The most interesting games released in 1989

All the best and most popular games of the year, upcoming releases, and hits from the past. Use filters to narrow down search.

Prince of Persia (1989)

PC

Adventure

October 3, 1989

A classic two-dimensional platformer game developed by Broderbund Software. The game set the direction for the genre, and many later platformers were trying to follow it. The player assumes the role of the eponymous Prince of Persia, whose task is to rescue a beautiful princess held by the evil vizier Jaffar who has kidnapped her in order to take over the kingdom ruled by her father. Unless the princess decides to marry Jaffar, she will die. The protagonist has only an hour to free the princess who is being held in the dungeons under the palace. In the game, the protagonist traverses nearly three hundred chambers filled with different traps and armed guards. The gameplay is diversified with puzzle solving and the already mentioned time limit, requiring the player to develop their skills in order to make a progress. The game offers relatively simple visuals, but it stands out with exceptionally realistic character animations. The action is displayed in the classic side-view camera angle, and the game features Middle East-inspired music.

Populous

PC

Strategy

January 1, 1989

Populous is an innovative strategy game from 1989, created under the responsibility of Bullfrog Productions, led by Peter Molyneux. The British product, the first representative of "god game" titles, allows you to take on the role of a deity and take care of the tribe that professes it.

Dungeon Master

PC

RPG

April 19, 1989

Dungeon Master is one of the most famous RPG games (the so-called "dungeon crawler"), which was created in 1987 for the Atari ST computer. PC conversion debuted two years later. The plot of the program focuses on an expedition of fearless daredevils ready to face the Dark Lord, inhabiting the lowest level of the giant sow in terms of size.

SimCity (1989)

PC

Strategy

June 9, 1989

A classic strategic-economic game in which we play the role of the mayor of a hypothetical city. Whether a small village turns into a thriving metropolis will depend solely on our efficient management and cleverness.

Gauntlet II

PCPlayStation

Arcade

August 20, 1989

The huge success of Gauntlet caused that less than twelve months later, the Atari corporation tried to unveil the second installment of the adventures of the fearless team of heroes, who dreaming of fame and wealth descended to the underground inhabited by fantastic creatures.

The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Doom's Revenge!

PC

Action

September 12, 1989

Dr Victor von Doom, the leader of the Latveria state, is once again threatening the security of the United States. This time a nuclear head fell into the hands of a maniac, with the help of which this gentleman intends to destroy New York. The situation seems hopeless and the extermination of the city even inevitable. But what do we have from comic superheroes?

A-10 Tank Killer

PC

Simulation

August 22, 1989

The A-10 Tank Killer is another simulator developed by Dynamix. This time his hero is the A-10 Thunderbolt II plane. Because of its purpose, which is to combat ground targets, most of the seven missions are bombardments.

Rick Dangerous

PC

Arcade

November 21, 1989

A platform game in which we play the role of the title archaeologist. The player's task is to break through four trapped stages: an Amazon temple, an Egyptian pyramid, a medieval castle and a Nazi rocket base.

OutRun

PC

Racing

October 21, 1989

OutRun is a popular SEGA car race that first appeared on coin-up machines in 1986. The player will play the role of the sports driver Ferrari Testarossa and will try to complete the route mapped by the authors of the game in the shortest possible time.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game

PC

Arcade

May 25, 1989

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade turned out to be such a profitable topic for LucasArts that it was decided to make not one, but two games based on the third part of the film adventures of the title archaeologist. Thus, not only the adventure game was published, but also the classic platforming game, in which more emphasis was put on the arcade character of the game.

North & South (1989)

PC

Strategy

May 25, 1989

North & South is a fun strategy game, created by Infogrames on the basis of the famous French comic book "Les Tuniques Bleues", telling the adventures of soldiers during the Civil War. The player can choose one of the parties to the conflict (Union and Confederation) and use it to tip the scales of victory to their advantage.

Curse of the Azure Bonds: Fantasy Role-Playing Epic Vol. II

PC

RPG

June 15, 1989

The second part of the epic saga in the world of Forgotten Realms takes us to the city of Tiverton, where our team has to find Princess Nacacje and discover the mystery of openwork signs.

F-15 Strike Eagle II

PC

Simulation

February 12, 1989

The second episode of the F-15 aircraft simulator cycle, launched in 1985 by Sida Meier and MicroProse. This time, one of the most famous video game designers shared his function with Andy Hollis, who later took over the production of the third installment of the series on his own.

