Notable releases of the year 1996
| Release |
Title |
System |
Developer/Publisher |
Notes |
| January 26 |
Guardian Heroes |
Saturn |
Treasure (company)/Sega |
a beat-em-up game developed by Treasure, one of the defining games of the Saturn. |
| January 26 |
Blazing Heroes |
Saturn |
Micro Cabin/Sega |
a turn-based strategy game for the Sega Saturn |
| January 29 |
Duke Nukem 3D |
PC |
3D Realms/GT Interactive |
a genre-redefining title for first person shooters |
| January 31 |
Mega Man X3 |
SNES |
Capcom |
third X installment in popular Mega Man franchise. |
| February 3 |
Radical Dreamers |
SNES |
SquareSoft |
Visual novel pseudo-sequel to legendary RPG Chrono Trigger, would later serve as inspiration for the story for actual sequel Chrono Cross. |
| February 9 |
Bahamut Lagoon |
SNES |
SquareSoft |
Turn-based strategy RPG spin-off in the Final Fantasy series, before Final Fantasy Tactics. |
| February 23 |
Front Mission: Gun Hazard |
SNES |
SquareSoft |
Sequel to strategy Super Famicom RPG Front Mission. |
| February 27 |
Pokémon Red and Green |
GB (JP) |
Nintendo |
launching a wildly popular game series |
| February 29 |
Civilization II |
PC |
MicroProse |
acclaimed sequel to the highly influential 1991 turn-based strategy game |
| February 29 |
Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri |
MS-DOS |
Looking Glass Studios |
critically acclaimed FPS by the developers who later developed genre-redefining titles such as System Shock 2 and the Thief series |
| February 29 |
Zork: Nemesis |
PC |
Activision |
11th game in the Zork series, employing 360-degree views of environment |
| March |
Time Crisis |
Arcade |
Namco |
the first game in the popular light-gun series Time Crisis. |
| March 9 |
Super Mario RPG |
SFC |
Nintendo |
beginning a long-running series of Mario RPGs |
| March 21 |
Kirby Super Star |
SNES (JP) |
HAL Labs/Nintendo |
One of the last major SNES releases in the US, also considered to be one of the best games in the Kirby franchise. |
| March 22 |
Resident Evil |
PS1 |
Capcom |
It is considered to have invented the term "survival horror" |
| March 22 |
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei |
Saturn |
Team Andromeda/Sega |
considered to be one of the best games on the Sega Saturn and one of the best on-rail shooters of all-time. |
| March 29 |
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension |
SNES (JP) |
TOSE/Bandai |
the last Super Famicom game in the Dragon Ball Z franchise. |
| April 5 |
Tekkyu: True Pinball |
PS1, Saturn |
Digital Illusions/Ocean (company) |
Pinball game by the developers who would go on to develop the Battlefield series of games. |
| April 30 |
Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal |
PC |
Blizzard Entertainment |
Expansion pack to popular RTS game WarCraft II. |
| April 30 |
Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures |
PC |
LucasArts |
Point-and-click adventure game developed by LucasArts in the popular Indiana Jones franchise. |
| May 14 |
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu |
SNES (JP) |
Intelligent Systems/Nintendo |
the fourth game in the popular Fire Emblem series, considered by many to be one of the best entries. |
| May 24 |
Metal Slug |
Neo-Geo |
SNK |
the first in the Metal Slug series that has proved extremely popular in the arcades. |
| May 24 |
Treasure Hunter G |
SNES (JP) |
SquareSoft |
Obscure Japan-only late-in-life Super Famicom RPG. |
| May 31 |
Final Doom |
MS-DOS |
id Software |
the final part of the original Doom series. |
| May 31 |
Kirby's Block Ball |
GB |
HAL Labs/Nintendo |
Breakout-inspired game in popular Kirby franchise |
| June 22 |
Quake |
MS-DOS |
id Software |
advanced 3D graphics technology and started a franchise that has sold more than 4 million games |
| June 23 |
Super Mario 64 |
N64 (JP) |
Nintendo |
the first 3D Mario platformer, as the flagship for their new system. |
| June 30 |
Triple Play 97 |
PlayStation, PC |
The first Triple Play game on gen 5 platforms. |
| July 5 |
NiGHTS into Dreams... |
Saturn (JP) |
Sega |
The advertising campaign features the rebirth of the Sega Saturn; August 21 (US) |
| July 19 |
Star Ocean |
SNES (JP) |
tri-ace/Enix |
the first of seven games in the Star Ocean series. |
| July 25 |
The King of Fighters '95 |
Neo-Geo, PlayStation, Saturn, GB |
SNK |
the entry released in the popular King of Fighters series this year. |
| July 26 |
Bust a Move 2: Arcade Edition |
Saturn |
