1992 in video games
1992 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Quest V, Final Fantasy V, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, and Super Mario Kart, along with new titles such as Art of Fighting, Lethal Enforcers, Mortal Kombat and Virtua Racing.
The year's highest-grossing video game worldwide was Capcom's arcade fighting game Street Fighter II for the second year in a row, while also being the year's highest-grossing entertainment product. The year's best-selling home system was the Game Boy for the third year in a row, while the year's best-selling home video games were Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Mega Drive/Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System port of Street Fighter II, which were both also the year's highest-grossing home entertainment products.
Hardware releases
- April 11 – The Super NES releases in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
- June - The Super NES releases in the rest of Europe.
- June 8 - The Super NES releases in Chile.
- July 3 - The Super NES releases in the Australasia region.
- October – Sega releases the Model 1, Sega's first arcade system board supporting 3D polygon graphics.
- October 10 - The PC Engine Duo releases in North America as the TurboDuo, an updated version of the TurboGrafx-16 with built-in CD-ROM drive and Super System Card for Super CD-ROM² support.
- October 15 - Sega releases the Mega-CD as Sega CD in North America, almost a year after the equivalent Japanese launch.
- October 21 - The Amiga 1200 computer is released. It's the final lower-cost Amiga model before Commodore's bankruptcy.
- Namco releases the System 22, an arcade system board that introduces 3D texture mapping and Gouraud shading.
- JVC releases the Wondermega console in Japan, a combined Mega Drive and Mega CD.
- Nintendo releases the Super Scope for the Super NES.
Top-rated games
Game of the Year awards
The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1992.| Awards | Game of the Year | Publisher | Genre | Platform | |
| Chicago Tribune | Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | SNES | |
| Electronic Gaming Awards | Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | SNES | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | SNES | |
| European Computer Trade Show | Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | SNES | |
| GameFan Golden Megawards | Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | SNES | |
| Game Informer | Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | SNES | |
| Golden Joystick Awards | Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | SNES | |
| Gamest Awards | Street Fighter II Dash | Capcom | Fighting | Arcade | |
| Chicago Tribune | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | Nintendo | Action-adventure | SNES | |
| GameFan Golden Megawards | Cybernator | Masaya Games | Run and gun | SNES | |
| GameFan Golden Megawards | Streets of Rage 2 | Sega | Brawler | GEN | |
| GameFan Golden Megawards | Wonderdog | JVC Musical Industries | Platformer | SCD | |
| PC Engine Fan | Far East of Eden II: Manji Maru | Hudson Soft | RPG | PCD |
''Famitsu'' Platinum Hall of Fame
The following video game releases in 1992 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.| Title | Developer | Publisher | Score | Genre | Platform |
| Dragon Quest V: Tenkū no Hanayome | Chunsoft | Enix | 36 | RPG | SNES |
| Shin Megami Tensei | Atlus | Atlus | 36 | RPG | SNES |
| I Love Mickey & Donald: Fushigi na Magic Box | Sega AM7 | Sega | 36 | Platformer | SCD |
| Street Fighter II | Capcom | Capcom | 35 | Fighting | SNES |
| Mario Paint | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | 35 | Art | SNES |
Financial performance
Highest-grossing arcade games
The year's highest-grossing game worldwide was Street Fighter II, which alone accounted for an estimated 60% of the global arcade game market, according to Coinslot magazine. The following table lists the year's top-grossing arcade games in Japan, the United Kingdom, United States, and worldwide.| Market | Title | Coin drop revenue | Inflation | Manufacturer | Genre | |
| Japan | Street Fighter II: The World Warrior | Capcom | Fighting | |||
| United Kingdom | Street Fighter II: The World Warrior | Capcom | Fighting | |||
| United States | Street Fighter II / Champion Edition | Capcom | Fighting | |||
| Worldwide | Street Fighter II: The World Warrior | Capcom | Fighting |
Japan
The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1992 in Japan, according to Gamest, Game Machine and Famicom Tsūshin magazines.United States
In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1992.Australia
On Australia's Timezone monthly arcade charts published in the June 1992 issue of Leisure Line magazine, Capcom's Street Fighter II: Champion Edition was the top-grossing arcade conversion kit and Konami's X-Men was the top-grossing dedicated arcade cabinet.Best-selling home video games
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Street Fighter II each sold units worldwide in 1992, making them the year's highest-grossing entertainment products. The following home video games sold more than 1 million units worldwide in 1992.The following table lists the year's top-selling home video game releases in several markets, including Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
| Market | Title | Platform | Sales | |
| Europe | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | GEN | + | |
| Japan | Dragon Quest V: Tenkū no Hanayome | SNES | 2,800,000 | |
| South Korea | Street Fighter II | SNES | ||
| United States | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | GEN | 2,000,000 | |
| United States | Street Fighter II | SNES | 2,000,000 |
Asia
In Japan and South Korea, according to Famicom Tsūshin magazine, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video game releases of 1992.Europe
The following titles were the top three best-selling home video game releases of 1992 in Europe and the United Kingdom.In the United Kingdom, the following titles were the top-selling home video games of each month in 1992.
