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1991 in video games
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1991 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Street Fighter II, Final Fantasy IV, Super Castlevania IV, Mega Man 4, Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, along with new titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Battletoads, Lemmings, Sunset Riders, Duke Nukem, Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, and Streets of Rage. The year's highest-grossing video game worldwide was Capcom's arcade fighting game Street Fighter II. The year's best-selling system was the Game Boy for the second year in a row, while the year's best-selling home video game was Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog, which was also the year's top video game rental in the United States.
Top-rated games
Game of the Year awards
The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1991.
| Awards | Game of the Year | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Platform(s) | Ref | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Chicago Tribune* | *Sonic the Hedgehog* | Sonic Team | Sega | Platformer | Sega Genesis | last1=Carter | first1=Chip | last2=Carter | first2=Jonathan | date=November 15, 1991 | title=A Few of Chip and Jonathan Carter's Favorite Things | work=Chicago Tribune | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-11-15-9104120589-story.html | access-date=28 October 2021}} |
| *Electronic Gaming Monthly* (*EGM*) | ||||||||||||||
| European Computer Trade Show (ECTS) | Sega Mega Drive | |||||||||||||
| Golden Joystick Awards | ||||||||||||||
| *Chicago Tribune* | *Splatterhouse* | Namco | NEC | Beat 'em up | TurboGrafx-16 | |||||||||
| *Super Mario Bros. 3* | Nintendo R&D4 | Nintendo | Platformer | NES | ||||||||||
| European Computer Trade Show (ECTS) | *Lemmings* | DMA Design | Psygnosis | Strategy | Home computers | title=News | journal=Zero | date=11 June 1992 | issue=33 (July 1992) | pages=8–9 | url=https://archive.org/details/zero-magazine-33/page/n7/mode/2up}} | |||
| *Famitsu* Best Hit Game Awards | *Final Fantasy IV* | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Role-playing | Super Famicom | |||||||||
| *Gamest* Awards | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | Capcom | Capcom | Fighting | Arcade (CP System) |
''Famitsu'' Platinum Hall of Fame
The following video game releases in 1991 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.
| Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Score (out of 40) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce* (*A Link to the Past*) | Super Famicom | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 39 |
| *Final Fantasy IV* | Super Famicom | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Role-playing | 36 |
| *Lemmings* | Super Famicom | Sunsoft | Sunsoft | Strategy | 35 |
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 game in Japan, the United Kingdom, United States, and worldwide.
| Market | Title | Hardware sales | Coin drop earnings | Inflation | Manufacturer | Genre | Ref | Worldwide | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | 50,000 | Capcom | Fighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | 17,000 | Capcom | Fighting | ||||||||
| United Kingdom | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | 10,000 | + | + | Capcom | Fighting | ||||||
| United States | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | colspan="2" | Capcom | Fighting | ||||||||
| *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* | colspan="2" | Konami | Beat 'em up | |||||||||
| Australia | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | colspan="2" | Capcom | Fighting |
Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 1991, according to the annual Gamest and Game Machine charts.
| Rank | *Gamest* | *Game Machine* | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | Software conversion kit | |
| 2 | *Final Fight* | *Tetris* (Sega) | Software conversion kit | |
| 3 | *Final Lap 2* | *Columns* | Software conversion kit | |
| 4 | *Quiz Tonosama no Yabō* | *Final Lap 2* | Standard cabinet | |
| 5 | *Raiden* | Deluxe cabinet | ||
| 6 | *Super Monaco GP* | *Super Volley '91* (*Power Spikes*) | Software conversion kit | |
| 7 | *Clutch Hitter* | *Quiz Tonosama no Yabō* | ||
| 8 | *GP Rider* | *Final Fight* | Software conversion kit | |
| 9 | *Super Volley '91* (*Power Spikes*) | *World Stadium '90* | Software conversion kit | |
| 10 | *Dragon Saber* | *Columns II* | Software conversion kit |
United States
In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1991.
