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1986 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario Bros. 2, along with new titles such as Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Dragon Quest, Ikari Warriors, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Out Run and R.B.I. Baseball. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Hang-On in Japan, Hang-On and Gauntlet in the United States, and Nemesis (Gradius) in London. The year's best‑selling home system was the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) for the third year in a row, while the year's best-selling home video games in Western markets were Super Mario Bros. in the United States and Yie Ar Kung-Fu in the United Kingdom.
Video game developer Masahiro Sakurai considers 1986 the most incredible year for the video game industry. He cited the release of several games that were the beginning of popular and long-lasting franchises such as The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest, Castlevania, and Kunio-kun. He attributed their release to new hardware like the Famicom Disk System and megabit ROMs that afforded developers with greater memory storage, which allowed for more creative possibilities. Sakurai noted that the better games in the competitive market generated more appeal.[1]
Financial performance
In the United States, the home video game industry recovered with the arrival of the third generation of video game consoles led by the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).[2]
Highest-grossing arcade games
Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1986, according to the Game Machine charts.
| Rank | Title | Arcade cabinet | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January–June[3] | July–December[4] | Total | |||
| 1 | Hang-On | Ride-on / sit-down | 1576 | 1679 | 3255 |
| 2 | Major League | Table | 968 | 1678 | 2646 |
| 3 | Ikari (Ikari Warriors) | Table | 992 | 1420 | 2412 |
| 4 | Real Mahjong Haihai | Table | 1062 | 1083 | 2145 |
| 5 | Tehkan World Cup | Table | 694 | 1152 | 1846 |
| 6 | Space Harrier | Rolling type | 887 | 949 | 1836 |
| 7 | Gradius | Table | 860 | 965 | 1825 |
| 8 | Arkanoid | Table | — | 1719 | 1719 |
| 9 | ASO: Armored Scrum Object | Table | 898 | 820 | 1718 |
| 10 | 1942 | Table | 862 | 826 | 1688 |
United Kingdom and United States
In the United Kingdom and United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade video games of 1986.
| Rank | United Kingdom | United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrocoin (London)[5] | RePlay[6] | AMOA[7][8] | Play Meter | ||
| Dedicated | Conversion | ||||
| 1 | Nemesis (Gradius) | Hang-On | Gauntlet | Mat Mania | Gauntlet[9] |
| 2 | Hang-On | Gauntlet | Hang-On, Ikari Warriors, Speed Buggy, World Series |
Choplifter, Hogan's Alley, 1942, Rush'n Attack |
Unknown |
| 3 | Ikari Warriors | Mat Mania | |||
| 4 | Arkanoid | World Series | |||
| 5 | Super Sprint | Spy Hunter | |||
| 6 | Salamander | Pole Position II | — | — | |
| 7 | Rampage | Mania Challenge | |||
| 8 | Enduro Racer | Ikari Warriors | |||
| 9 | Konami GT (GT Racer) | Ghosts 'n Goblins | |||
| 10 | Jail Break | Super Sprint | |||
Best-selling home systems
| Rank | System(s) | Manufacturer | Type | Generation | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | USA | Worldwide | |||||
| 1 | Nintendo Entertainment System / Famicom | Nintendo | Console | 8-bit | 3,900,000[10] | 3,000,000[11] | 6,900,000+ |
| 2 | Commodore 64 (C64) | Commodore | Computer | 8-bit | — | — | 2,500,000[12] |
| 3 | Famicom Disk System | Nintendo | Console | 8-bit | 2,000,000[13] | — | 2,000,000 |
| 4 | Commodore 128 (C128) | Commodore | Computer | 8-bit | — | — | 1,000,000[14] |
| 5 | Apple II | Apple Inc. | Computer | 8-bit | — | — | 700,000[12] |
| 6 | NEC PC-88 / PC-98 | NEC | Computer | 8-bit / 16-bit | 510,000[15][16] | Unknown | 510,000+ |
| 7 | Sega SG-1000 / Master System | Sega | Console | 8-bit | 280,000[10] | 125,000[17] | 405,000+ |
| 8 | Macintosh | Apple Inc. | Computer | 16-bit | — | — | 380,000[12] |
| 9 | Amiga | Commodore | Computer | 16-bit | — | — | 200,000[12] |
| Atari ST | Atari Corporation | Computer | 16-bit | — | — | 200,000[12] | |
Best-selling home video games
Japan
In Japan, home video games that sold at least one million copies in 1986 include The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu (The Legend of Zelda), which sold 1 million copies for the Famicom Disk System (FDS) on its first day of release in February;[18] Dragon Quest, which sold over 1 million cartridges for the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System) within six months between May and November;[19] and Gradius, which sold over 1 million between April and December.[20][21]
According to Famicom Tsūshin (Famitsu) magazine, the following titles were the top ten best-selling 1985-1986 releases during the three-year sales tracking period between May 1986 (when Famitsu began tracking sales) and mid-1989.[22]