Nightmare Circus
Nightmare Circus — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Nightmare Circus on?
- Nightmare Circus was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
- When did Nightmare Circus release?
- Nightmare Circus was first released on January 6, 1997.
About Nightmare Circus
On opening night, the circus was set ablaze and burned completely to the ground by its shady and villainous operator, the Jester, who intended to cash in on an insurance policy. Afterwards, the Jester was convicted for the deaths of the fire victims, but before he was executed, the Jester warned that the souls of the victims would be forever tormented. Many years later, a Native American man named Raven who had lost relatives to the fire goes to investigate the site where the circus was held, and where strange happenings have been reported.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Funcom
- Publisher
- Tec Toy
- Themes
- Action, Horror
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 | 1996 | $344 | $687 | — | 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
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 year
- Complete: rarely — fewer than one recorded sale a year
- Sealed: rarely — fewer than one recorded sale a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $344 in Jul 2024, and $344 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | $344 | $687 |
| Jan 2026 | $344 | $687 |
| Oct 2026 | $344 | $687 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date |
|---|---|
| North America | April 1996 |
| Europe / PAL | May 1997 |
| Brazil | 1996 |
- Region
- NA+EU+BR
- Released
- 1996
- Authenticity
- Med
A detailed Funcom platformer that is one of the pricier Genesis carts without a US cartridge.
Nightmare Circus is a platformer developed by Funcom for the Mega Drive. It reached North America in April 1996 only through the Sega Channel download service and was not released on a US cartridge (Sega Retro). Tectoy released it on cartridge in Brazil in 1996, and Europe got it in May 1997.
Sega Pro previewed it as a game in which an evil jester summons devils and demons. Next Generation thought it had a lot more detail than many platform games, but felt that it came too late, as the Genesis was being replaced by other consoles.
Before you buy
It ranks high among the games with no US cartridge, and the risk tier is Medium. The cartridges to look for are the European and the Brazilian Tectoy ones; Tectoy's release is official. Any US-style cartridge is a modern reproduction or homebrew cart. The game saves to a battery inside the cartridge, so check that a save holds; a replaced battery is a normal repair. Ask for a photo of the board.
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