Golden Axe
Golden Axe — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Golden Axe on?
- Golden Axe was released on Arcade, PlayStation 3, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Wii, Atari ST/STE, DOS, Amiga, WonderSwan Color, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, Xbox 360, Amstrad CPC, Xbox One, Sega Master System/Mark III, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, IBM PC, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine.
- When did Golden Axe release?
- Golden Axe was first released on January 27, 1989.
About Golden Axe
Progress is made through the game by fighting through Death Adder's henchmen, including men armed with clubs and maces, skeleton warriors, and knights. Players are able to attack using their weapon, jump and cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of "bars" of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue 'magic potions' attained by kicking little sprites who then drop the potions. These sprites appear during regular levels and during bonus stages in between levels. The male warrior Ax is able to cast earth spells. The dwarf Gilius, casts lightning spells and the female warrior Tyris casts fire magic. Each character has a different number of maximum magic bars and varying ranges of attack. Various steeds known as bizarrians are found in the game. These can be ridden when the enemy rider is knocked off, or if one is found dormant. The least powerful steed is known as the Cockatrice, which can be used to knock down enemies with a swipe of its tail. The more powerful dragon, which can either shoot fireballs or breathe fire, is found later in the game.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, PlayStation 3, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Wii, Atari ST/STE, DOS, Amiga, WonderSwan Color, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, Xbox 360, Amstrad CPC, Xbox One, Sega Master System/Mark III, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, IBM PC, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine
- Developer
- Team Shinobi
- Publisher
- Virgin Mastertronic
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy
- Series
- Golden Axe
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 Master SystemDetails ↓ | 1990 | $23 | $42 | — | 16 reviews | Low (look-alike) |
| Sega GenesisDetails ↓ | 1990 | $20 | $49 | $990 | 14 reviews | Low |
The cheapest way to own it loose is the Sega Genesis version ($20).
Also released on: Arcade · PlayStation 3 · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Wii · Atari ST/STE · DOS · Amiga · WonderSwan Color · Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD · Xbox 360 · Amstrad CPC · Xbox One · Sega Master System/Mark III · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · IBM PC · TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $11 | $21 | $48 |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about 2 times a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $26 in Jul 2009, $19.62 five years ago, and $23 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $9.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $8.00 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $11.99 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $14.51 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $4.99 | $27 |
| Jan 2015 | $15.50 | $38 |
| Jan 2016 | $20 | $35 |
| Jan 2017 | $14.54 | $33 |
| Jan 2018 | $21 | $30 |
| Jan 2019 | $18.69 | $48 |
| Jan 2020 | $15.57 | $30 |
| Jan 2021 | $15.00 | $33 |
| Jan 2022 | $24 | $58 |
| Jan 2023 | $30 | $45 |
| Jan 2024 | $19.00 | $33 |
| Jan 2025 | $22 | $35 |
| Jan 2026 | $19.97 | $41 |
| Oct 2026 | $23 | $42 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date |
|---|---|
| North America | 1990 |
| Europe / PAL | 1990 |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Master System version
A scaled-down version of the arcade brawler that sticks to one hero, and the European cart is the cheaper way to own it.
This is the Master System version of Sega's Golden Axe, released in North America and Europe in 1990. Unlike the arcade game's choice of three warriors, it retells the story from the point of view of Tarik, a barbarian. Electronic Gaming Monthly's January 1990 preview described a 4-megabit cart with seven levels, one player, and a hard difficulty, as the hero fights Death Adder's forces to rescue the king and princess and uses three kinds of magic.
The Master System game was ported from the 1989 arcade original, which was designed by Makoto Uchida.
What the press said at the time
| The Games Machine Issue 32 | July 1990 | 80% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | OVERALL 92% |
| Sega Pro Issue 19 | May 1993 | 85% |
| Sega Pro Issue 20 | June 1993 | 85% |
| Sega Pro Issue 23 | September 1993 | 85% |
| Sega Pro Issue 24 | October 1993 | 85% |
| Sega Pro Issue 25 | November 1993 | 85% |
| ACE | 890/1000 | |
| Computer and Video Games | 92% | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 31/40 | |
| Joystick | 90% | |
| Player One | 85% | |
| Zero | 85% | |
| Console XS | 80% | |
| Game Mania | 92% | |
| Sega Power | 4/5 |
“On the plus side the sprites are all colourful, smooth scrolling and wonderfully detailed, though the game is only one player and you can only choose the Barbarian, Worth a look nonetheless,”
“Golden Axe is a superb conversion of the coin-op, with five tough levels of action. The graphics and sound are both top-notch and the game is highly recommended to beat 'em up fans.”
“A respectable attempt at portraying a favourite hack-’em-up. It suffers from one limitation; you oniy get the choice to control one player. not three.”
“A respectable attempt at portraying a favourite hack-’em-up. It suffers from one limitation; you oniy get the choice to control one player, not three.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Sega Master System version.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · Genesis · PC Engine CD-ROM² · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · IBM PC · ZX Spectrum · WonderSwan Color · TurboGrafx-16
- WonderSwan Color. The WonderSwan Color version also adds Death Bringer, Death Adder's mentor, as the true final boss.
- PC Engine CD-ROM². The PC Engine CD-ROM² version is the only one with animated cutscenes, and its plot differs significantly from the other versions.
