When did Wonder Boy release?

Wonder Boy was first released on March 3, 1986.

Wonder Boy

Mar 3, 1986PlatformArcadeArcadeSega Master System/Mark IIISG-1000Commodore C64/128/MAXAmstrad CPC

Wonder Boy — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Wonder Boy on?: Wonder Boy was released on Arcade, Sega Master System/Mark III, SG-1000, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Sega Game Gear, Mobile.
When did Wonder Boy release?: Wonder Boy was first released on March 3, 1986.

About Wonder Boy

Wonder Boy is a 1986 platformer video game published by Sega and developed by Escape (now known as Westone Bit Entertainment). It was the first in the long-running Wonder Boy series of games and was followed up by five sequels, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, Wonder Boy in Monster World and Monster World IV. It was also the basis for the Adventure Island series.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Sega Master System/Mark III, SG-1000, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Sega Game Gear, Mobile
Developer: Escape
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Action
Series: Wonder Boy

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

65/100

from 36 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Fake risk
Sega Master System	1987	$23	$50	$93	5 reviews	Low (look-alike)

Also released on: Arcade · Sega Master System/Mark III · SG-1000 · Commodore C64/128/MAX · Amstrad CPC · ZX Spectrum · Sega Game Gear · Mobile. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$23

Complete

$50

Sealed

$93

few sales

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
European (PAL) release	$13	$45	$163
Japanese release (Super Wonder Boy)	$59	$70	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a week
Complete: about once a week
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 $9.99 in Jul 2009, $30 five years ago, and $23 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2010	$9.99	—
Jan 2011	$4.98	—
Jan 2012	$11.99	—
Jan 2013	$15.76	—
Jan 2014	$15.00	$21
Jan 2015	$14.99	$25
Jan 2016	$17.50	$25
Jan 2017	$17.72	$40
Jan 2018	$22	$36
Jan 2019	$16.11	$34
Jan 2020	$19.99	$40
Jan 2021	$28	$39
Jan 2022	$35	$49
Jan 2023	$30	$43
Jan 2024	$21	$43
Jan 2025	$17.93	$38
Jan 2026	$19.60	$37
Oct 2026	$23	$50

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

Release record

Territory	Date
North America	June 1987
Europe / PAL	1987
Japan	22 March 1987

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+JP
Released: 1987
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 cheerful, slightly dated arcade platformer that Mean Machines Sega called a bundle of fun.

Wonder Boy is the Master System version of the 1986 arcade platformer, published by Sega. It reached Japan on March 22, 1987, as Super Wonder Boy, North America in June 1987 and Europe in 1987. It is a direct port of the arcade game with minor reductions for the hardware, with nine areas: all seven from the arcade game plus two new ones made for this version.

Mean Machines Sega's games guide said it was starting to show its age and a little repetitive, but was still a bundle of fun with cutesy graphics and a jolly sound.

What the press said at the time

Mean Machines Sega Issue 3	December 1992	OVERALL 80%
Sega Pro Issue 25	November 1993	81%
Sega Pro Issue 36	September 1994	81%
Computer and Video Games		80%
Computer Entertainer		7/8

“Although this is starting to show its age a little, and is a little on the repetitive side, Wonderboy is still a bundle of fun, with cutesy graphics and a jolly soundtrack to add to the appeal.”
— Mean Machines Sega, December 1992

“This still holds much appeal for many arcade adventurers. Sádly, everything - all the graphics, sound effects, etc - are very dated now.”
— Sega Pro, November 1993

“This still holds much appeal for many arcade adventurers. Sadly, everything — all the graphics, sound effects, etc — are very dated now.”
— Sega Pro, September 1994

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

The graphics are lifted straight from the arcade game, but the HUD is cut down to a simple vitality bar, with score and lives shown before each level.

The controls were changed so a high jump is only possible while the run button is pressed.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · SG-1000 · Commodore 64 · Amstrad CPC · ZX Spectrum · Game Gear · Mobile

Arcade	Escape
Commodore 64	Activision (publisher)
ZX Spectrum	Activision (publisher)
Amstrad CPC	Activision (publisher)

SG-1000. The Japan-only SG-1000 version was remade completely with an all-new set of stages, omitting certain enemies, stages and items such as the skateboard.
Game Gear. The Game Gear port in the United States was titled Revenge of Drancon.

How the other versions reviewed

ZX Spectrum	Crash	43%
Arcade	Computer and Video Games	Positive
Commodore 64	Computer and Video Games	7/10
ZX Spectrum	Sinclair User	8/10
ZX Spectrum	Your Sinclair	7/10
Commodore 64	Zzap!64	52%

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

There is a US, a European and a Japanese release. The European cart is cheaper than the US one loose and about the same complete. The Japanese cart costs more than the US one, and it is a different, smaller shape that needs an adapter on a Western console. Loose, it sits above the middle of the US-released carts and the look-alike risk is low.