Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey on?
- Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey was released on Arcade, Nintendo 64.
- When did Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey release?
- Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey was first released on October 1, 1996.
About Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
As opposed to the more realistic hockey gameplay seen in Electronic Arts' NHL series, the game featured a more unrealistic arcade-style of gameplay, featuring moves such as "power saves", which caused the goaltender to briefly transform into a brick wall, "power shots", which would set the net on fire or knock the goalie into the net, and "power checks", which would send an ambulance across the top of the screen. It featured high-scoring games and over-the-top fights. There was also a simulation mode for those looking for more realistic gameplay. The game allowed the creation of profiles and would keep track of important individual and team stats, including goals, assists, and wins, among others.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, Nintendo 64
- Developer
- Atari Games
- Publisher
- Midway Games
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen
- Themes
- Non-fiction
- Series
- NHL
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 64 | 1996 | $10 | $35 | $159 | 3 out of 5 stars | Low |
Release timeline
- ArcadeOct 1996
- Nintendo 64Nov 15, 1996
First release on each platform, from IGDB’s records of this game’s ports and editions. Remakes are separate games with their own pages, so they are not listed here.
We haven’t priced or authenticated the versions without a section on this page yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Nintendo 64 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-22
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAL release | $5 | $17 | $75 |
| Japanese release | $10 | $63 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a week
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about 2 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-22.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $1.65 in Jan 2007, $6.02 five years ago, and $9.52 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2007 | $1.65 | — |
| Jan 2008 | $0.94 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $1.95 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $2.00 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.99 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.92 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.68 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $2.34 | $6.25 |
| Jan 2015 | $1.00 | $6.25 |
| Jan 2016 | $1.95 | $6.25 |
| Jan 2017 | $6.58 | $15.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $6.19 | $12.99 |
| Jan 2019 | $5.72 | $15.58 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.16 | $16.33 |
| Jan 2021 | $5.09 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2022 | $7.38 | $28 |
| Jan 2023 | $10.37 | $32 |
| Jan 2024 | $9.97 | $28 |
| Jan 2025 | $8.98 | $30 |
| Jan 2026 | $10.19 | $31 |
| Oct 2026 | $9.52 | $38 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Cartridge serial | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 15 November 1996 | NUS-NWGE-USA | NUS-01A-01 |
| Europe / PAL | 1 March 1997 | NUS-NWGP-EUR | — |
| Japan | 28 February 1998 | NUS-NWGJ-JPN | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1996
- Authenticity
- Low
A raucous, dated arcade hockey game that is fun with friends and costs almost nothing.
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey is a port of the Atari Games arcade game, published by Midway in North America in November 1996 and released in the PAL regions in March 1997 and in Japan in 1998. GamePro called it the first Nintendo 64 sports title and praised its raucous multiplayer and solid graphics, while saying hockey fans would not find the top-notch gameplay they were used to on other systems.
Next Generation reviewed it in May 1997 as solidly fun, with entertaining multiplayer. In March 1998 it said the original had charm, speed and a sense of fun even though far from a perfect hockey title, while accusing Midway of shamelessly recycling it for the 1998 edition.
What the press said at the time
| Next Generation Issue 29 | May 1997 | 3 out of 5 stars |
“True hockey aficionados will lift up their noses, but more action-hungry players will find Gretzky worth the money, if only because its multiplayer capabilities are a blast, the arcade mode is fast, and the fights, well, they just come with the territory.”
“Bullet-fast, liberally violent and enthralling in multi-player mode, Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey is the best ice hockey game on any system.”
“WG3DH comes complete with more gameplay options than you could possibly imagine!”
Next Generation rated games from one star ("Bad: crucially flawed in design or application") to five ("Revolutionary"); three stars meant "Good: a solid and competitive example of an established game style."
How the Nintendo 64 version differs
The N64 port came out a month after the arcade game and was the first four-player N64 game.
Reviewers found it great fun with four players but said the mediocre A.I. made single-player dull.
Also on other platforms
Arcade
| Arcade | Atari Games |
- Arcade. The arcade original ran on Voodoo Graphics hardware and sold as a dedicated cabinet or a JAMMA-compatible conversion kit.
Worth knowing
- Removed fatalities. It was announced that the N64 version would include fatalities after the fights, but Midway removed them from the final version.
Before you buy
The US cartridge sells for less than the middle of the library and the fake risk is low. PAL copies cost less than US ones, loose and complete. Japanese copies cost about the same loose and more complete.
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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