# 1989 in video games

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
1989 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Phantasy Star II, Super Mario Land, Super Monaco GP, along with new titles such as Big Run, Bonk's Adventure, Final Fight, Golden Axe, Strider, Hard Drivin' and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The year also saw the release of the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 in North America, and the Game Boy worldwide along with Tetris and Super Mario Land.
The year's highest-grossing arcade games in Japan were Namco's Final Lap and Sega's Tetris, while the highest-grossing arcade video games in the United States were Double Dragon, Super Off Road and Hard Drivin' among dedicated arcade cabinets and Capcom Bowling and Ninja Gaiden among arcade conversion kits. The year's best‑selling home system was the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) for the sixth year in a row, while the year's best-selling home video games were Super Mario Bros. 3 in Japan and RoboCop in the United Kingdom.

## Financial performance
### Highest-grossing arcade games
#### Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1989.
| Rank | Gamest | Gamest | Game Machine | Game Machine |
| Rank | Title | Manufacturer | Dedicated arcade cabinet | Software conversion kit |
| 1 | Tetris | Sega | Final Lap | Tetris (Sega) |
| 2 | Winning Run | Namco | Chase H.Q. | World Stadium |
| 3 | Super Monaco GP | Sega | Operation Thunderbolt | Truxton |
| 4 | Power Drift | Sega | Winning Run (deluxe) | Image Fight |
| 5 | Image Fight | Irem | Out Run (deluxe) | Shanghai II |
| 6 | Final Lap | Namco | Top Landing | Kyukyoku Tiger (Twin Cobra)f |
| 7 | Tenchi wo Kurau | Capcom | Power Drift (deluxe) | Shanghai |
| 8 | Ghouls 'n Ghosts | Capcom | Super Monaco GP (deluxe) | Sichuan |
| 9 | Turbo OutRun | Sega | Metal Hawk | Birdie Try |
| 10 | Chase H.Q. | Taito | Turbo OutRun | Galaga '88 |

#### Hong Kong and United Kingdom

In Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, the following titles were the top-grossing arcade games of each month.
| Month | Hong Kong (Bondeal) | Hong Kong (Bondeal) | Hong Kong (Bondeal) | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | United Kingdom |
| Month | Dedicated cabinet | Conversion kit | Ref | Title | Manufacturer | Ref |
| February | Un­known | Un­known | | Strider | Capcom | |
| March | Un­known | Un­known | | Strider | Capcom | |
| April | Un­known | Un­known | | Strider | Capcom | |
| November | Hard Drivin' | Burning Force | | Un­known | Un­known | |
| December | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Pang | | Un­known | Un­known | |
| December | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Burning Force | | Un­known | Un­known | |

#### United States

In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1989.
| Rank | AMOA | AMOA | RePlay | RePlay | AMAA |
| Rank | Dedicated arcade cabinet | Conversion kit | Dedicated cabinet | Conversion kit | AMAA |
| 1 | Double Dragon | Capcom Bowling | Super Off Road | Ninja Gaiden | Hard Drivin' |
| 2 | Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, Operation Thunderbolt, Super Off Road, John Elway's Quarterback | Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Tetris (Atari) Cabal | Hard Drivin' | Cabal | Tetris (Atari) |
| 3 | Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, Operation Thunderbolt, Super Off Road, John Elway's Quarterback | Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Tetris (Atari) Cabal | Operation Thunderbolt | Golden Axe | Cabal, Crime Fighters, Chase H.Q., Operation Thunderbolt |
| 4 | Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, Operation Thunderbolt, Super Off Road, John Elway's Quarterback | Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Tetris (Atari) Cabal | Chase H.Q. | WWF Superstars | Cabal, Crime Fighters, Chase H.Q., Operation Thunderbolt |
| 5 | Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, Operation Thunderbolt, Super Off Road, John Elway's Quarterback | Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Tetris (Atari) Cabal | Narc | Capcom Bowling | Cabal, Crime Fighters, Chase H.Q., Operation Thunderbolt |
| 6 | — | — | S.T.U.N. Runner, Super Monaco GP, Turbo OutRun, Big Run | Mechanized Attack, Midnight Resistance, Caliber .50 | Cabal, Crime Fighters, Chase H.Q., Operation Thunderbolt |
| 7 | — | — | S.T.U.N. Runner, Super Monaco GP, Turbo OutRun, Big Run | Mechanized Attack, Midnight Resistance, Caliber .50 | Superman, U.S. Classic |
| 8 | — | — | S.T.U.N. Runner, Super Monaco GP, Turbo OutRun, Big Run | Mechanized Attack, Midnight Resistance, Caliber .50 | Superman, U.S. Classic |
| 9 | — | — | S.T.U.N. Runner, Super Monaco GP, Turbo OutRun, Big Run | — | — |
| 10 | — | — | Mechanized Attack, Midnight Resistance | — | — |
| 11 | — | — | Mechanized Attack, Midnight Resistance | — | — |

