When did True Lies release?

True Lies was first released on December 31, 1994.

True Lies

Dec 31, 1994ShooterSuper Nintendo Entertainment System Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Sega Game Gear Game Boy

True Lies — frequently asked questions

What platforms is True Lies on?: True Lies was released on Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Game Boy.
When did True Lies release?: True Lies was first released on December 31, 1994.

About True Lies

True Lies is a top-view action shooting game based on the 1994 film of the same title that was developed by Beam Software and published by Acclaim and LJN. Four different versions of the game were released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, and the Game Boy. The home versions and portable versions were drastically different from each other, but featured similar play mechanics.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Game Boy
Developer: Beam Software
Publisher: LJN
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

60/100

from 14 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	1995	$25	$65	—	Graphics 76, Sound 72, Playability 72, Value 60	Medium

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

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$25

Complete

$65

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
European (PAL) release	$39	$108	$251
Japanese release	$64	$1,023	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a week
Complete: about once a week
Sealed: about 2 times 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 $0.99 in Oct 2007, $21 five years ago, and $25 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2008	$1.85	—
Jan 2009	$2.43	—
Jan 2010	$3.99	—
Jan 2011	$3.05	—
Jan 2012	$4.22	—
Jan 2013	$1.98	—
Jan 2014	$2.48	$5.40
Jan 2015	$6.79	$5.40
Jan 2016	$6.79	$5.40
Jan 2017	$10.50	$9.99
Jan 2018	$13.82	$27
Jan 2019	$13.99	$33
Jan 2020	$11.85	$34
Jan 2021	$18.75	$40
Jan 2022	$23	$75
Jan 2023	$24	$66
Jan 2024	$23	$59
Jan 2025	$25	$65
Jan 2026	$29	$63
Oct 2026	$25	$65

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

Release record

Territory	Date	Barcode
North America	1995	021481800088
Europe / PAL	24 March 1995	—
Japan	28 April 1995	—

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+JP
Released: 1995
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

A solid top-view shooter based on the Schwarzenegger film, with a Japanese cart that costs far more than the others.

True Lies is a top-view run-and-gun based on the 1994 film. Beam Software developed it and Acclaim published it. The Genesis version came out in Europe on 24 March 1995, in Japan on 28 April 1995 and in North America in 1995. It differs a lot from the portable versions on the Game Boy and Game Gear.

GameFan called it a quality top-view shooter, and Next Generation said it was fun and true to the film.

What the press said at the time

Computer and Video Games Issue 161

April 1995

Graphics 76, Sound 72, Playability 72, Value 60

“True Lies is a good enough title that looks a bit dated when compared to the greats of the genre such as Chaos Engine and Cannon Fodder.”
— Sega Magazine, April 1995

“True Lies isn’t awful, but It wasn’t the game we wanted to see, and It really Just Isn’t that good com¬ pared to the standard of software we should see from Acclaim.”
— Computer and Video Games, April 1995

How the Sega Genesis version differs

GamePro called the Genesis version identical to the recent Super NES version.

Next Generation liked the Genesis version, calling it fun to play and true to the film, and rated it three out of five stars.

Also on other platforms

Game Boy · Game Gear · Super NES

Super NES	Beam Software
Game Gear	Beam Software
Game Boy	Beam Software

Game Gear. The Game Gear version is a simplified portable take with five stages, no shoulder diving roll and no flamethrower; GamePro called it a torture device because of severe slowdown.
Game Boy. The Game Boy version is almost identical to the Game Gear one apart from the Game Gear's colored graphics.
Super NES. Next Generation rated the Super NES version two stars out of five, saying ten entire levels get plain monotonous.

Before you buy

Among US carts it sits above the middle. The European cart usually costs more than the US one, and the Japanese cart usually costs far more, especially complete. Japanese carts also have a different shape from Western ones. Sega Retro lists it as using the six-button pad. Because the price runs high, ask for a photo of the board.