Taito Corporation/Acclaim |
The second home console game in the popular puzzle game series Bust-a-Move. |
| July 27 |
Shining Wisdom |
Saturn |
Camelot Software Planning/Working Designs |
Action RPG developed by Camelot, the developers who would go on to work on the Golden Sun series and the Mario sports games |
| July 31 |
Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh |
PC |
Sierra On-Line |
a controversial sequel to the controversial original. |
| July 31 |
Virtua Fighter Kids |
Saturn, Arcade |
Sega AM2 |
a spin-off in the Virtua Fighter series |
| August 25 |
Tekken 2 |
PS1 |
Namco |
the second game in the popular fighting game series Tekken |
| August 31 |
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall |
PC |
Bethesda Softworks |
a notable evolution of the sandbox RPG started with The Elder Scrolls: Arena |
| August 31 |
Crash Bandicoot |
PS1 |
Naughty Dog/Universal/Sony |
Crash is used as the mascot for the PlayStation console. |
| August 31 |
Die Hard Trilogy |
PC, PlayStation, Saturn |
Probe Entertainment/Fox Interactive |
3 original games in 1 disk, all of them based off the movies. |
| August 31 |
Tetris Attack |
SNES, GB |
Intelligent Systems/Nintendo |
first release of the popular Panel de Pon series in the US. |
| August 31 |
Madden NFL 97 |
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PlayStation, PC , SNES, Saturn, GB |
EA Sports/Electronic Arts |
The first Madden game on gen 5 platforms. |
| August 31 |
Jumping Flash! 2 |
PS1 |
Exact (company)/SCEA |
sequel to the PS1 launch game. |
| August 31 |
Beyond the Beyond |
PS1 |
Camelot Software Planning/SCEA |
RPG developed by Camelot, the team that would go on to develop the popular Golden Sun series. |
| August 31 |
Jet Moto |
PS1 |
SingleTrac/SCEA |
PS1 exclusive jet ski racing game |
| September |
Virtua Fighter 3 |
Arcade |
Sega AM2 |
A fighting game considered to have the most technically impressive graphics at the time. |
| September 14 |
GunGriffon |
Saturn |
Game Arts/Sega |
mech game published by Sega, first in its series. |
| September 20 |
Revelations: Persona |
PS1 |
Atlus |
first game in the Persona series, a spin-off series of the Megami Tensei series. Also the first Megami Tensei-related game to release outside of Japan |
| September 26 |
Pilotwings 64 |
N64 |
Nintendo |
The Nintendo 64 is released in North America.[2] One of two Nintendo 64 launch games, also a sequel to the original Pilotwings. |
| September 26 |
Super Mario 64 |
N64 (NA) |
Nintendo |
One of two Nintendo 64 launch games.[2] |
| September 27 |
Meridian 59 |
Windows |
3DO |
one of the first MMORPGs. |
| September 30 |
Wipeout XL/2097 |
PS1 |
Psygnosis |
a poster child of the PlayStation for pop culture infusions and sleek extreme action |
| September 30 |
Shattered Steel |
MS-DOS |
BioWare/Interplay |
first game developed by BioWare, the developers of the Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect series. |
| September 30 |
Street Fighter Alpha 2 |
Arcade, SNES, PlayStation, Saturn |
Capcom |
second game in the Street Fighter Alpha spin-off series |
| September 30 |
Mr. Bones |
Saturn |
Zono Inc./Sega |
obscure platformer for the Saturn |
| September 30 |
Tobal No. 1 |
PS1 |
DreamFactory/SCEA |
fighting game famous for including a demo for Final Fantasy VII. |
| September 30 |
Formula One |
PS1 |
Bizarre Creations/SCEA |
first racing game developed by Bizarre, the team that would go on to develop the popular Project Gotham Racing series. |
| September 30 |
Donkey Kong Land 2 |
GB |
Rare ltd./Nintendo |
second Donkey Kong Land game on the Game Boy |
| October 15 |
Marathon Infinity |
PC |
Bungie Software |
The last game in the Marathon trilogy, the FPS series developed by Bungie, who would later go on to create the immensely popular Halo and Destiny franchises. |
| October 31 |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert |
MS-DOS |
Westwood Studios |
the second major title in the Command & Conquer universe, and one of the most popular |
| October 31 |
Master of Orion II |
MS-DOS |
Simtex/MicroProse |
the sequel to the revolutionary original. |
| October 31 |
The Neverhood |
PC |
The Neverhood Inc./DreamWorks Interactive |
The game is done almost entirely in claymation and has gained a sequel. |
| October 31 |
Bubsy 3D |
PlayStation |
Epic Games/Inscape |
Considered one of the worst video games of all time. |
| October 31 |
Scorched Planet |
MS-DOS |
Criterion Games/Virgin Interactive |