### Best-selling home systems

| Rank | System(s) | Manufacturer | Type | Generation | Sales | Sales | Sales | Sales | Sales |
| Rank | System(s) | Manufacturer | Type | Generation | Japan | USA | Europe | Korea | Worldwide |
| 1 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Nintendo | Console | 8-bit | 1,520,000 | 9,200,000 | 180,000+ | 20,000 | 10,920,000+ |
| 2 | Game Boy | Nintendo | Handheld | 8-bit | 1,480,000 | 1,000,000 | — | — | 2,500,000 |
| 3 | Commodore 64 | Commodore | Computer | 8-bit | — | — | — | — | 1,250,000 |
| 4 | PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 | NEC | Console | 16-bit | 920,000 | 300,000 | Un­known | Un­known | 1,220,000+ |
| 5 | NEC UltraLite / PC-88 / PC-98 | NEC | Computer | 8-bit / 16-bit | 1,030,000 | 115,800+ | Un­known | Un­known | 1,145,800+ |
| 6 | Mega Drive / Genesis | Sega | Console | 16-bit | 600,000 | 500,000 | — | — | 1,100,000 |
| 7 | Macintosh | Apple Inc. | Computer | 16-bit | — | — | — | — | 1,100,000 |
| 8 | IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC) | IBM | Computer | 16-bit | Un­known | 748,600+ | Un­known | Un­known | 748,600+ |
| 9 | Mark III / Master System | Sega | Console | 8-bit | 200,000 | Un­known | 350,000 | 130,000 | 680,000+ |
| 10 | Amiga | Commodore | Computer | 16-bit | — | — | — | — | 600,000 |

### Best-selling home video games
#### Japan

The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1989 in Japan, according to the annual Family Computer Magazine (Famimaga) charts.
| Rank | Title | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Genre(s) | Sales | Platform(s) |
| 1 | Super Mario Bros. 3 | Nintendo R&D4 | Nintendo | Platformer | < 3,840,000 | Famicom |
| 2 | Tetris | BPS / Nintendo R&D1 | BPS / Nintendo | Puzzle | Un­known | FC / GB |
| 3 | Famista '89: Kaimaku Ban! | Namco | Namco | Sports (baseball) | Un­known | Famicom |
| 4 | SD Gundam World Gachapon Senshi 2 | Human Entertainment | Bandai | Strategy | Un­known | Famicom |
| 5 | Dragon Ball 3: Goku Den | TOSE | Bandai | RPG / card battle | < 760,000 | Famicom |
| 6 | Mother (EarthBound Beginnings) | Ape Inc. | Nintendo | RPG | < 400,000 | Famicom |
| 7 | Kyuukyoku Harikiri Stadium: Heisei Gannenhan | Taito | Taito | Sports (baseball) | Un­known | Famicom |
| 8 | Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden | TOSE | Bandai | Action RPG | Un­known | Famicom |
| 9 | Famista '90 | Namco | Namco | Sports (baseball) | Un­known | Famicom |
| 10 | Family Stadium '88 | Namco | Namco | | Sports (baseball) | Un­known | Famicom |

