When did Star Wars release?

Star Wars was first released on November 15, 1991.

Star Wars

Nov 15, 1991PlatformSega Game Gear Family Computer Nintendo Entertainment System Sega Master System/Mark III Game Boy

Star Wars — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Star Wars on?: Star Wars was released on Sega Game Gear, Family Computer, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System/Mark III, Game Boy.
When did Star Wars release?: Star Wars was first released on November 15, 1991.

About Star Wars

This game is based entirely on the first Star Wars movie, Episode IV: A New Hope. The opening of the game features an animated cinematic of the opening scene of the film. After that the player takes control of Luke Skywalker, driving the landspeeder across Tatooine in search of R2-D2. Luke Skywalker explores various locations throughout Tatooine, fighting numerous enemies including Jawas and Stormtroopers. The game features many locations from the movie including the Chalmun's Cantina in Mos Eisley where Luke meets Han Solo for the first time. This section of the game features a classic 8-bit rendition of the "Cantina Band" theme as played by the fictitious band, Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, in the feature film. The game also contains many famous lines from the movie including Obi-Wan Kenobi's plea to Luke to join him in his trip to Alderann and Han Solo's description of the smell from the Death Star's trash compactor. The player eventually lands on the Death Star and has to destroy the tractor beam to escape. The game also features first person segments of piloting the Millenium Falcon through that Asteroid field that was once Alderaan, and shooting down Tie Fighters in both the Millenium Falcon and an X-Wing fighter. The finale of the game features a top down view of Luke Skywalker's X-Wing flying through the Death Star trenches. After the player successfully fires a torpedo into the Death Star's exposed exhaust port, a cinematic of the Death Star exploding and Luke Skywalker being awarded a medal on Yavin IV is shown. The game featured the characters Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, R2-D2, and C-3PO. The game however does not feature Darth Vader or Chewbacca, both of whom are major characters in the film.

Summary via IGDB.

Star Wars on Wikipedia

Over a hundred video games based on the Star Wars franchise have been released, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on films while others rely heavily on the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).

Game details

Platforms: Sega Game Gear, Family Computer, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System/Mark III, Game Boy
Developer: Beam Software
Publisher: Kixx
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Science fiction
Series: Star Wars

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

73/100

from 14 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Built by	Fake risk
Sega Master System	1993	$19	$56	—	5 reviews	Tiertex	Low (look-alike)

Also released on: Sega Game Gear · Family Computer · Nintendo Entertainment System · Sega Master System/Mark III · Game Boy. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28

Loose

$19

Complete

$56

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Kixx budget re-release	—	$44	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about once a week
Sealed: about once a year

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $18.95 in Jan 2011, $29 five years ago, and $18.51 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2011	$18.95	—
Jan 2012	$21	—
Jan 2013	$13.63	—
Jan 2014	$13.63	$21
Jan 2015	$13.63	$30
Jan 2016	$13.63	$30
Jan 2017	$13.63	$60
Jan 2018	$21	$25
Jan 2019	$22	$31
Jan 2020	$25	$32
Jan 2021	$30	$38
Jan 2022	$26	$58
Jan 2023	$35	$55
Jan 2024	$25	$55
Jan 2025	$16.49	$49
Jan 2026	$16.73	$54
Oct 2026	$18.51	$56

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

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number
Europe / PAL	October 1993	29014-50

Source: Product numbers: MAME's Master System software list and the No-Intro serial records in the libretro database, published only where both agree on the same cartridge dump; Japanese numbers also checked against Sega Japan's software list. Board and ROM numbers: MAME's software list

Region: EU
Released: 1993
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases, such as Sega Ages and Virtual Console, are not tracked hereLow look-alike risk

Sega Master System prices, all games & how to spot a fake

Tiertex's Star Wars is one of the pricier European-only carts.

This Star Wars game, developed by Tiertex and published by U.S. Gold, came out in Europe in October 1993. It is based on the 1977 film and follows the NES game, and Tiertex also made the Game Gear version. In the Master System version you must kill and resurrect Han Solo or Princess Leia to earn the last 10 percent of completion points and see the ending.

What the press said at the time

Sega Master Force Issue 4	October 1993	NICK 88% TIM 90%
Sega Pro Issue 24	October 1993	89%
Sega Pro Issue 25	November 1993	89%
Sega Master Force Issue 6	December 1993	89%
Sega Pro Issue 43	April 1995	88%

“Star Wars is one of the best games this month. Gameplay’s entertaining, graphics are cool and the sound’s rather favourable!”
— Sega Master Force, October 1993

“This oonversion from the classie film teatures five absorbing and fast levels of shoot-'em-up platform action where you must rescue the prisoners and chase the mighty Darth VaderI”
— Sega Pro, October 1993

“This conversion from the classic film features five absorbing and fast levels of shoot-’em-up platform action where you must rescue the prisoners and chase the mighty Darth Vader!”
— Sega Pro, November 1993

“An excellent conversion from one of the best sci-fi films of all time. All the movie’s music has been included to create a good game-playing atmosphere.”
— Sega Master Force, December 1993

Also on other platforms

NES · Game Boy · Game Gear

Master System	Tiertex
Game Gear	Tiertex
Game Boy	NMS Software

Game Gear. The Game Gear version has several exclusive levels and replaces the Tatooine hub with three side-scrolling desert levels on foot.
Game Boy. Power Unlimited gave the Game Boy version 65%, calling the graphics too complicated for the Game Boy, the image too dark and the controls imprecise.
Game Boy. Chewbacca appears at the end of the Game Boy version.

Before you buy

The European cart sits above the typical price for European-only carts. A Kixx budget re-release also exists. The look-alike risk is low. A US buyer can use it, since the US console plays European carts.