The gaming landscape in terms of portable consoles is quite fascinating. Now dominated by portable PCs and hybrid consoles, the dedicated handheld that could be slipped into a pocket or bag seems long-dead. Yet back in 1989, it seemed an incredibly bright future with the Game Boy.
Related
How Many Games Were Made For The Wii?
The Wii is one of Nintendo’s most successful consoles, and it has quite a few games in its library.
Nintendo’s Game Boy became the blueprint for what a handheld, portable console could and should be, to the point that no one ever quite stole its thunder. It is far-and-away one of the most beloved handheld consoles there has ever been, but just how successful was it? Let’s find out.
How Many Games Were Released On The Game Boy?
To this day, the Game Boy is often remembered as the greatest handheld console there ever was. Great support, nothing quite like it, and truly fulfilled the fantasy of having a console on the go. While it didn’t have the same power as the NES of the time, it gave bite-sized games that really fit the form factor and playtime provided by the battery.
And that meant the console got quite a lot of support, too. Around 1,000 games were dedicatedly made for the system. With the later release of the Game Boy Color, many games were still made compatible with the original Game Boy, bringing that total up to around 1,300 games.
When Was The Last Game Released For The Game Boy?
From its initial release in 1989 to its official discontinuation in 2003, the Game Boy remained well-supported. Having been superseded by the Game Boy Advance however, support did cut off all but immediately following its discontinuation.
On March 30th 2001, the very last game that was supported on the original Game Boy was released. This was the Japan-exclusive Shikakui Atama o Maruku Suru: Kanji no Tatsujin. That marks 12 years from beginning to end.
For the Game Boy Color, it’s final exclusive game released on July 18th, 2003. Also exclusive to Japan, this last game was Doraemon no Study Boy: Kanji Yomikaki Master. This marked its final game only five years on from its initial launch.
What Were The Launch Titles For The Game Boy?
The Game Boy was the successor of the Game & Watch systems, which were shipped with one built-in game. While many other handhelds came out in quick succession, the Game Boy was still the foundation, and so the plethora of games wasn’t exactly extensive.
- Japan – April 21st, 1989
- North America – July 31st, 1989
- Europe – September 28th, 1990
In fact, it is impressive after such a lacklustre launch that the Game Boy made such a splash. It’s affordability and support compared to competitors is likely a big reason for that.
|
Launch Titles In Japan |
Launch Titles In North America |
Launch Titles In Europe |
|---|---|---|
|
Alleyway |
Alleyway |
Alleyway |
|
Baseball |
Baseball |
Baseball |
|
Super Mario Land |
Super Mario Land |
Super Mario Land |
|
Yakuman |
Tetris |
Tetris |
|
Tennis |
Solar Striker |
|
|
Qix |
Some Game Boy launch titles were just ports of NES games, with few fully exclusive ones to speak of. Super Mario Land was the real system-seller here, being one of the few games shared across every market. Otherwise, the Game Boy had a rather limited launch, with just four, five, and six games at launch in Japan, North America, and Europe respectively.
Next
How Many Games Were Made For The GameCube?
The GameCube gave us of some gaming’s most memorable games, but it had a surprisingly small library to match its prestige.