When did Hellfire release?

Hellfire was first released on December 31, 1989.

Hellfire

Dec 31, 1989ShooterArcadeArcadeLinuxSega Mega Drive/GenesisPC (Microsoft Windows)Mac

Hellfire — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Hellfire on?: Hellfire was released on Arcade, Linux, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD.
When did Hellfire release?: Hellfire was first released on December 31, 1989.

About Hellfire

In the year 2998, humanity has finally reached the stars, and was able to build a prosperous, peaceful society. However, a space matter known as the Black Nebula began to spread, threatening to engulf the galaxies controlled by humans. It turned out that a robotic dictator named Super Mech was behind this occurrence. The Earth sends Captain Lancer, a skillful pilot navigating the powerful CNCS1 aircraft, equipped with the most powerful weapon: the Hellfire... This is a horizontal space shooter, with the traditional premise of a lone pilot traversing hostile areas and out-manoeuvring and/or destroying quick and numerous enemies.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Developer: Toaplan
Publisher: Masaya
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

58/100

from 7 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Fake risk
Sega Genesis	1990	$28	$100	—	7 reviews	Low

Also released on: Arcade · Linux · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · PC (Microsoft Windows) · Mac · Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29

Loose

$28

Complete

$100

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
European (PAL) release	$21	$54	—
Japanese release	$22	$56	—

How often it sells

Loose: about 2 times a month
Complete: about once a week
Sealed: about once 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 $1.50 in Oct 2009, $57 five years ago, and $28 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2010	$18.50	—
Jan 2011	$14.55	—
Jan 2012	$15.50	—
Jan 2013	$19.94	—
Jan 2014	$19.24	$31
Jan 2015	$14.99	$30
Jan 2016	$16.40	$47
Jan 2017	$25	$78
Jan 2018	$25	$55
Jan 2019	$28	$70
Jan 2020	$28	$97
Jan 2021	$42	$88
Jan 2022	$56	$188
Jan 2023	$60	$148
Jan 2024	$45	$110
Jan 2025	$37	$108
Jan 2026	$45	$100
Oct 2026	$28	$100

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number	Barcode	Known board
North America	November 1990	35036	716065824429	—
Europe / PAL	1991	670-1958	—	171-5703 · MPR-14430-SM
Japan	28 September 1990	—	4988616003034	171-5703 · MPR-13251-H

Source: Product numbers: MAME's Mega Drive software list and the No-Intro serial records in the libretro database, published where both agree on the same cartridge dump, or from the libretro records alone where MAME lists no number for that dump. Board and ROM numbers: MAME's software list

Region: NA+EU+JP
Released: 1990
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases, such as Sega Ages, the Genesis Mini and Nintendo Switch Online, are not tracked hereLow counterfeit risk

Sega Genesis prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A solid Genesis conversion of Toaplan's horizontal shooter, with its own weapons, and a cart that sits above the middle among US carts.

This is the Genesis version of Hellfire, ported from the arcade shooter by NCS Corporation. Masaya released it in Japan on 28 September 1990, Seismic Software in North America in November 1990 and Sega in Europe in 1991. It was made by most of the staff of the arcade game.

It differs from the arcade original. The Genesis has a smaller color palette and lower screen resolution, so sprites were recolored and graphics redrawn, and it has an arranged soundtrack and new items: a bomb as the main weapon, a shield and a satellite option. Mean Machines Sega, reviewing another shooter, pointed readers to Hellfire and Gynoug as better alternatives.

What the press said at the time

MegaTech Issue 2	January 1992	89%
MegaTech Issue 1	December 1991	MEGATECH RATING 90%
MegaTech Issue 17	May 1993	92%
MegaTech Issue 18	June 1993	MT RATING: 92%
MegaTech Issue 23	November 1993	93%
MegaTech Issue 26	February 1994	92%
MegaTech Issue 27	March 1994	92%

“This game can't be praised for originality, but Hellfire does, at least, deliver the action. Many may not find this a good enough reason to buy it, but some will.”
— VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, December 1990

“Your weapons are effective, but they don’t provide any clear cut advantage over your enemies - slick flying’s the thing. Expect to die frequently.”
— GamePro, December 1990

“Regarded by some as the best Megadrive shoot ‘em up to date this smart arcade conversion features loads of blasting”
— MegaTech, January 1992

“Despite the competition, Hellfire ’s still the toughest, most polished shoot-’em-up on the Mega Drive.”
— Sega Force, May 1992

How the Sega Genesis version differs

NCS Corporation ported Hellfire to the Genesis in 1990.

Sega Pro scored the import Mega Drive version 69%, praising the graphics and variety but saying they could not hide a weak challenge.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · PC Engine CD-ROM²

Arcade

Toaplan

PC Engine CD-ROM². NEC Avenue released the PC Engine CD-ROM² version in 1991 and it drew a similar positive response.

Before you buy

Among US carts it sits above the middle. Both the European and the Japanese cart usually cost noticeably less than the US one, with the Japanese cart having a different cartridge shape. A complete US copy means the case, cartridge and manual.