#### United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, RoboCop for the ZX Spectrum was the best-selling home video game of 1989. The following titles were the best-selling home video games of each month in the United Kingdom during 1989.
| Month | Title | Developer | Publisher | Platform(s) |
| January | Operation Wolf | Taito | Ocean Software | Computers |
| February | Operation Wolf | Taito | Ocean Software | Computers |
| March | Operation Wolf | Taito | Ocean Software | Computers |
| April | RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | 8-bit micros |
| May | RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | 8-bit micros |
| June | RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | 8-bit micros |
| July | RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | Computers |
| August | RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | Computers |
| September | Crazy Cars | Titus | Titus | 8-bit micros |
| October | Crazy Cars | Titus | Titus | Computers |
| November | Paperboy | Atari Games | Elite | 8-bit micros |
| December | Chase H.Q. | Taito | Ocean Software | Computers |
| 1989 | RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | ZX Spectrum |

#### United States

In the United States, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of each month in 1989.
| Month | Bundle | Standalone | Platform |
| January | Un­known | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| February | Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| March | Un­known | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| April | Un­known | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| May | Un­known | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| June | Un­known | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| July | Un­known | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| August | Un­known | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| September | Un­known | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| October | Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt | Super Mario Bros. 2 | NES |
| November | Un­known | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link | NES |
| December | Tetris | Tetris | Game Boy |

## Top-rated games
### Major awards
#### Japan and United Kingdom

| Award | 3rd Gamest Awards (Japan, December 1989) | 4th Famitsu Best Hit Game Awards (Japan, February 1990) | 4th Famimaga Game Awards (Japan, February 1990) | 4th Famimaga Game Awards (Japan, February 1990) | 7th Golden Joystick Awards (UK, April 1990) | 7th Golden Joystick Awards (UK, April 1990) |
| Award | Arcade | Console | Famicom | Game Boy | 8-bit computer | 16-bit computer |
| Game of the Year | Tetris (Sega) | Final Fantasy II | Final Fantasy II | Tetris | The Untouchables | Kick Off |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Gain Ground Image Fight Super Monaco GP Winning Run | Idol Hakkenden (Famicom) Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (Famicom) Gunhed (PC Engine) Sweet Home (Famicom) Far East of Eden: Ziria (PCD) Dragon Ball 3: Goku Den (Famicom) Pachio-kun 2 (Famicom) | — | — | — | — |
| Best Coin-Op Conversion | — | — | — | — | Chase H.Q. | Hard Drivin' |
| Best Game Design / Planning | — | Daichi-kun Crisis: Do Natural (PC Engine) | — | — | — | — |
| Best Playability | — | — | Final Fantasy II | Tetris | — | — |
| Best Scenario / Story | — | Famicom Detective Club 2 (Famicom) | — | — | — | — |
| Best Production | Strider HiryūI (Strider) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Best Graphics | Darius II | — | — | — | Myth | Shadow of the Beast |
| Best Music / Sound | Valkyrie no Densetsu | Mother (EarthBound Beginnings) | Final Fantasy II | Tetris | Chase H.Q. | Future Wars |
| Best Game Company | Namco | — | — | — | Ocean Software | Ocean Software |
| Special Award | CP System | — | — | — | — | — |
| Best Originality / Original Game | — | — | Final Fantasy II | Tetris | Populous | Populous |
| Best Character / Character Design | Valkyrie (Valkyrie no Densetsu) | Quinty (Mendel Palace) | SD Gundam World Gachapon Senshi 2 | Pinball: 66 Hiki no Wani Daikoushin | — | — |
| Best Group | Tetris Blocks (Tetris) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Best Action Game | Strider HiryūI (Strider) | | Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (Famicom) | Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (Famicom) | — | — |
| Best Shooting Game | Area 88 | | TwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō (Famicom) | TwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō (Famicom) | — | — |
| Best Adventure Game | — | | Yūyūki (Famicom Disk System) | Yūyūki (Famicom Disk System) | — | — |
| Best RPG | — | Final Fantasy II (Famicom) | Final Fantasy II (Famicom) | Final Fantasy II (Famicom) | — | — |
| Best Simulation Game | — | | N/A | N/A | Carrier Command | M1 Tank Platoon |
| Best Sports Game | — | | Famista '89: Kaimaku Ban! (Famicom) | Famista '89: Kaimaku Ban! (Famicom) | N/A | N/A |
| Best PC Leisure Product | — | — | N/A | N/A | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade |

