Games Released in 1997

1,801 new games debuted in 1997 across 10 platforms, with PlayStation seeing 492 releases. December was the busiest month, with 215 releases. Final Fantasy VII was the most popular release of the year.

Which days had the most releases?

February 28 was the busiest single day of 1997 with 37 releases.

37 releases

February 28

34 releases

March 28

33 releases

February 1

32 releases

December 18

Which month had the most releases?

The busiest release month of 1997 was December, totaling 215 titles.

How did each season compare?

Q4 was the busiest quarter of 1997 with 522 releases.

Q1 (Jan–Mar)

382 releases

Most popular release in Q1

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Having been awoken from his eternal slumber by the reappearance of Castlevania, Alucard must once again face the evil minions of darkness. Use your vampiric powers, along with weapons, potions, and other magical relics to change the tide of battle. A mixture of platform and role-playing action with many hidden areas and secrets. Can you discover them all?

Q2 (Apr–Jun)

327 releases

Most popular release in Q2

Star Fox 64

The update to the 16-bit Super NES title continues the original's on-rails 3D shooting action on the Nintendo 64. Starring Fox McCloud, Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi, and Slippy Toad, this new 64-bit version contains 15 plus levels, easy, medium, and difficult paths, forward-scrolling levels as well as full 3D realms, and a three-part multiplayer mode using a four-player split screen. In addition to plenty of Arwing action, the game introduces a new hover tank and even features a submarine level. The 8-megabyte cartridge also boasts voice samples from 23 different characters instead of the original's animal noises. Star Fox 64 was the first game to feature Rumble Pak support. A Rumble Pak bundle and standalone version of the game were sold. Released in Europe under the name Lylat Wars.

Q3 (Jul–Sep)

391 releases

Most popular release in Q3

Final Fantasy VII

The Western release of Final Fantasy VII (released as Final Fantasy VII International in Japan) included additional elements and alterations, such as streamlining of the menu and Materia system, reducing the health of enemies, new visual cues to help with navigation across the world map, and additional cutscenes relating to Cloud's past.

Q4 (Oct–Dec)

522 releases

Most popular release in Q4

Age of Empires

Age of Empires (AoE) is a history-based real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. The game uses the Genie, a 2D sprite-based game engine. The game allows the user to act as the leader of an ancient civilization by advancing it through four ages (the Stone, Tool, Bronze, and Iron Ages), gaining access to new and improved units with each advance.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PlayStation received 492 new titles in 1997, holding the most releases. The runner up was PC with 383 new titles.

PlayStation492 releases

PC383 releases

Sega Saturn307 releases

Mac75 releases

Nintendo 6470 releases

Arcade60 releases

DOS59 releases

Game Boy57 releases

Satellaview50 releases

Super Famicom32 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in 1997 with 289 titles. Shooter followed closely with 201.

Adventure289

Shooter201

Sport186

Simulator177

Strategy163

Puzzle157

Role-playing150

Racing117

Arcade114

Fighting108

1996 1998

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