1989 in video games
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, TurboGrafx-16 and Atari Lynx in North America, plus 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 bestselling home system was the Nintendo Entertainment System 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
, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1989.Hong Kong and United Kingdom
In Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, the following titles were the top-grossing arcade games of each month.United States
In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1989.Best-selling home systems
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 charts.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 | |
| Operation Wolf | Taito | Ocean Software | Computers | ||
| Operation Wolf | Taito | Ocean Software | Computers | ||
| Operation Wolf | Taito | Ocean Software | Computers | ||
| RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | 8-bit micros | ||
| RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | 8-bit micros | ||
| RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | 8-bit micros | ||
| RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | Computers | ||
| RoboCop | Data East | Ocean Software | Computers | ||
| Crazy Cars | Titus | Titus | 8-bit micros | ||
| Crazy Cars | Titus | Titus | Computers | ||
| Paperboy | Atari Games | Elite | 8-bit micros | ||
| 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.Top-rated games
Major awards
Japan and United Kingdom
United States
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 | Developer | Publisher | Genre |
| Makai Toushi SaGa | 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 magazine's highest-rated games of 1989.
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 | Beat 'em up | Tecmo | Arcade | 4 |
| Ninja Gaiden | 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 |