
PC-8800 Series1 release
MSX1 release

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in August 1988 with 12 titles. Role-playing followed closely with 8.

Adventure12
Role-playing8
Arcade7
Sport7
Strategy5
Puzzle4
Shooter4
Simulator4
Platform4
Point-and-click3
1988 Review
JulSep