| Rank | AAMA | AMOA | *Play Meter* | Title | Award | Arcade conversion kit | Dedicated arcade cabinet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Street Fighter II: The World Warrior* | Diamond | *Street Fighter II* | *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* | *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* | ||
| 2 | *The Simpsons*, | ||||||
| Neo Geo MVS | Platinum | *Capcom Bowling*, | |||||
| *Final Fight*, | |||||||
| *High Impact Football*, | |||||||
| *Raiden* | *Hard Drivin'*, | ||||||
| Neo Geo MVS, | |||||||
| *Pit Fighter*, | |||||||
| *Race Drivin'* | rowspan="4" | ||||||
| 3 | |||||||
| 4 | *High Impact Football* | Gold | |||||
| 5 | *Final Lap 2* | Silver |
Hong Kong and Australia
In Hong Kong and Australia, the following titles were the top-grossing arcade games on the monthly charts in 1991.
| Month | Hong Kong (Bondeal) | Australia (Timezone) | Arcade conversion software kit | Dedicated arcade cabinet | Ref | Dedicated | Conversion | Ref | 1991 | *Street Fighter II* | title="Street Fighter II' CE" Has Legs | magazine=Leisure Line | date=June 1992 | page=3 | publisher=Leisure & Allied Industries | location=Australia | url=https://archive.org/details/Leisure_Line_1992-06_Leisure_Allied_Industries_AU/page/n2}} | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | *Super Pang* | *Big Run* | *Cisco Heat* | rowspan="9" | rowspan="9" | |||||||||||||
| February | *Escape Kids* | *Street Fighter II* | *Cisco Heat* | *Hard Drivin'* | *Big Run* | title=The Bondeal Chart | magazine=RePlay | date=April 1991 | volume=16 | issue=7 | page=90 | url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-16-issue-no.-7-april-1991-600DPI/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2016%2C%20Issue%20No.%207%20-%20April%201991/page/90}} | ||||||
| March | *Street Fighter II* | *Hard Drivin'* | *Big Run* | *F-15 Strike Eagle* | title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos) | magazine=Game Machine | issue=401 | publisher=Amusement Press, Inc. | date=15 April 1991 | page=17 | lang=ja | url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19910415p.pdf#page=9}} | ||||||
| April | *Street Fighter II* | *Gun Force* | *F-15 Strike Eagle* | title=The Bondeal Chart | magazine=RePlay | date=June 1991 | volume=16 | issue=9 | page=140 | url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-16-issue-no.-9-june-1991-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2016%2C%20Issue%20No.%209%20-%20June%201991/page/140}} | ||||||||
| May | *Street Fighter II* | *F-15 Strike Eagle* | *Hard Drivin'* | title=The Bondeal Chart | magazine=RePlay | date=July 1991 | volume=16 | issue=10 | page=134 | url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-16-issue-no.-10-july-1991-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2016%2C%20Issue%20No.%2010%20-%20July%201991/page/134}} | ||||||||
| June | *Hard Drivin'* | title=The Bondeal Chart | magazine=RePlay | date=August 1991 | volume=16 | issue=11 | page=96 | url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-16-issue-no.-11-august-1991-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2016%2C%20Issue%20No.%2011%20-%20August%201991/page/96}} | ||||||||||
| July | *Street Fighter II* | *Mutant Fighter* | title=The Bondeal Chart | magazine=RePlay | date=September 1991 | volume=16 | issue=12 | page=226 | url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-16-issue-no.-12-september-1991-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2016%2C%20Issue%20No.%2012%20-%20September%201991/page/226}} | |||||||||
| August | *Mutant Fighter* | *D. D. Crew* | *Hard Drivin'* | *Time Traveler* | title=The Bondeal Chart | magazine=RePlay | date=October 1991 | volume=17 | issue=1 | page=160 | url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-17-issue-no.-1-october-1991-600DPI/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2017%2C%20Issue%20No.%201%20-%20October%201991/page/160}} | |||||||