United States
In the United States, the following titles were the top three best-selling home video games of 1992.| Rank | Title | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Platform | |
| 1 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Sega | Platformer | 2,000,000 | GEN | |
| 1 | Street Fighter II | Capcom | Fighting | 2,000,000 | SNES | |
| 3 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 1,000,000 | SNES |
The following titles were the best-selling home video games of each month for video game consoles in 1992.
The following titles were the top-selling personal computer games on the monthly PC Research charts in 1992, as reported by Electronic Games magazine.
Events
- January 1 – Atari Corporation drops support for the Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari 7800, and software for those systems.
- May 25 – FuncoLand founder David Pomije is named "Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year" by the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce.
- July 2 – FuncoLand's parent company Funco Inc. files a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of one million shares of its common stock at $5 a share, with plans to use the proceeds from the sold shares to repay short-term debt and finance the opening of other FuncoLand locations.
- July 13 – The first Chicago-area FuncoLand location opens in Bloomingdale.
- August 12 – Funco's initial public offering, underwritten by Miller, Johnson & Kuehn Inc., is announced.
- September 22 – The first south suburban Chicago-area FuncoLand location opens in Orland Park.
- December – the Apple IIGS is discontinued.
- Atari Games Corp. v. Nintendo of America Inc.
- Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc.
- Sega v. Accolade
- Activision files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
- New companies: Wow Entertainment Inc., Humongous Entertainment, Halestorm
Games released in 1992
| Release date | Title | Platform | Genre | |
| January | The Addams Family | GB, NES | Action | |
| January | Art Alive! | GEN | Educational | |
| January | Back to the Future Part III | GEN | Adventure | |
| January | Beetlejuice | GB | Action | |
| January | Big Nose the Caveman | NES | Action | |
| January | Bucky O'Hare | NES | Action | |
| January | Cowboy Kid | NES | Action | |
| January | Darkwing Duck | PCE | Action | |
| January | Die Hard | NES | Action | |
| January | Dirty Larry: Renegade Cop | LYNX | Action | |
| January | Heavy Nova | GEN | Action | |
| January | Hydra | LYNX | Action | |
| January | Lynx Casino | LYNX | Simulation | |
| January | Mario Lemieux Hockey | GEN | Sports | |
| January | Monster in My Pocket | NES | Action | |
| January | Nightshade | NES | Action | |
| January | Pinball Jam | LYNX | Simulation | |
| January | Pit-Fighter | LYNX | Action | |
| January | Prince of Persia | GB | Action | |
| January | Rampart | NES | Adventure | |
| January | Rings of Power | GEN | RPG | |
| January | Sword Master | NES | Action-adventure | |
| January | Trouble Shooter | GEN | Action | |
| January | Wheel of Fortune Featuring Vanna White | NES | Game show | |
| January | The Games: Winter Challenge | GEN | Sports | |
| January 11 | Super Adventure Island | SNES | Action | |
| January 14 | Super Fantasy Zone | GEN | Shoot 'em up | |
| January 25 | Dragon Ball Z: Legend of the Super Saiyan | SNES | RPG | |
| January 28 | Romancing SaGa | SNES | RPG | |
| January 31 | Football Frenzy | Arcade | Sports | |
| January 31 | Soul Blazer | SNES | RPG | |
| February | Adventure Island | GB | Action | |
| February | Alisia Dragoon | GEN | Action | |
| February | Asteroids | GB | Action | |
| February | Boggle Plus | GB | Puzzle | |
| February | California Games | GEN | Sports | |
| February | F-15 Strike Eagle | NES | Simulation | |
| February | Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters | NES | Action | |
| February | Hudson Hawk | NES | Action | |
| February | InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Berlitz German Translator | GB | Educational | |
| February | M.C. Kids | NES | Action | |
| February | Paperboy | GEN | Action | |
| February | Q*bert | GB | Puzzle | |
| February | Sesame Street: Countdown | NES | Educational | |
| February | Super Smash TV | SNES | Action | |
| February | Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (NES) | NES | Action | |
