Games Released in 1989

1,354 new games debuted in 1989 across 10 platforms, with Family Computer seeing 136 releases. December was the busiest month, with 119 releases. Tetris was the most popular release of the year.

Which days had the most releases?

February 1 was the busiest single day of 1989 with 56 releases.

Game cover
Game cover

56 releases

February 1

Game cover
Game cover

22 releases

December 1

Game cover
Game cover

19 releases

June 1

Game cover
Game cover

17 releases

December 31

Which month had the most releases?

The busiest release month of 1989 was December, totaling 119 titles.

How did each season compare?

Q4 was the busiest quarter of 1989 with 202 releases.

Q1 (Jan–Mar)

169 releases
Golden Axe

Most popular release in Q1

Golden Axe

Progress is made through the game by fighting through Death Adder's henchmen, including men armed with clubs and maces, skeleton warriors, and knights. Players are able to attack using their weapon, jump and cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of "bars" of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue 'magic potions' attained by kicking little sprites who then drop the potions. These sprites appear during regular levels and during bonus stages in between levels. The male warrior Ax is able to cast earth spells. The dwarf Gilius, casts lightning spells and the female warrior Tyris casts fire magic. Each character has a different number of maximum magic bars and varying ranges of attack. Various steeds known as bizarrians are found in the game. These can be ridden when the enemy rider is knocked off, or if one is found dormant. The least powerful steed is known as the Cockatrice, which can be used to knock down enemies with a swipe of its tail. The more powerful dragon, which can either shoot fireballs or breathe fire, is found later in the game.

Q3 (Jul–Sep)

140 releases
Disney's DuckTales

Most popular release in Q3

Disney's DuckTales

DuckTales is a platform game developed and published by Capcom and based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name. It was first released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989 and was later ported to the Game Boy in 1990. The story involves Scrooge McDuck traveling around the globe collecting treasure and outwitting his rival Flintheart Glomgold to become the world's richest duck. Produced by key personnel from the Mega Man series, DuckTales would go on to sell over a million copies worldwide on each system, becoming Capcom's best-selling title for both platforms. The game was praised for its tight control, unique and non-linear gameplay and bright presentation, and is often regarded as one of the best titles for the NES, appearing on numerous "Best of" lists.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Family Computer received 136 new titles in 1989, holding the most releases. The runner up was Arcade with 70 new titles.

Family Computer136 releases
Arcade70 releases
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine69 releases
Nintendo Entertainment System43 releases
Sharp X6800041 releases
PC-9800 Series33 releases
DOS30 releases
MSX28 releases
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis28 releases
Commodore C64/128/MAX27 releases

What genres were most popular?

Shooter was the dominant genre in 1989 with 125 titles. Adventure followed closely with 118.

Shooter125
Adventure118
Arcade90
Sport89
Role-playing80
Platform79
Strategy60
Puzzle48
Hack and slash35
Simulator35
19881990