| September | *WWF WrestleFest* | *Street Fighter II* | *Time Traveler* | *Hard Drivin'* | title=The Bondeal Chart | magazine=RePlay | date=November 1991 | volume=17 | issue=2 | page=90 | url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-17-issue-no.-2-november-1991-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2017%2C%20Issue%20No.%202%20-%20November%201991/page/90}} | |||||||
| October | *Street Fighter II* | *Vendetta* | *Hard Drivin'* | *Race Drivin'* | *Final Lap 2* | *Spider-Man* |
Best-selling home systems
| Rank | System(s) | Manufacturer | Type | Generation | Sales | Japan | USA | Europe | Korea | Worldwide | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Game Boy | Nintendo | Handheld | 8-bit | last=小川 (Ogawa) | first=純生 (Sumio) | date=2010-12-14 | title=テレビゲーム機の変遷 —ファミコン、スーパーファミコン、プレステ、プレステ2、Wiiまで— | trans-title=Recent Developments in Video Game Technology in Japan — Famicom, Super Famicom, Play Station, Play Station 2 and Wii — | url=http://www.toyo.ac.jp/uploaded/attachment/3049.pdf | journal=経営論集 (Keiei Ronshū) | language=ja | publication-date=March 2011 | issue=77 | pages=1-17 (2) | issn=0286-6439 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725185700/http://www.toyo.ac.jp/uploaded/attachment/3049.pdf | archive-date=2015-07-25 | access-date=2021-12-06 | via=Toyo University Academic Information Repository (Toyo University)}} | date=January 9, 1992 | title=Nintendo cuts retail prices on video games | work=United Press International | url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/01/09/Nintendo-cuts-retail-prices-on-video-games/9347694933200/ | access-date=13 December 2021}} | 1,400,000 | 7,340,000+ | ||
| 2 | Super NES | Nintendo | Console | 16-bit | 3,150,000 | last=Mulzac | first=Lystra | date=January 10, 1992 | title=Games people play | page=10 | work=Ocala Star-Banner | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19920110&id=IV0xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TgcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3802,6316567}} | 5,050,000+ | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | NES / Famicom | Nintendo | Console | 8-bit | 1,240,000 | 2,100,000 | date=January 1992 | title=Everyone's gone Nintendo crazy! | url=https://i.imgur.com/i86ZN4o.jpg | magazine=Total! | location=United Kingdom | publisher=Future plc | page=4}} | title=게임월드 | date=1994 | trans-title=Game World | lang=ko}} | 3,940,000+ | |||||||||||
| 4 | Mega Drive / Genesis | Sega | Console | 16-bit | 700,000 | 1,600,000+ | date=April 1992 | title=Final Sales Figures Through | url=https://i.imgur.com/OWQXK9z.jpg | magazine=Sega Pro | publication-date=19 March 1992}} | 51,000 | 3,166,000+ | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | IBM PC | IBM | Computer | [16-bit](16-bit) | 2,910,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Macintosh | Apple Inc. | Computer | 16-bit | last=Reimer | first=Jeremy | date=2005-12-15 | title=Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures | url=https://arstechnica.com/features/2005/12/total-share/ | url-status=live | access-date=2021-11-27 | website=Ars Technica | language=en-us | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607023023/http://arstechnica.com:80/features/2005/12/total-share/ | archive-date=June 7, 2012}} | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | Master System | Sega | Console | 8-bit | 1,745,000 | 160,000 | 1,905,000+ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | NEC PC-88 / PC-98 | NEC | Computer | [8-bit](8-bit) / [16-bit](16-bit) | last1=Dedrick | first1=Jason | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNHhBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA83 | title=Asia's Computer Challenge: Threat or Opportunity for the United States and the World? | last2=Kraemer | first2=Kenneth L. | date=1998-08-20 | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=978-0-19-028398-8 | pages=83}} | 1,720,000+ | ||||||||||||||
| 9 | Game Gear | Sega | Handheld | 8-bit | 400,000 | 600,000+ | 520,000 | 1,520,000+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Amiga | Commodore | Computer | 16-bit | 1,035,000 |
Best-selling home video games
Sonic the Hedgehog was the best-selling home video game of 1991, with 2 million copies sold worldwide during the year.