| February | Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (GB) | GB | Action | |
| February | Super Spy Hunter | NES | Action | |
| February | Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break | GB | Action | |
| February | Xenon 2: Megablast | GEN | Shoot 'em up | |
| February 14 | Soccer Brawl | Arcade | Sports | |
| February 21 | Football Frenzy | NEO | Sports | |
| February 28 | Contra III: The Alien Wars | SNES | Action | |
| March | The Addams Family | SNES | Action | |
| March | Baseball Heroes | LYNX | Sports | |
| March | Desert Strike | GEN | Action | |
| March | Fisher-Price: Firehouse Rescue | NES | Educational | |
| March | G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor | NES | Action | |
| March | Ghoul School | NES | Action | |
| March | InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Berlitz German & Japanese Translator | GB | Educational | |
| March | Kid Chameleon | GEN | Action | |
| March | Missile Command | GB | Action | |
| March | PGA Tour Golf | SNES | Sports | |
| March | Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back | NES | Action | |
| March | The Terminator | GEN | Action | |
| March | Toki | LYNX | Action | |
| March | Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | DOS | RPG | |
| March | Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? | GEN | Educational | |
| March | Wizards & Warriors III: Kuros: Visions of Power | NES | Action | |
| March 13 | Soccer Brawl | NEO | Sports | |
| March 16 | Mutation Nation | Arcade | Action | |
| March 20 | Shining Force | GEN | RPG | |
| March 23 | Last Resort | Arcade | Shoot 'em up | |
| March 27 | Arcana | SNES | RPG | |
| March 27 | Rival Turf! | SNES | Action | |
| April | Crystal Mines II | LYNX | Action | |
| April | Devilish: The Next Possession | GEN | Action | |
| April | Double Dragon | GEN | Brawler | |
| April | Earnest Evans | GEN | Action | |
| April | George Foreman's KO Boxing | GG | Sports | |
| April | Hatris | NES | Puzzle | |
| April | Hook | NES | Action | |
| April | The Mutant Virus: Crisis in a Computer World | NES | Action | |
| April | Paperboy 2 | GB, NES | Action | |
| April | Square Deal | GB | Simulation | |
| April | Super Skweek | LYNX | Action | |
| April | Toxic Crusaders | NES | Action | |
| April | Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds | NES | RPG | |
| April 5 | Aerobiz | SNES | Simulation | |
| April 15 | Baseball Stars 2 | Arcade | Sports | |
| April 17 | Mutation Nation | NEO | Action | |
| April 24 | Last Resort | NEO | Shoot 'em up | |
| April 27 | Kirby's Dream Land | GB | Action | |
| April 28 | Baseball Stars 2 | NEO | Sports | |
| April 30 | Ninja Commando | Arcade | Shoot 'em up | |
| May | Ballistix | PCE | Sports | |
| May | NBA All-Star Challenge 2 | GB | Sports | |
| May | Night Creatures | PCE | Action | |
| May | Rampart | LYNX | Action | |
| May | Roundball: 2 on 2 Challenge | NES | Sports | |
| May | Super Battletank | SNES | Simulation | |
| May | Turn and Burn: The F-14 Dogfight Simulator | GB | Action | |
| May 5 | Wolfenstein 3D | DOS | FPS | |
| May 25 | King of the Monsters 2 | Arcade | Fighting | |
| May 29 | Ninja Commando | NEO | Shoot 'em up | |
| June | Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge | NES | Sports | |
| June | High Stakes Gambling | GB | Simulation | |
| June | Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis | DOS | Adventure | |
| June 15 | Andro Dunos | Arcade | Shoot 'em up | |
| June 19 | King of the Monsters 2 | NEO | Fighting | |
| July 29 | Ecco the Dolphin | |||
| August 27 | Super Mario Kart | Racing | ||
| September 1 | Championship Manager | AMI, ATRST | ||
| September 24 | Art of Fighting | Arcade | ||
| September 27 | Dragon Quest V | |||
| October | Virtua Racing | Arcade | Racing | |
| October | Zool | AMI | Platformer | |
| October 8 | Mortal Kombat | Arcade | Fighting | |
| October 15 | Night Trap | SCD | ||
| October 21 | Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins | GB | ||
| November | Star Control II | |||
| November | Prince of Persia | SNES | ||
| November 21 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | GEN | ||
| December | Dune II | RTS | ||
| December 4 | Mega Man 5 | |||
| December 10 | Fatal Fury 2 | Arcade, NEO | ||
| December 15 | Mega Man 5 | |||
| Unknown | Alone in the Dark | survival horror | ||
| Unknown | Flashback | AMI |