1990 in video games
1990 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Dr. Mario, Dragon Quest IV, Final Fantasy III, Phantasy Star II, and Super Mario World, along with new titles such as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and Magic Sword. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Final Fight in Japan and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the United States. The year's bestselling system was the Game Boy, while the year's best-selling home video game was Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Financial performance
Highest-grossing arcade games
Japan
, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade video games of 1990.United Kingdom and Australia
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the following titles were the top-grossing arcade video games of each month.United States
In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1990.The following were the top-grossing arcade video games on the monthly RePlay arcade charts in 1990.
| Month | Title | Type | Points | |
| January | Golden Axe | Software conversion kit | ||
| February | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| March | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| April | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| May | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| June | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| July | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| August | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| September | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| October | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| November | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet | ||
| December | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Dedicated cabinet |
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, these were the top-grossing arcade video games of each month on the Bondeal charts.Best-selling home systems
Best-selling home video games
Japan
In Japan, according to Famicom Tsūshin magazine, the following titles were the top ten best-selling 1990 releases, including later sales up until 1992.| Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Platform | Sales |
| 1 | Super Mario World | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Platformer | SFC | < 3,550,000 |
| 2 | Dragon Quest IV: Michibikareshi Monotachi | Chunsoft | Enix | RPG | Famicom | 3,000,000 |
| 3 | Final Fantasy III | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | RPG | Famicom | < 1,400,000 |
| 4 | Dr. Mario | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | Puzzle | Famicom | rowspan="2" |
| 5 | Dr. Mario | Nintendo R&D1 | Nintendo | Puzzle | Game Boy | - |
| 6 | Final Fight | Capcom | Capcom | Beat 'em up | SFC | < 860,000 |
| 7 | SD Gundam: SD Sengokuden | Bandai | Bandai | TBT | Game Boy | rowspan="4" |
| 8 | F-Zero | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Racing | SFC | - |
| 9 | SD Hero Sōkessen: Taose! Aku no Gundam | Interlink | Banpresto | Platformer | Famicom | - |
| 10 | Qix | Minakuchi | Nintendo | Puzzle | Game Boy | - |
The following titles were the best-selling home video games on the Japan game charts published by Famicom Tsūshin and Family Computer Magazine in 1990.
United States
In the United States, Super Mario Bros. 3 was the best-selling home video game of 1990. The following titles were the best-selling home video games of each month in 1990.United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of each month in 1990, for various home computer and game console platforms.| Month | Home computers | Master System | NES | Mega Drive | PC Engine | |
| Chase H.Q. | California Games | Super Mario Bros. 2 | ||||
| Paperboy | ||||||
| Paperboy | Ghouls 'n Ghosts | Chase H.Q. | ||||
| Fantasy World Dizzy | Wonder Boy III | New Zealand Story | PC Kid | |||
| Fantasy World Dizzy | Final Blow | Atomic Robo Kid | ||||
| Italy 1990 | Thunder Force III | Formation Soccer | ||||
| Italy 1990 | Ghostbusters | Don Doko Don | ||||
| Pro Boxing Simulator | Golden Axe | Super Mario Bros. 2 | Batman | Super Star Soldier | ||
| Shadow Warriors | Golden Axe | Super Mario Bros. 2 | Super Monaco GP | Devil Crash | ||
| Guardian Angel | Golden Axe | Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles | Strider | Splatterhouse | ||
| Out Run | Golden Axe | Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles | Strider | Devil Crash | ||
| Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles | Golden Axe | Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles | Golden Axe | Aero Blasters |
Top-rated games
Major awards
Japan
United Kingdom
United States
Critically acclaimed titles
''Famitsu'' Platinum Hall of Fame
The following video game releases in 1990 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 |
| Dragon Quest IV: Michibikareshi Monotachi | Family Computer | 37 | Chunsoft | Enix | Role-playing |
| F-Zero | Super Famicom | 37 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Racing |
| Final Fantasy III | Family Computer | 36 | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Role-playing |
English-language publications
Notable video game releases in 1990 that have accumulated overall critical acclaim from at least three contemporary English-language sources include:| Title | Genre | Publisher | Platform | Source |
| Air Inferno | Combat flight simulator | Taito | Arcade | |
| Alex Kidd in Shinobi World | Hack & slash | Sega | Master System | |
| Aliens | Run & gun shooter | Konami | Arcade | |
| Alien Storm | Action | Sega | Arcade | |
| Buster Bros. | Action | Mitchell | Arcade | |
| Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse | Platformer | Sega | Sega Mega Drive/Genesis | |
| G-LOC: Air Battle | Combat flight simulator | Sega | Arcade | |
| Golden Axe | Beat 'em up | Sega | Master System | |
| Golden Axe | Beat 'em up | Virgin Games | Amiga | |
| GP Rider | Motorbike racing | Sega | Arcade | |
| John Madden Football | Sports | Electronic Arts | Sega Mega Drive/Genesis | |
| Klax | Puzzle | Atari Games | Arcade | |
| Mercs | Run & gun shooter | Capcom | Arcade | |
| Michael Jackson's Moonwalker | Action | Sega | Arcade | |
| Out Zone | Run & gun shooter | Toaplan | Arcade | |
| Quarth | Puzzle-shooter | Konami | Arcade | |
| Railroad Tycoon | Business simulation | MicroProse | DOS | |
| SimCity | City-building | Maxis | Atari ST | |
| Smash TV | Multi-directional shooter | Williams Electronics | Arcade | |
| Strider | Hack & slash | Sega | Sega Mega Drive/Genesis | |
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | Platformer | Nintendo | NES | |
| Super Mario World | Platformer | Nintendo | SNES | |
| The Secret of Monkey Island | Graphic adventure | Lucasfilm Games | DOS | |
| Two Crude | Beat 'em up | Data East | Arcade |