#### United States

| Award | Electronic Gaming Monthly (December 1989) | VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (February 1990) | VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (February 1990) | VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (February 1990) | 2nd Nintendo Power Awards (May/June 1990) | Computer Entertainer Awards of Excellence (December 1989) | Computer Entertainer Awards of Excellence (December 1989) |
| Award | Console | Console | Computer | Arcade | NES | Console | Computer |
| Game of the Year | Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Sega Genesis) | The Legendary Axe (TG16) | Populous | S.T.U.N. Runner | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | — | — |
| Genesis Game of the Year | Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Sega Genesis) | Thunder Force II (Genesis) | — | — | — | Ghouls 'n Ghosts | — |
| Master System Game of the Year | Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap | — | — | — | — | SpellCaster | — |
| Nintendo Game of the Year | Ninja Gaiden (NES) | — | — | — | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) | — |
| TurboGrafx Game of the Year | The Legendary Axe (TurboGrafx-16) | The Legendary Axe (TurboGrafx-16) | — | — | — | Dungeon Explorer | — |
| Computer Entertainment Programs of the Year | — | — | — | — | — | — | Shadow of the Beast (Amiga) Prince of Persia (Apple II) Powerdrome (Atari ST) Windwalker (C64/C128) Budokan (DOS) Cosmic Osmo (Mac) |
| Best Coin-Op Conversion | — | Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Genesis) | Arkanoid | — | — | — | — |
| Best Multiplayer Game | — | — | — | Crime Fighters | Tecmo Bowl | — | — |
| Best Hardware | Sega Genesis | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Best Theme / Fun | — | — | — | — | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | — | — |
| Best Play Control | — | — | — | — | Mega Man 2 | — | — |
| Most Challenge | Phantasy Star (Master System) | — | — | — | Ninja Gaiden | — | — |
| Best Graphics | Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Sega Genesis) | Thunder Force II (Genesis) | David Wolf | — | Mega Man 2 | — | Shadow of the Beast (Amiga) |
| Best Music / Sound | Fighting Street (TurboGrafx-CD) | Thunder Force II (Genesis) | David Wolf | — | Mega Man 2 | — | Shadow of the Beast (Amiga) |
| Developer / Software House | Sega, Konami, Acclaim, Sunsoft, Tecmo | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Best Character / Hero | Mega Man (Mega Man 2) | — | — | — | Link (Zelda II: The Adventure of Link) | — | — |
| Best Sequel | Mega Man 2 and Ghouls 'n Ghosts (tie) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Original / Special / Innovative | — | A Boy and His Blob (NES) | Star Saga One | Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters | — | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Populous |
| Best Action / Combat / Arcade-Style Game | — | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) | Hostage | Dynamite Duke | — | — | Blood Money |
| Best Adventure / Fantasy | — | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) | Manhunter: New York | — | — | — | The Third Courier |
| Best RPG | Ultima III: Exodus (NES) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Best Simulation Game | — | Alien Crush (TG16) | Vette! | — | — | — | Vette! |
| Best Sports Game | World Class Baseball Tommy Lasorda Baseball Baseball Simulator 1.000 | Tommy Lasorda Baseball (Sega Genesis) | Zany Golf | Cyberball | — | Goal! (NES) Tommy Lasorda Baseball (GEN) | TV Sports: Football (Amiga) John Madden Football (Apple II) Kings of the Beach (C64) Grave Yardage (MS-DOS) PlayMaker Football (Mac) |
| Best Driving Simulator | — | — | — | Hard Drivin' | — | — | — |
| Best Flying Game | — | — | — | Metal Hawk | — | — | — |
| Best Strategy / Wargame | — | A Boy and his Blob (NES) | SimCity | — | — | — | Sands of Fire |
| Best Action-Strategy Game | — | Mega Man 2 (NES) | Lords of the Rising Sun | — | — | — | — |
| Best Video Game Controller | Joycard Sansui SSS | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coolest Boss / Best Group | Loki (Ghouls 'n Ghosts) Jagu (The Legendary Axe) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Best Movie to Game | Batman: The Video Game | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Best Ending in a Video Game | Ninja Gaiden | — | — | — | Ninja Gaiden | — | — |

