When did Sorcerian release?

Sorcerian was first released on December 20, 1987.

Sorcerian

Dec 20, 1987PlatformPuzzleRole-playing (RPG)PC-9800 SeriesPC-8800 SeriesSharp X1Wii Sega Mega Drive/Genesis

Sorcerian — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Sorcerian on?: Sorcerian was released on PC-9800 Series, PC-8800 Series, Sharp X1, Wii, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC (Microsoft Windows), TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, iOS, DOS, MSX2, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, PC-8801, PC-9801, PC-88VA, X1 Turbo, PC Engine CD.
When did Sorcerian release?: Sorcerian was first released on December 20, 1987.

About Sorcerian

Sorcerian is a side-scrolling action-RPG. The player can create up to ten characters, from whom up to four members can be present in a party at the same time. Each character is highly customizable, with four different classes/races (fighter, wizard, elf, and dwarf) and over 60 possible jobs/occupations (ranging from clown to exorcist) available for them to perform; each has its own strengths and weaknesses, affecting the seven primary attributes (strength, intelligence, protection, magic resistance, vitality, dexterity, and karma) in different ways, as well as different equipment limitations. The player can choose from fifteen different scenarios, or quests, to play through in the order of their choice. The party must battle enemies and perform tasks within the given levels to clear each scenario, before moving onto another scenario of their choice. The player controls the entire party at the same time, with all four members running in a line, jumping in sequence, and attacking in unison. The party members follow behind in a manner similar to the Options in the arcade shooter Gradius (1985). Sorcerian also employs class-based puzzles, such as using a high-strength character to force open doors. All the characters have a default starting age of 16. Each time a player begins a new scenario, a year passes by, while additional time passes by in towns as a character goes through training or enchants items. The characters age at different rates depending on their race, with humans reaching old age at 60, dwarves at 100, and elves at 200. Upon reaching old age, for every year that passes, a character can die permanently at a random time. There is also an “Advance Time” to speed up the flow of time. Another new feature of Sorcerian was its episodic format that extended across various expansion packs. Besides the default fifteen scenarios that come with the game, there were a number of additional scenario packs released. The aging system was created with the additional scenario packs in mind.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: PC-9800 Series, PC-8800 Series, Sharp X1, Wii, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC (Microsoft Windows), TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, iOS, DOS, MSX2, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, PC-8801, PC-9801, PC-88VA, X1 Turbo, PC Engine CD
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: Sierra Entertainment
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Fantasy, Historical, Sandbox
Series: Dragon Slayer

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	1990	$14	$38	—	Low

Also released on: PC-9800 Series · PC-8800 Series · Sharp X1 · Wii · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · PC (Microsoft Windows) · TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine · iOS · DOS · MSX2 · Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD · PC-8801 · PC-9801 · PC-88VA · X1 Turbo · 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

$14

Complete

$38

Sealed

—

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 6 times a year
Complete: about 4 times a year
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 $10.82 in Oct 2019, $0.99 five years ago, and $14.20 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2020	$5.07	$8.87
Jan 2021	$3.33	$9.45
Jan 2022	$2.40	$10.00
Jan 2023	$5.96	$11.55
Jan 2024	$6.55	$14.91
Jan 2025	$6.44	$28
Jan 2026	$10.58	$30
Oct 2026	$14.20	$38

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

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number
Japan	24 February 1990	G-4504

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: 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

Sega's Mega Drive version of a long-running Japanese computer role-playing series, and a below-the-middle Japanese cart.

Sorcerian is an action role-playing game from Nihon Falcom's Dragon Slayer line, first released on the NEC PC-8801. Sega developed the Mega Drive version, which has somewhat different content from the computer versions. It came out only in Japan, on 24 February 1990.

Also on other platforms

PC-8801 · PC-9801 · PC-88VA · X1 Turbo · MSX2 · MS-DOS · PC Engine CD · Windows · iOS

MS-DOS. Sierra Entertainment published an English MS-DOS version in 1990.

Before you buy

Japanese cartridges are a different shape from Western ones and do not fit a Western console without an adapter or removing two plastic tabs in its slot. Some modes save to a battery inside the cartridge, so test that a save holds; a replaced battery is a normal repair, not a sign of a fake. Among Japan-only carts it sits below the middle.