Japan
In Japan, according to Famicom Tsūshin (Famitsu) magazine, the following titles were the top ten best-selling 1991 releases, including later sales in 1992.
| Rank | Title | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Platform | Sales | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce* (*A Link to the Past*) | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Action-adventure | Super Famicom | |||||||
| 2 | *Final Fantasy IV* (*Final Fantasy II*) | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Role-playing | Super Famicom | |||||||
| 3 | *Yoshi* | Game Freak | Nintendo | Puzzle | Famicom | rowspan="2" | ||||||
| 4 | Game Boy | |||||||||||
| 5 | *Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyūshutsu Emaki* (*Mystical Ninja*) | Konami | Konami | Action-adventure | Super Famicom | |||||||
| 6 | *SaGa 3: Jikū no Hasha* (*Final Fantasy Legend III*) | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Role-playing | Game Boy | script-title=ja:アンリミテッド:サガ | date=2002-10-25 | magazine=Dorimaga | issue=19 | pages=46–47 | publisher=SoftBank Creative | language=ja}} |
| 7 | *Chō Makaimura* (*Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts*) | Capcom | Capcom | Action-platformer | Super Famicom | rowspan="3" | ||||||
| 8 | *SimCity* | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | City-building | ||||||||
| 9 | *Super Wagan Land* | Namco | Platformer | |||||||||
| 10 | *Super Formation Soccer* (*Super Soccer*) | Human Entertainment | Sports (football) | Super Famicom | title=Game Search | url=https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search | website=Game Data Library | publisher=Famitsu | access-date=12 September 2021}} |
The following titles were the best-selling home video games on the Famitsu charts in 1991. The charts were bi-weekly up until July 1991, when they switched to a weekly format.
| Month | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Ref | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{dts | January}} | colspan="2" | *Super Mario World* (Super Famicom) | |||||||||||
| {{dts | February}} | *Super Mario World* (Super Famicom) | ||||||||||||
| {{dts | March | }} | ||||||||||||
| {{dts | April | }} | *Ultraman* (Super Famicom) | *Super Mario World* (Super Famicom) | ||||||||||
| {{dts | May | }} | *Super Mario World* (Super Famicom) | *SimCity* (Super Famicom) | title=ファミコン通信 TOP 30: 6月14日 | trans-title=Famicom Tsūshin Top 30: June 14 | magazine=Famicom Tsūshin | date=28 June 1991 | volume=1991 | issue=13 | pages=6–7 | url=https://archive.org/details/WeeklyFamitsuNo134June28th1991/Weekly%20Famitsu%20-%20No.%20134%20June%2028th%201991/page/n5/mode/2up | lang=ja}} | |
| {{dts | June | }} | *SimCity* (Super Famicom) | *Magical Taruruto* (Game Boy) | ||||||||||
| {{dts | July}} | *SimCity* (Super Famicom) | *Super R-Type* (SFC) | *Final Fantasy IV* (Super Famicom) | ||||||||||
| {{dts | August}} | *Final Fantasy IV* (SFC) | *Dragon Ball Z II: Gekishin Freeza* (FC) | |||||||||||
| {{dts | September | }} | *Final Fantasy IV* (Super Famicom) | *Chibi Maruko-chan 2* (GB) | *Mario Open Golf* (Famicom) | title=Weekly Top 30 (9月20日) | magazine=Famicom Tsūshin | date=4 October 1991 | issue=146 | pages=14–5 | url=https://archive.org/details/weekly-famitsu-no.-146-october-4th-1991-600dpi/Weekly%20Famitsu%20-%20No.%20146%20October%204th%201991/page/14/mode/2up | lang=ja}} | ||
| {{dts | October | }} | *Chō Makaimura* (Super Famicom) | title=Weekly Top 30 (10月18日) | magazine=Famicom Tsūshin | date=1 November 1991 | issue=150 | pages=14–5 | url=https://archive.org/details/famitsu0150/page/n13/mode/2up | lang=ja}} | ||||
