When did Vigilante release?

Vigilante was first released on December 31, 1988.

Vigilante

Dec 31, 1988FightingHack and slash/Beat 'em upArcadeArcadeCommodore C64/128/MAXZX SpectrumWiiAtari ST/STE

Vigilante — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Vigilante on?: Vigilante was released on Arcade, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Wii, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, Amiga, Wii U, Amstrad CPC, Sega Master System/Mark III, MSX.
When did Vigilante release?: Vigilante was first released on December 31, 1988.

About Vigilante

On the baddest streets of the city they know your name. You are lean and mean... the karate master they call the Vigilante! Your turf was left alone. Your friends and neighbors lived in peace. Until the Rogue gang got too big for their britches. You chilled, hoping things wouldn't get too rough. No such luck. They've taken your girlfriend Maria, and there's only one thing you can do... get her back... anyway you can! You have fists of steel! Legs like pistons! And courage that just won't quit! You will need all three because the Rogues are waiting with knives, guns and a whole bunch of nasty punks. And you'll have to fight fast. If the Rogues make it back to their headquarters before you rescue Maria, all hope will be lost. But catch them first and you'll fight the leader of the Rogues. Win Maria... and your turf... will remain safe. Feel any pressure? No way. You're the Vigilante!

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Wii, Atari ST/STE, TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, Amiga, Wii U, Amstrad CPC, Sega Master System/Mark III, MSX
Developer: Irem Corporation
Publisher: Data East
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

55/100

from 12 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	1989	$16	$30	$55	4 reviews	Arc System Works	Low (look-alike)

Also released on: Arcade · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Wii · Atari ST/STE · TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine · Amiga · Wii U · Amstrad CPC · Sega Master System/Mark III · MSX. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$16

Complete

$30

Sealed

$55

few sales

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
European (PAL) release	$9	$27	$65

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about 2 times a month
Sealed: about once 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 2026-10-28.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $3.99 in Jul 2009, $19.25 five years ago, and $15.50 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2010	$2.26	—
Jan 2011	$6.99	—
Jan 2012	$5.99	—
Jan 2013	$6.99	—
Jan 2014	$7.97	$13.90
Jan 2015	$6.52	$16.50
Jan 2016	$6.66	$14.95
Jan 2017	$10.09	$15.50
Jan 2018	$11.38	$15.99
Jan 2019	$12.07	$23
Jan 2020	$13.23	$19.99
Jan 2021	$13.99	$25
Jan 2022	$17.60	$27
Jan 2023	$17.62	$30
Jan 2024	$12.99	$23
Jan 2025	$17.67	$28
Jan 2026	$15.00	$26
Oct 2026	$15.50	$30

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

Release record

Territory	Date
North America	May 1989
Europe / PAL	July 1989

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: NA+EU
Released: 1989
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

A beat 'em up port with changed names, priced around the middle of the range.

Vigilante is Irem's 1988 arcade beat 'em up and a spiritual sequel to Kung-Fu Master. Sega published the Master System version in North America in May 1989 and Europe in July 1989, and Arc System Works worked on it. In this version Madonna was renamed Maria and the Skinheads became the Rogues.

What the press said at the time

Mean Machines Sega Issue 3	December 1992	OVERALL 72%
Computer and Video Games		80%
Zero		84%
Computer Entertainer		6/8

“The playability remains the same, however, which is the most important thing, so if you're after a not-too-taxing beat 'em up, have a look.”
— Mean Machines Sega, December 1992

Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Sega Master System version.

How the Sega Master System version differs

It is one of several Master System games to include an FM sound switch for enhanced music quality.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · TurboGrafx-16 · Amiga · Amstrad CPC · Atari ST · Commodore 64 · ZX Spectrum · MSX

Sega Master System	Arc System Works
Amiga	Emerald Software
MSX	Clover
TurboGrafx-16	Irem

TurboGrafx-16. The TurboGrafx-16 version came out in Japan on January 14, 1989 from Irem and in North America from NEC in October of that year.
TurboGrafx-16. The TurboGrafx-16 port matches the arcade game more closely than the other ports.

How the other versions reviewed

TurboGrafx-16	Computer and Video Games	80%
Arcade	Your Sinclair	8/10
ZX Spectrum	Your Sinclair	69%
ZX Spectrum	Crash	8/10
ZX Spectrum	Sinclair User	6/10

These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.

Before you buy

The US cart sits at about the typical price for its year. The European cart is cheaper loose, while complete copies cost about the same either way. The look-alike risk is low, so go by condition and whether the manual is there.