When did Master of Monsters release?

Master of Monsters was first released on December 31, 1988.

Master of Monsters

Dec 31, 1988StrategyTacticalPC-8800 SeriesSharp X1Sega Mega Drive/GenesisMSXPC-8801

Master of Monsters — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Master of Monsters on?: Master of Monsters was released on PC-8800 Series, Sharp X1, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, MSX, PC-8801, PC Engine CD, PC-9801, Sega Saturn.
When did Master of Monsters release?: Master of Monsters was first released on December 31, 1988.

About Master of Monsters

Master of Monsters is a turn-based strategy game in which you choose one of five different wizards and fight the other wizards for domination of the land that stands without a ruler after the master wizard's death. You can play in two campaigns against the computer which requires you to defeat the enemy wizards on all maps and allows you to take all units that have survived a battle into the next one. You can also play all maps individually with up two four human players. In battles, you can summon different monsters and cast spells. Which monsters you can summon and which spells you can use depends on which wizard you have chosen.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: PC-8800 Series, Sharp X1, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, MSX, PC-8801, PC Engine CD, PC-9801, Sega Saturn
Developer: SystemSoft
Publisher: SystemSoft
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Fantasy

Details via IGDB.

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Fake risk
Sega Genesis	1991	$43	$95	—	Low

Also released on: PC-8800 Series · Sharp X1 · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · MSX · PC-8801 · PC Engine CD · PC-9801 · Sega Saturn. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$43

Complete

$95

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Japanese release	$8	$29	—

What it needs to play

Some modesSave battery (inside the cartridge) — saves to memory kept alive by a battery inside the cartridge; if that battery has died, saves are lost (MAME cartridge records).

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 2026-10-29.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $85 in Oct 2007, $54 five years ago, and $43 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2008	$39	—
Jan 2009	$19.10	—
Jan 2010	$15.42	—
Jan 2011	$24	—
Jan 2012	$27	—
Jan 2013	$35	—
Jan 2014	$33	$47
Jan 2015	$30	$75
Jan 2016	$40	$88
Jan 2017	$38	$49
Jan 2018	$36	$93
Jan 2019	$31	$69
Jan 2020	$35	$65
Jan 2021	$52	$119
Jan 2022	$48	$150
Jan 2023	$51	$114
Jan 2024	$44	$120
Jan 2025	$52	$118
Jan 2026	$55	$135
Oct 2026	$43	$95

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

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number	Barcode
North America	December 1991	—	720238101408
Japan	26 July 1991	T-63013	—

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: JP+NA
Released: 1991
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 turn-based strategy game with a cult following in North America, and a pricier US cart than the Japanese one.

Master of Monsters is a turn-based strategy game that began on Japanese computers and was ported to many systems, including the Genesis. Toshiba EMI released the Genesis cartridge in Japan on 26 July 1991, and Renovation Products published it in North America in December 1991. Its North American success led to Saturn and PlayStation follow-ups.

RPGFan later found the Genesis game excruciatingly repetitive.

How the Sega Genesis version differs

RPGFan gave the Genesis version a negative review, finding the game excruciatingly repetitive.

Sega Pro scored the import 28%, calling it a boring strategy game and a total waste of money.

Also on other platforms

MSX · PC-8801 · Sharp X1 · PC Engine CD · PC-9801 · Sega Saturn

MSX	SystemSoft

Sega Saturn. The Genesis game's North American success led to a Saturn version, Master of Monsters: Neo Generations.

Worth knowing

Sound test. Zero magazine and Sega Pro's German edition both reported that holding A, B, C and Start opens a sound test, and that repeating the combination on that screen jumps to the ending sequence.

Before you buy

Among US carts it is one of the pricier ones, well above the middle. The Japanese cart usually costs far less but has a different cartridge shape. The cartridge saves to a battery inside it, so test that a save holds; a replaced battery is a normal repair and not a sign of a fake. A complete US copy means the case, cartridge and manual.