Gaiares
Gaiares — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Gaiares on?
- Gaiares was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
- When did Gaiares release?
- Gaiares was first released on December 26, 1990.
About Gaiares
Gaiares is a horizontal-scrolling shoot em' up released for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis in 1990. The game bears a striking mechanic similarity to that of the R-Type series, alongside those of other well-known Shoot Em' Ups such as Gradius and Thunder Force, all of which it was trying to compete against.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Telenet Japan
- Publisher
- Tec Toy
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action, Science fiction
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1991 | $60 | $125 | — | 9 reviews | Medium |
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese release | $59 | $140 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about 2 times a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $8.49 in Oct 2007, $51 five years ago, and $60 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $5.00 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $8.06 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $4.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $5.49 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $13.95 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $17.02 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $14.99 | $38 |
| Jan 2015 | $24 | $58 |
| Jan 2016 | $35 | $70 |
| Jan 2017 | $39 | $70 |
| Jan 2018 | $47 | $80 |
| Jan 2019 | $39 | $105 |
| Jan 2020 | $67 | $105 |
| Jan 2021 | $47 | $130 |
| Jan 2022 | $50 | $157 |
| Jan 2023 | $57 | $180 |
| Jan 2024 | $43 | $123 |
| Jan 2025 | $48 | $112 |
| Jan 2026 | $38 | $115 |
| Oct 2026 | $60 | $125 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America | February 1991 | 720238100609 |
| Japan | 26 December 1990 | 4988624990289 |
- Region
- JP+NA
- Released
- 1991
- Authenticity
- Med
A tough, handsome horizontal shooter that is one of the pricier US carts, and one worth checking carefully.
Gaiares is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Telenet Japan and published by Renovation. It came out in Japan on 26 December 1990 and in North America in February 1991. Its title blends Gaia and the suffix "less", because the story has pollution taking the Earth from mankind. It was one of the early 8-megabit cartridges on the Genesis.
MegaTech judged it excellent looking but by far the toughest horizontally scrolling shooter on the Mega Drive. Sega Pro, reviewing the Japanese import in May 1993, found an impressive shooter that should keep blasting fans happy despite a lack of originality. In October 1991 Renovation was advertising a free T-shirt with purchase at participating retailers.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Games Guide | May 1992 | 84% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 84% |
| MegaTech Issue 17 | May 1993 | 84% |
| MegaTech Issue 18 | June 1993 | MT RATING: 84% |
| MegaTech Issue 23 | November 1993 | 84% |
| MegaTech Issue 26 | February 1994 | 84% |
| MegaTech Issue 27 | March 1994 | 84% |
| Game Informer | 9.25/10 | |
| IGN | 8/10 |
“enemies and make their weapon systems your own. This spectacular shoot-em-up is a must for space gunners everywhere.”
“An excellent-looking game, Gaiares is by far the toughest horizontally scrolling shoot ‘em up available on the Megadrive and is highly recommended to blasting fans who are hankering after a challenge.”
“An excellent-looking game, Qairies is by far the toughest norizontally scrolling snoot em i^ available on the Mega-drive and is highly recommendeoto blasting fans who are hankerii^ after a chall^ue.”
“An excellent-looking game, Gairies is by far the toughest horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up avail able on the Megadrive and is highly recommended to blasting fans who are hankering after a chal lenge.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits well above the middle, and its risk tier is medium, so it deserves a careful look: a Western Genesis cart has no notch in its shell, and a flat Western-style shell with a notch is a repro sign. For anything at this price, ask for a photo of the board. The Japanese cart costs about the same loose and a little more complete, and it has a different cartridge shape.
Gaiares screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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