| {{dts | November | }} | *Chō Makaimura* (Super Famicom) | *Akumajō Dracula* (SFC) | *Super Mario World* (SFC) | *Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce* (SFC) | ||||||||
| {{dts | December | }} | *Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce* (SFC) | *Mega Man 4* (FC) | *SaGa 3* (Game Boy) | title=Weekly Top 30 (12月20日) | magazine=Famicom Tsūshin | date=3 January 1992 | issue=159 | pages=14–5 | url=https://archive.org/details/weekly-famitsu-no.-159-january-3rd-1992-600dpi/Weekly%20Famitsu%20-%20No.%20159%20January%203rd%201992/page/14/mode/2up | lang=ja}} |
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the following titles were the best-selling home video games on the monthly Computer and Video Games (CVG) charts in 1991.
| Month | Home computers | Sega Mega Drive | PC Engine | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles* (C64) | *Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse* | *Out Run* | ||
| *Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe* (Amiga) | ||||
| *Lemmings* (Amiga) | *Gynoug* | *Parasol Stars* | ||
| *Magicland Dizzy* (ZX Spectrum) | *Midnight Resistance* | |||
| *Sonic the Hedgehog* | *Legend of Hero Tonma* | |||
| *Bubble Bobble* (ZX Spectrum) | ||||
| *Manchester United Europe* | ||||
| *Jimmy White's 'Whirlwind' Snooker* | *Streets of Rage* | *PC Kid 2* | ||
| *Terminator 2: Judgment Day* | *Mercs* | *Hit the Ice* | ||
| *Lotus Turbo Challenge 2* | *QuackShot* | *Time Cruise II* | ||
| *WWF WrestleMania* | *RoboCod* | *Gradius* |
United States
In the United States, the following titles were the top three best-selling home video game releases of 1991.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Sales | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Sonic the Hedgehog* | Sega Genesis | 1,000,000+ | |
| 2 | *Super Mario World* | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | rowspan="2" | |
| 3 | *F-Zero* |
The following titles were the best-selling home video games of each month in 1991.
| Month | All platforms | Nintendo consoles | Title | Platform | Ref | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{dts | May}} | *Super Mario Bros. 3* (NES) | |||||||||
| {{dts | June}} | ||||||||||
| {{dts | August}} | *Sonic the Hedgehog* | Sega Genesis | ||||||||
| {{dts | September | }} | *Tetris* (NES) | *Super Mario World* (Super NES) | |||||||
| {{dts | October}} | *Super Mario World* (Super NES) | |||||||||
| {{dts | November | }} | colspan="4" | ||||||||
| {{dts | December | }} | *Super Mario World* (Super NES) |
Events
Notable releases
- January - The first two THQ releases came out in stores.
- February 14 – DMA Design releases Lemmings, a puzzle game that requires the player to lead a group of anthropomorphic lemmings through a dangerous environment to an escape portal.
- March – AOL, SSI, TSR and Stormfront Studios collaborate and launch Neverwinter Nights, credited as the first graphical MMORPG.
- March 7 – Capcom releases Street Fighter II for arcades. It becomes highly successful and is routinely listed as the grandfather of the fighting game genre. It is also credited with revitalizing the arcade game industry at the time, and popularizing direct tournament-level competition between players.
- May 6 – Sierra On-Line releases The Sierra Network, which is also credited as the first graphical MMORPG (due to its inclusion of The Shadow of Yserbius), TSN would later become its more memorable name, ImagiNation Network, after a total buyout from AT&T in 1994.
