When did Ys: Wanderers from Ys release?

Ys: Wanderers from Ys was first released on July 21, 1989.

Ys: Wanderers from Ys

Jul 21, 1989PlatformRole-playing (RPG)AdventurePC-9800 SeriesPC-8800 SeriesSega Mega Drive/GenesisPC-8801PC-9801

Ys: Wanderers from Ys — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Ys: Wanderers from Ys on?: Ys: Wanderers from Ys was released on PC-9800 Series, PC-8800 Series, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC-8801, PC-9801, MSX2, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-CD, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, PlayStation 2.
When did Ys: Wanderers from Ys release?: Ys: Wanderers from Ys was first released on July 21, 1989.

About Ys: Wanderers from Ys

Adol Christin's long-time friend, Dogi, wishes to return to his home town of Redmont after hearing about strange disturbances that are happening there. Always looking for an adventure, Adol joins him and soon finds out the cause of this new evil. Ys: Wanderers from Ys breaks away from the "bumping into enemies" battle system of the first two games, allowing Adol to control his sword in a variety of directions. Beside changing the battle system, the game's perspective switches to a side-scrolling view, as opposed to the top-down one of the previous games. Adol also has the ability to jump now. New to the series is the use of magical rings, which give Adol different powering-up abilities such as healing and shielding. The game also uses various key items found along the way to solve minor puzzles and progress the story.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: PC-9800 Series, PC-8800 Series, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC-8801, PC-9801, MSX2, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-CD, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, PlayStation 2
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: Nihon Falcom
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Fantasy
Series: Ys

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

79/100

from 17 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Fake risk
Sega Genesis	1991	$75	$150	—	Medium

Also released on: PC-9800 Series · PC-8800 Series · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · PC-8801 · PC-9801 · MSX2 · Sharp X68000 · TurboGrafx-CD · Super Nintendo Entertainment System · Famicom · PlayStation 2. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

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

Loose

$75

Complete

$150

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Japanese release (Ys III: Wanderers from Ys)	$46	$92	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about 2 times a month
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 $7.99 in Apr 2009, $67 five years ago, and $75 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2010	$7.99	—
Jan 2011	$7.50	—
Jan 2012	$16.99	—
Jan 2013	$16.99	—
Jan 2014	$18.99	$45
Jan 2015	$17.50	$50
Jan 2016	$19.99	$70
Jan 2017	$25	$70
Jan 2018	$42	$96
Jan 2019	$34	$75
Jan 2020	$29	$77
Jan 2021	$36	$120
Jan 2022	$60	$211
Jan 2023	$55	$160
Jan 2024	$70	$159
Jan 2025	$44	$150
Jan 2026	$59	$152
Oct 2026	$75	$150

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

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number	Barcode
North America	December 1991	49146	720238101507
Japan	1 November 1991	T-49063	—

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: JP+NA
Released: 1991
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 Genesis port of a well-known action role-playing game, and one of the priciest US carts.

This is the Genesis version of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, released in Japan on 1 November 1991 and in North America in December 1991. Riot developed the cartridge, and Renovation Products published it in North America. The game is the third in the Ys series, an action role-playing series that began on Japanese computers; the console ports of 1991 went to the TurboGrafx-CD, Famicom, Super NES and Genesis.

What the press said at the time

“An old RPG, and not up to the standard of the Shining’ twins. … Old and best forgotten.”
— Mega, July 1993

How the Sega Genesis version differs

The Genesis version was one of the 1991 console ports, and it was released internationally, unlike the Famicom version.

Also on other platforms

PC-8801 · PC-9801 · MSX2 · X68000 · TurboGrafx-CD · Super NES · Famicom · PlayStation 2

Super NES. Game Players called the Super NES version colorful and large, with a challenge only slightly above average.
X68000. The X68000 version added a number of compositions by Masaaki Kawai.

Before you buy

Among US carts it is one of the priciest, and it is valuable enough to check carefully, so ask for a photo of the board before you pay. The Japanese cart usually costs noticeably less than the US one, both loose and complete, though its cartridge has a different shape from a Western one and fits a Western console only with an adapter or after removing two plastic tabs in its slot.