How the other versions reviewed
| Arcade | ACE | Positive |
| Arcade | Computer and Video Games | 80% |
| Amiga | Computer and Video Games | 90% |
| Atari ST | Computer and Video Games | 91% |
| ZX Spectrum | Crash | 76% |
| Amiga | Joystick | 78% |
| Arcade | Sinclair User | 8/10 |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair User | 71% |
| Arcade | The Games Machine | Positive |
| Arcade | Your Sinclair | 81% |
| ZX Spectrum | Your Sinclair | 91% |
| Amiga | Zero | 83% |
| Amiga | Zzap!64 | 78% |
| Commodore 64 | Zzap!64 | 96% |
| Arcade | Commodore User | 89% |
| Amiga | Commodore User | 78% |
| ZX Spectrum | MicroHobby | 88% |
| Amiga | The One | 5/5 |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
There are two releases, the US cart and the European cart. The European cart costs much less than the US one, both loose and complete, so it is the sensible buy unless you specifically want a US copy. A European cart is easily mistaken for an American one, because the US console plays European carts. The look-alike risk is low.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Classic re-release | $25 | $35 | $195 |
| European (PAL) release | $27 | $63 | $156 |
| Japanese release | $23 | $66 | $109 |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a week
- Complete: about 2 times a week
- Sealed: about 4 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $3.95 in Oct 2007, $14.75 five years ago, and $20 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $8.92 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $6.50 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $4.90 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $3.08 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $3.39 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $6.68 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $7.79 | $12.95 |
| Jan 2015 | $9.99 | $16.00 |
| Jan 2016 | $11.99 | $19.95 |
| Jan 2017 | $15.50 | $22 |
| Jan 2018 | $14.06 | $23 |
| Jan 2019 | $11.03 | $27 |
| Jan 2020 | $13.86 | $30 |
| Jan 2021 | $17.00 | $32 |
| Jan 2022 | $19.78 | $40 |
| Jan 2023 | $18.31 | $43 |
| Jan 2024 | $15.50 | $46 |
| Jan 2025 | $20 | $41 |
| Jan 2026 | $18.04 | $42 |
| Oct 2026 | $20 | $49 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America | January 1990 | 069044011069 |
| Europe / PAL | November 1990 | — |
| Japan | 23 December 1989 | 4974365540180 |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Genesis version
A lively home version of the Sega arcade brawler with extras added, and priced above the middle among US carts.
On the Genesis, Golden Axe was released in Japan on 23 December 1989, North America in January 1990 and Europe in November 1990. This version adds a level and a duel mode and a new ending. It also brings in Death Bringer, Death Adder's mentor, as the true final boss, which sets it apart from the one-hero Master System game on this page.
Mean Machines Sega praised it as a near-replica of the arcade machine, with one-on-one battle options and a mini-mission for beginners, calling it among the best arcade conversions it had seen.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 1 | October 1992 | 91% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 94% |
| Computer and Video Games | 95% | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 29/40 | |
| Game Informer | 8.75/10 | |
| Joystick | 91% | |
| Player One | 93% | |
| Raze | 92% | |
| The Games Machine | 92% | |
| Zero | 94% | |
| Mega Action | 82% | |
| Mega Drive Advanced Gaming | 86% | |
| Sega Power | 82% | |
| Sega Pro | 91% |
“Golden Axe is a pixel-perfect replica of the arcade machine, containing identical graphics, sound and gameplay. This is one of the best arcade conversions ever seen”
“Golden Axe is a pixel-perfect replica of the arcade machine, containing identical graphics, sound and gameplay. This is one of the best arcade conversions ever seen, and a game which no Megadrive| ‘owner should be without.”
“Golden Axe is still a pretty good laugh a couple of years on, but | couldn't help getting bored of the game ofter a while.”
“Golden Axe is a perfect replica of the arcade machine which also sports additional features in the form of one-on-one battle options, a mini-mission for beginners as well as extra levels which didn't appear in the arcade version. All together it's one of the best arcade conversions ever seen. A must!”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
How the Sega Genesis version differs
Mean Machines rated the Mega Drive version 94%, praising its one-on-one battle option, beginner mini-mission and extra levels not found in the arcade version.
Also on other platforms
Master System · Arcade · PC Engine CD-ROM² · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · IBM PC · ZX Spectrum · WonderSwan Color · TurboGrafx-16
| Arcade | Sega |
- TurboGrafx-16. The PC Engine CD-ROM2 version was the only one with animated cutscenes and has a significantly different plot.
- Arcade. The arcade game ends with a fourth-wall-breaking sequence of three children playing a Golden Axe arcade machine, which a short circuit sets on fire.
How the other versions reviewed
| Arcade | ACE | Positive |
| Arcade | Computer and Video Games | 80% |
| Amiga | Computer and Video Games | 90% |
| Atari ST | Computer and Video Games | 91% |
| ZX Spectrum | Crash | 76% |
| Amiga | Joystick | 78% |
| Arcade | Sinclair User | 8/10 |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair User | 71% |
| Arcade | The Games Machine | Positive |
| Arcade | Your Sinclair | 81% |
| ZX Spectrum | Your Sinclair | 91% |
| Amiga | Zero | 83% |
| Amiga | Zzap!64 | 78% |
| Commodore 64 | Zzap!64 | 96% |
| Arcade | Commodore User | 89% |
| Amiga | Commodore User | 78% |
| ZX Spectrum | MicroHobby | 88% |
| Amiga | The One | 5/5 |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
Among US carts it is above the middle. The European cart usually costs more than the US one, and the Japanese cart usually costs a little more and has a different cartridge shape. A Sega Classic budget re-release is priced as its own variant, so check which one a listing is.
Golden Axe screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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