- June 23 – Sega releases Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis which later becomes the pack-in game and defining title for the console. It introduces the eponymous character, who would go on to be Sega's mascot. Sega also releases a version of the game for the Master System and Game Gear.
- July 19 – Square releases Final Fantasy IV in Japan, the first Final Fantasy game for the Super Famicom (released in November as Final Fantasy II in North America).
- August 13 – Intelligent Systems releases SimCity for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
- August 23 – Nintendo releases Super Mario World and F-Zero along with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. Super Mario World was the original pack-in game for the SNES. The game introduces the Yoshi character to the Mario series.
- September – Namco releases Starblade for arcades, featuring one of the earliest instances of real-time 3D graphics in video games.
- September – Electronic Arts releases motorcycle racing combat game Road Rash for Sega Genesis, starting the series.
- October 14 - Nintendo releases Mario The Juggler, the final Game & Watch title.
- November – Nintendo releases Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Game Boy in North America.
- November – Delphine Software releases cinematic action-adventure game Another World for the Amiga, which uses polygons instead of sprites.
- November 21 – Nintendo releases The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Famicom in Japan.
- November 25 – SNK releases Fatal Fury: King of Fighters for the Neo Geo.
- December 1 – LucasArts releases Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge for Amiga, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and FM Towns.
- December 4 – Konami releases Super Castlevania IV for SNES in North America.
- December 6 – Mega Man 4 is released in Japan.
- December 13 – Tecmo releases Tecmo Super Bowl for NES, the follow-up to 1989's Tecmo Bowl.
- December 16 – MicroProse releases Civilization. As of 2005, it is still Sid Meier's most successful game.
- Team17 release Alien Breed, the first of the series, for the Amiga.
Hardware
- July – Atari updates their Lynx handheld system with a smaller form-factor, better screen, and longer battery life.
- August 23 – The Super Famicom released in North America as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
- September – S3 launches with the 86C911, often regarded as the first significant graphics accelerator chip for the Microsoft Windows platform.
- September 21 - NEC released the PC Engine Duo in Japan.
- December 3 - The Philips CD-i initially released in North America, it is considered to be one of the absolute worst video game consoles of all time.
- December 12 – Sega releases the Mega-CD in Japan.
Business
- New companies: Vicarious Visions, Inc, id Software, Bungie, Silicon & Synapse (now known as Blizzard Entertainment), The 3DO Company (founded as SMSG, Inc.), Cyberdreams
- In August, Game Informer (a monthly video game magazine) is released for the first time.
References
References
- (November 15, 1991). "A Few of Chip and Jonathan Carter's Favorite Things". [[Chicago Tribune]].
- ''Electronic Gaming Monthly's 1992 Video Game Buyer's Guide'', pages 60-61
- (May 1992). "Luvvies! Dahlings!". EMAP.
- (11 June 1992). "News". [[Zero (video game magazine).
- (31 January 1992). "'91ベストヒットゲーム大賞".
- (December 28, 1991). "第５回ゲーメスト大賞".
- "週刊ファミ通クロスレビュープラチナ殿堂入りソフト一覧".
- (17 June 1993). "The making of Street Fighter 2 - a video game legend".
- (December 28, 1991). "第５回ゲーメスト大賞 〜 インカム部門ベスト10".
- (1 February 1992). ""Final Fight II" and "Final Lap 2" Top Videos: Video Games of The Year '91". [[:ja:アミューズメント通信社.
- (April 1992). "ACME '92: Play Meter and AAMA present annual awards".
- (April 18, 1992). "Coin Machine - Seven Manufacturers Receive AAMA Awards". [[Cashbox (magazine).
- (April 1992). "AAMA Awards".
- (September 1991). "Game Awards".
- (October 1991). "Are the Stars Out Tonight?".
- (December 1994). "1991".
- (February 1991). "The Bondeal Chart".
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- (15 April 1991). "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". [[:ja:アミューズメント通信社.
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