When did Power Instinct release?

Power Instinct was first released on November 1, 1993.

Power Instinct

Nov 1, 1993FightingArcadeArcadeSega Mega Drive/Genesis Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Power Instinct — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Power Instinct on?: Power Instinct was released on Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
When did Power Instinct release?: Power Instinct was first released on November 1, 1993.

About Power Instinct

The original Arcade version of Power Instinct. This version only has the arcade mode and multiplayer while the later ports to console added practice, battle, time attack and life attack game modes. Power Instinct is a one-on-one 2D fighting game in the tradition of Street Fighter 2, in which you select your character from a group of 8 unique fighters and attempt to defeat your opponents in successive fashion using your arcade reflexes and your character's unique moves.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

69/100

from 8 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Fake risk
Sega Genesis	1994	$134	$204	—	Medium

Also released on: Arcade · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Super Nintendo Entertainment System. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$134

few sales

Complete

$204

Sealed

—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a year
Complete: about 2 times 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 $170 in Jan 2021, $170 five years ago, and $134 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2021	$170	$340
Jan 2022	$170	$340
Jan 2023	$170	$340
Jan 2024	$170	$340
Jan 2025	$170	$350
Jan 2026	$133	$340
Oct 2026	$134	$204

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

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number
Japan	18 November 1994	T-144013

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
Released: 1994
Authenticity: Med

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

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

An Atlus fighting-game oddity that only Japan received, priced above the middle among Japanese carts.

On the Mega Drive this is Gouketsuji Ichizoku, Atlus's own port of its fighting game series entry, released only in Japan on 18 November 1994. The Mega Drive version has a Battle Royal mode where one or two players pick a team, with an option to hide the characters being chosen until the fight starts.

How the Sega Genesis version differs

The Mega Drive version, never released outside Japan, adds a Battle Royal team mode for one or two players.

It also lets the player adjust the strength of every playable character's special attacks.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · Super NES

Super NES. The Super NES version adds Vs. Battle, Practice Mode, Time Attack and a Life Attack mode.
Super NES. The English North American console version omitted the Karaoke Mode, character biographies and intro demo, and replaced the Japanese endings with a congratulations screen.

Before you buy

The Japanese cartridge is a different shape from a Western one and fits a Western console only with an adapter or after removing two plastic tabs in its slot. Among Japan-only carts it sits above the middle, and the risk tier is medium, so ask for a photo of the board. Sega Retro lists it as using the six-button pad.