### Critically acclaimed titles
#### Famitsu and CVG reviews

In Japan, the following 1989 video game releases entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.
| Title | Platform | Score (out of 40) | Developer(s) | Publisher | Genre |
| Makai Toushi SaGa (Final Fantasy Legend) | Game Boy | 35 | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Role-playing |
| Ys I & II | PC Engine CD-ROM² | 35 | Nihon Falcom / Alfa System | Hudson Soft | Action role-playing |
In the United Kingdom, the following titles were Computer and Video Games (CVG) magazine's highest-rated games of 1989.
| Home video games | Home video games | Home video games | Arcade games | Arcade games |
| Title | Platform | Score | Rank | Title |
| Chase H.Q. | ZX Spectrum | 97% | 1 | S.T.U.N. Runner |
| Super Mario Bros. 2 | Nintendo Entertainment System | 97% | 2 | Super Monaco GP |
| Indianapolis 500: The Simulation | PC | 96% | 3 | Winning Run |
| Populous | Amiga | 96% | 4 | Hard Drivin' |
| Ghouls 'n Ghosts | Sega Mega Drive | 96% | 5 | Narc |
| F29 Retaliator | Amiga | 96% | — | — |
| Gunhed (Blazing Lazers) | PC Engine | 96% | — | — |
| Xenon 2: Megablast | Amiga | 96% | — | — |
| It Came from the Desert | Amiga | 95% | — | — |
| Damocles | Atari ST | 95% | — | — |
| Tetris | Game Boy | 95% | — | — |
| RoboCop | ZX Spectrum | 95% | — | — |

#### English-language reviews

Notable video game releases in 1989 that have accumulated overall critical acclaim from at least four contemporary English-language sources include:
| Title | Genre | Publisher | Platform | Number of reviews |
| Apache 3 | Rail shooter | Data East | Arcade | 4 |
| Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur | Interactive fiction | Infocom | Amiga | 8 |
| Big Run | Racing | Jaleco | Arcade | 4 |
| Blazing Lazers | Shoot 'em up | Hudson Soft | TurboGrafx-16 | 4 |
| Chase H.Q. | Action-racing | Ocean Software | ZX Spectrum | 5 |
| Chase HQ II: Special Criminal Investigation | Action-racing | Taito | Arcade | 6 |
| Crack Down | Run & gun shooter | Sega | Arcade | 5 |
| Dragon Breed | Scrolling shooter | Irem | Arcade | 6 |
| Dungeon Explorer | Action role-playing | Hudson Soft | TurboGrafx-16 | 4 |
| Dynasty Wars | Beat 'em up | Capcom | Arcade | 4 |
| F-16 Combat Pilot | Combat flight simulation | Digital Integration | Amiga | 7 |
| F-16 Combat Pilot | Combat flight simulation | Digital Integration | Atari ST | 4 |
| F-16 Combat Pilot | Combat flight simulation | Digital Integration | DOS | 4 |
| Forgotten Worlds | Shoot 'em up | U.S. Gold | Amiga | 6 |
| Forgotten Worlds | Shoot 'em up | U.S. Gold | Commodore 64 | 5 |
| Forgotten Worlds | Shoot 'em up | U.S. Gold | ZX Spectrum | 5 |
| Ghouls 'n Ghosts | Platformer | Capcom | Arcade | 6 |
| Ghouls 'n Ghosts | Platformer | Sega | Mega Drive/Genesis | 10 |
| Ghouls 'n Ghosts | Platformer | U.S. Gold | Amiga | 4 |
| Golden Axe | Beat 'em up | Sega | Arcade | 6 |
| Golden Axe | Beat 'em up | Sega | Mega Drive/Genesis | 10 |
| Hard Drivin' | Racing simulation | Atari Games | Arcade | 5 |
| Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure | Graphic adventure | Lucasfilm Games | DOS | 4 |
| Interphase | Shooter | Image Works | Atari ST | 5 |
| Interphase | Shooter | Image Works | Amiga | 9 |
| Mechanized Attack | Rail shooter | SNK | Arcade | 4 |
| Midnight Resistance | Run & gun shooter | Data East | Arcade | 4 |
| Myth: History in the Making | Platformer | System 3 | Commodore 64 | 4 |
| Ninja Gaiden (Shadow Warriors) | Beat 'em up | Tecmo | Arcade | 4 |
| Ninja Gaiden (Shadow Warriors) | Hack & slash | Tecmo | NES | 5 |
| Operation Thunderbolt | Light gun shooter | Taito | Arcade | 5 |
| Phantasy Star II | Role-playing | Sega | Mega Drive/Genesis | 8 |
| Populous | God | Electronic Arts | Amiga | 9 |
| The Revenge of Shinobi | Hack & slash | Sega | Mega Drive/Genesis | 10 |
| R-Type II | Shoot 'em up | Irem | Arcade | 6 |
| SimCity | City-building | Maxis | Amiga | 7 |
| Strider | Hack & slash | Capcom | Arcade | 5 |
| Strider | Hack & slash | U.S. Gold | Amiga | 4 |
| Strider | Hack & slash | U.S. Gold | Atari ST | 7 |
| Stunt Car Racer | Racing | MicroStyle | Amiga | 7 |
| Stunt Car Racer | Racing | MicroStyle | Atari ST | 7 |
| Stunt Car Racer | Racing | MicroStyle | Commodore 64 | 4 |
| Super Mario Land | Platformer | Nintendo | Game Boy | 4 |
| Super Monaco GP | Racing simulation | Sega | Arcade | 5 |
| The Untouchables | Action-adventure | Ocean Software | Amiga | 4 |
| The Untouchables | Action-adventure | Ocean Software | Atari ST | 4 |
| The Untouchables | Action-adventure | Ocean Software | ZX Spectrum | 4 |
| Willow | Platformer | Capcom | Arcade | 4 |
| Winning Run | Racing simulation | Namco | Arcade | 4 |
| Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap | Platform-adventure | Sega | Master System | 10 |
| Xenon 2: Megablast | Shoot 'em up | Image Works | Amiga | 8 |
| Xenon 2: Megablast | Shoot 'em up | Image Works | Atari ST | 7 |
| Ys: The Vanished Omens | Action role-playing | Sega | Master System | 7 |
| Ys I & II | Action role-playing | Hudson Soft | TurboGrafx-CD | 7 |