DOS action game by the developers who would go on to develop the Burnout series of games. |
| October 31 |
Drowned God |
PC |
Eidetic/Accolade |
Adventure game by the developers of Unreal Tournament and Gears of War. |
| October 31 |
SimCopter |
PC |
Maxis |
Flight simulation game in popular Sim series. |
| October 31 |
King's Field II |
PS1 |
FromSoftware/ASCII Entertainment |
early game in the King's Field series, the predecessor series to the popular Demon's/Dark Souls series. |
| October 31 |
DeathDrome |
PC |
Zipper Interactive/Viacom |
First game developed by Zipper Interactive, the team that would go on to develop the SOCCOM series. |
| October 31 |
WWF In Your House |
PC, PS1, Saturn |
Acclaim |
First WWF game developed specifically for consoles. |
| October 31 |
Twisted Metal 2 |
PS1 |
SingleTrac/SCEA |
Second game in the popular Twisted Metal franchise. |
| October 31 |
Destruction Derby 2 |
PS1 |
Reflection Interactive/SCEA |
Second game in the popular Destruction Derby franchise. |
| October 31 |
NBA Live 97 |
PS1, Saturn, SNES, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis |
Electronic Arts, EA Sports |
First NBA game developed for the fifth gen consoles. |
| November |
Dead or Alive |
Arcade |
Team Ninja/Tecmo |
The first game in the Dead or Alive series of fighting games. |
| November 15 |
Tomb Raider |
PC, PS1, Saturn |
Core Design/Eidos |
It spawns a series of sequels as well as a series of movies. |
| November 22 |
Donkey Kong Country 3 |
SNES |
Rare/Nintendo |
the third installment to the popular Donkey Kong Country franchise |
| November 25 |
Killer Instinct Gold |
N64 |
Rare/Nintendo |
the sequel to the popular violent fighting game, Killer Instinct. |
| November 26 |
Area 51 |
PlayStation, PC, Saturn |
Mesa Logic/Atari Games |
Ported versions of the classic arcade shooter. |
| November 30 |
Diablo |
PC |
Blizzard Entertainment |
the first chapter in the enormously popular series. |
| November 30 |
Sonic 3D Blast |
Saturn, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis |
Sega/Traveller's Tales |
Isometric platformer in the popular "Sonic the Hedgehog," series. The only platformer in the series on the Sega Saturn, and the only game in the series developed by Traveller's Tales. |
| November 30 |
Contra: Legacy of War |
Saturn, PlayStation |
Konami/Appaloosa Interactive |
game in the popular Contra series, considered to be notably bad. |
| November 30 |
Dragon Force |
Saturn |
Sega/Working Designs |
one of the defining RPGs on the Saturn. |
| November 30 |
Fighting Vipers |
Saturn, Arcade |
Sega AM2 |
a popular Saturn fighting game. |
| November 30 |
Virtua Cop 2 |
Saturn, Arcade |
Sega AM2 |
a popular Saturn light gun game |
| November 30 |
Virtua-On: Cyber Troopers |
Saturn, Arcade |
CRI/Sega |
the first game in the Virtua-On series released outside of Japan |
| November 30 |
Bug Too! |
Saturn |
Sega/Realtime Associates |
an obscure sequel to the Saturn launch game |
| November 30 |
FIFA Soccer 97 |
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PlayStation, PC , SNES, Saturn, GB |
EA Canada/Electronic Arts |
The first FIFA game on gen 5 platforms. |
| November 30 |
Legend of Oasis |
Saturn |
Sega/Ancient (company) |
Sequel to the Genesis Zelda-style action game Beyond Oasis. |
| December 3 |
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire |
N64 |
LucasArts/Nintendo |
one of the first Nintendo 64 games, an action game in the popular Star Wars franchise. |
| December 13 |
The Sacred Mirror of Kofun |
PC |
Enteractive/Future Concepts |
the first game to include actual underwater footage, co-produced by Jean-Michel Cousteau |
| December 17 |
Mega Man 8 |
PS1, (JP) |
Capcom |
The first Mega Man game to be released on PlayStation. |
| December 19 |
Terranigma |
SNES |
Quintet/Nintendo |
Popular RPG famous for being released in Europe but not in America, a rarity in the mid-90s. Also a spiritual successor to Illusion of Gaia. |
| December 27 |
Fire ProWrestling S: 6Men Scramble |
Saturn |
Human Entertainment |
The only Saturn game in the Fire ProWrestling series. |
| December 31 |
Death Rally |
MS-DOS |
Remedy Entertainment/GT Interactive |
the first game developed by Remedy Entertainment, the team that would go on to develop Max Payne and Alan Wake. |
| December 31 |
NBA Hangtime |
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PlayStation, PC , N64, Arcade, SNES |
Midway |
arcade-style basketball game developed by Midway. |
