When did Superman release?

Superman was first released on December 31, 1992.

Superman

Dec 31, 1992AdventureSuper Nintendo Entertainment System Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Sega Game Gear Sega Master System/Mark III

Superman — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Superman on?: Superman was released on Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System/Mark III.
When did Superman release?: Superman was first released on December 31, 1992.

About Superman

Superman (known in Europe as Superman: The Man of Steel) is a video game released by Sunsoft for the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1992. It is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is a traditional single-player side-scrolling arcade game where the player controls Superman through various levels in an effort to defeat the evil supervillain named Brainiac. Other super villains, as bosses, include The Prankster, Metallo and Mister Mxyzptlk.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System/Mark III
Developer: Thinking Rabbit
Publisher: SUNSOFT
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action
Series: Superman

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

64/100

from 5 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Fake risk
Sega Genesis	1992	$25	$52	—	80%	Low

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

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$25

Complete

$52

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
European (PAL) release	$25	$81	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a week
Complete: about once a week
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 $5.10 in Jan 2009, $14.43 five years ago, and $25 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2009	$5.10	—
Jan 2010	$1.77	—
Jan 2011	$1.50	—
Jan 2012	$1.87	—
Jan 2013	$6.50	—
Jan 2014	$8.99	$14.68
Jan 2015	$9.99	$19.00
Jan 2016	$9.99	$14.50
Jan 2017	$10.94	$27
Jan 2018	$13.00	$22
Jan 2019	$9.79	$24
Jan 2020	$11.00	$27
Jan 2021	$15.98	$37
Jan 2022	$20	$47
Jan 2023	$20	$55
Jan 2024	$17.99	$47
Jan 2025	$21	$45
Jan 2026	$21	$40
Oct 2026	$25	$52

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

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number	Barcode
North America	December 1992	T-15036	020763113045
Europe / PAL	June 1993	—	—

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: NA+EU
Released: 1992
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 difficult Sunsoft Superman game that reviewers called average, priced above the middle among US carts.

This is the Genesis game Superman, called Superman: The Man of Steel in Europe, developed by Thinking Rabbit and published by Sunsoft in North America and by Virgin Games in Europe. Superman fights Brainiac, with bosses including the Prankster, Metallo and Mister Mxyzptlk. It came out in North America in December 1992 and Europe in June 1993.

Video Games & Computer Entertainment's reviewer said you will get plenty of fun if you can accept Sunsoft's softened Man of Steel, and noted that others found the difficulty too high. Sega Pro called the American game average and said the Virgin release in Europe was updated enough to need a new review.

What the press said at the time

Sega Pro Issue 21

July 1993

80%

“It’s fun to look at, easy to play and hard to beat—just the way | like ‘em. If you can deal with Sunsoft’s wimp-ization of the Man of Steel, you'll get plenty of fun from this cart.”
— Video Games & Computer Entertainment, January 1993

“Sharp graphics and a solid challenge make this a worthy game for all Genesis players. Take Superman for a spin, before it's old news.”
— GamePro, March 1993

“This is a good all-round platform adventure with assorted gameplay, five challenging stages and iťs far better than the SunSoft import version.”
— Sega Pro, July 1993

“Virgin Games sneaked this one into the shops without giving out review copies beforehand. We wonder why? … Someone’s obviously been on the Kryptonite.”
— Mega, July 1993

In the sales charts

In one sales chart, October 1993; highest position #7.

Show the placing

#7 in the HMV Mega Drive chart — Sega Pro, Issue 24, October 1993

Sales charts as printed in the magazines of the time.

How the Sega Genesis version differs

The European Mega Drive version was published by Virgin as Superman: The Man of Steel.

A glitch in pre-production editions, still present in the edition many critics reviewed, forced players to reset the game if they collected the wrong power icon.

Also on other platforms

Game Gear · Master System · Super NES

Sega Master System	Graftgold
Game Gear	Graftgold

Super NES. A Super NES version was planned but cancelled before completion.

Before you buy

Among US carts it sits above the middle. The European loose cart usually costs about the same as the US one, while a complete European copy usually costs more. Since the European release was changed, do not assume the two are the same game.