## Events

* The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 7–10. Nintendo announces that it would release 40 new NES titles through its licensees in 1989, while Sega announces 20 titles that include several translations of arcade games. Peripherals unveiled and demonstrated at this event include Broderbund's U-Force, Beeshu's Zoomer, and Nintendo's Power Pad. The next CES is held in Chicago in June.
* CSG Imagesoft and Sony hold regional Super Dodge Ball contests in Los Angeles (July 15–16 and 29–30), Chicago (August 5–6), New York City (September 9–10 and 16–17), Boston (September 23–24), and Seattle (October 14–15). Finalists from each region enter the "Super Dodge Ball World Cup" in Seattle on October 27–28, where the winners receive an assortment of Sony products as prizes.
* In August, Capcom donates $50,000 worth of video game equipment and Capcom titles to pediatric wards of California hospitals.
* Sega of America ends its Master System distribution deal with Tonka, and appoints former Atari Corporation President Michael Katz as its new president in October.
* Konami launches the "Crumble Competition", in which participants win a free Konami title from rub-off cards found in specially marked packages of Chips Ahoy! and Oreo cookies. Konami also collaborates with Ralston Purina to create a breakfast cereal based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
* On October 3, Nintendo and Fidelity Investments announce plans to jointly develop a home trading system for financial services.
* NEC promotes the TurboGrafx-16 with contests held at local shopping centers in Los Angeles (October 6–8), Trumbull, Connecticut (October 21–22), Chicago (October 27–31), Wayne, New Jersey (November 11–12), Marlborough, Massachusetts (November 18–19) and Atlanta (December 2–3). The Los Angeles contest is won by 17-year-old Jim Hakola of Lakewood, California, who scored 220,080 points on Blazing Lazers.
* Corey Sandler and Tom Badgett's Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Game Strategies, the first in Bantam Books' "Game Mastery" series, is released in November.
* PepsiCo awards over 4,000 Game Boy systems via an under-the-cap contest across a variety of Pepsi soft drinks.
* The Galaxy of Electronic Games show, produced by Pinnacle Productions, opens at the San Jose Convention Center in November 17–19. The show features a display of more than 300 computer and video games and a 2,500 square foot area of arcade games.
* On December 2, the world premiere of the Universal Pictures film The Wizard is held at the Cineplex Odeon Theatre in Universal City, California. The film – starring Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis, Christian Slater and Beau Bridges – tells the story of two brothers who travel to a video game tournament.

## Hardware releases

* August 14 – The Mega Drive is released in North America as the Sega Genesis.
* August 29 – NEC's PC-Engine released in North America as the TurboGrafx-16.
* October 11 – Atari Corporation releases the Lynx handheld console with color and backlighting.
* Nintendo releases the Game Boy handheld console.
* Mattel releases the Power Glove controller for the NES home console.

## Game releases

* February – Atari Games releases the Hard Drivin' arcade game, with filled polygon 3D graphics, physics simulation, and a force-feedback steering wheel.
* March 21 – Sega releases Phantasy Star II, a landmark title for the role-playing video game genre.
* April 21 – Nintendo releases Super Mario Land on the Game Boy, introducing Princess Daisy to the Mario series.
* May – Sega releases Golden Axe, the first game in the Golden Axe series.
* May 12 – Konami releases Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for NES, one of the first video games based on the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, being released after the show's second season.
* June 5 – Bullfrog releases Populous, one of the first commercially successful god games.
* June – Lucasfilm Games releases puzzle game Pipe Mania, which lives on in other titles as a visual representation of computer or security system hacking.
* July 11 – Capcom releases Mega Man 2 in more countries (US).
* July 27 – Nintendo releases Mother in Japan, the first of a trilogy of role-playing games produced by celebrity writer Shigesato Itoi.
* August – Nintendo of America introduces Enix's Dragon Warrior franchise to North America.
* August 26 – Nintendo releases the Zelda Game & Watch.
* September – Atari Games releases S.T.U.N. Runner in arcades, a 3D polygonal vehicle combat/racing game.
* September 14 – Capcom releases DuckTales for NES based on the Disney animated TV series of the same name.
* October 3 – Broderbund releases Prince of Persia for the declining Apple II. Ports to other systems turn the game into a hit.
* October 3 – Maxis releases Will Wright's SimCity, the first of the "Sim" games and a revolutionary real-time software toy.
* December 6 – Strategic Studies Group releases Warlords which was one of the first fantasy turn-based strategy game.
* December 15 – Hudson Soft releases Bonk's Adventure, introducing the TurboGrafx-16 mascot and starting the Bonk franchise.
* December 15 - Tecmo releases Bad News Baseball in Japan. US release to follow in January 1990.
* December 15 – Techno Soft releases Herzog Zwei for the Mega Drive in Japan, laying the foundations for the real-time strategy genre.
* December 22 – Konami releases Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, the third and final game from series for NES.
* Tengen releases an unlicensed version of the Tetris video game, which is recalled after Nintendo sues Tengen.
* Wes Cherry writes Solitaire and Robert Donner writes Minesweeper, which are bundled with Microsoft Windows starting from version 3.
* Psygnosis releases a platformer Shadow of the Beast, demonstrating the capabilities of the Amiga and helping sales of the computer.
* Sega releases Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap.
* Spectrum Holobyte's Vette! for PC and Macintosh features a 3D flat-shaded rendition of San Francisco.
* Three-Sixty Pacific releases computer wargame Harpoon.
* Atari Corporation supports the aging Atari 2600 with a new batch of cartridges, including Secret Quest.

## Business

* Hasbro, Inc. acquires elements of Coleco Industries, Inc.
* Trinity Acquisition Corporation founded (renamed THQ in 1990)
* Nintendo withdraws from the Japan Amusement Machinery Manufacturers Association (JAMMA) on February 28.
* Nintendo of America, Inc. v. Tengen:
* Nintendo sues Tengen over the Tetris video game copyrights. Tengen loses and recalls all its Tetris games.
* In November, Nintendo sues Tengen over production of unlicensed Nintendo games. Tengen loses. (Tengen originally sued Nintendo on December 12, 1988, for antitrust violations.)
* Nintendo v. Camerica Ltd. Nintendo sues Camerica over patent violations of the Game Genie for the NES console. Camerica wins the suit.
* UK publisher Martech goes out of business.