International Karate

PC

Action

March 30, 1989

International Karate is the famous murder of System 3, in which the player will play the role of a warrior, practicing one of the most popular martial arts. His task is to defeat eight contenders for the title and get the black belt.

Budokan: The Martial Spirit

PC

Action

March 30, 1989

Budokan: The Martial Spirit is a very successful murder, in which you will play the role of a novice student, wishing to explore the secrets of one of the four martial arts (Nunchaku, Bo, Kendo and Karate).

MicroProse Soccer

PC

Sports

March 30, 1989

Soccer, the action of which is presented from a bird's eye view. Extremely playable and extensive program for its time.

Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax

PC

Action

March 30, 1989

Continuation of the game titled Barbarian (or Death Sword in the United States). The evil sorcerer Drax, who spoiled the main character with some blood in the original, returns and is preparing for revenge. Gorth must of course get him before he can realise his dark plans, but it's not that easy. To get to his headquarters, you must first go through the whole land and defeat many fantastic creatures.

Great Courts

PC

Sports

March 20, 1989

A relatively successful attempt by the German company Blue Byte to enter the sports games market. Great Courts will take us to tennis courts, where we will fight for the highest laurels in Grand Slam tournaments.

The Amazing Spider-Man (1989)

PC

Arcade

March 20, 1989

The Amazing Spider-Man is a game by Paragon Software, entirely based on the title comic book, which tells the story of the popular Spider Man. This time our hero has to face the plans of the master of illusion - Mysterio - who, after accidentally discovering the true identity hidden under the mask of the heroes, kidnaps his beloved, Mary Jane Watson.

Windsurf Willy

PC

Sports

March 11, 1989

Windsurf Willy is an arcade game prepared by Silmarils company, dealing with the subject of crazy races on a windsurfing board. Players playing the role of one of the players must not only swim a short distance in the set time, but also show off spectacular acrobatics, which will be judged by demanding referees on an ongoing basis.

Space Ace

PCPlayStationNintendo

Arcade

March 12, 1989

The greatest defender in the history of the Earth - the Cosmic Ace - faces a difficult challenge. An angry and cunning commander Borf, taking advantage of the hero's inattention, decides to kidnap his girlfriend named Kimberley. In the hands of the biggest enemy Ace is a powerful weapon Infanto Ray, turning enemies into children.

Street Rod

PC

Racing

March 12, 1989

Street Rod is an extensive car race created by Polish developers from the California Dreams group, in which, in addition to competing with other road users, you will also have to take care of the purchase and expansion of your vehicle.

RoboCop (1989)

PC

Arcade

March 12, 1989

RoboCop is the conversion of a two-dimensional shooter created for coin-op machines in 1988. The plot of the game is based on Paul Verhoven's famous film, in which Alex Murphy, a policeman murdered with cold blood, already as RoboCop declares war on criminals from Detroit.

Bombuzal

PC

Puzzle

June 20, 1989

Developed by the Image Works team (including Predator 2), the main character is the title game. His task seems theoretically simple: on small islands there are bombs that need to be blown up while keeping alive. In practice it looks much more complicated....

Batman: The Movie

PC

Arcade

June 20, 1989

Batman: The Movie is an arcade game, which, as you can easily guess, is based on the plot of the film under the same title. The player playing the role of the Dark Knight will have to curb the criminal drive of Joker and save the city of Gotham from extinction.

Arkanoid 2

PC

Arcade

July 7, 1989

Arkanoid 2: Revenge of DOH is a direct continuation of the well-known arcade game, which, thanks to simple rules and high playability, used to be very popular. The second installment of the program offers a new audiovisual setting, premiere stages, a board editor and several other changes of a smaller calibre.

Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero

PC

Adventure

April 21, 1989

The first part of one of the most interesting, but also the most underestimated series of adventures signed with the Sierra On-Line logo. Lori Ann Cole, the main initiator of the project, decided to make the classic convention more attractive by adding elements close to the RPG genre.

MechWarrior (1989)

PC

Simulation

May 10, 1989

Mechwarrior is a simulator of tens of tons of robots that takes you into a distant future - until 3024. As a Gideon Braver, you will complete a number of missions and regain your right to the royal throne.

The Hound of Shadow

PC

Adventure

May 20, 1989

The Hound of Shadow is a representative of text adventure games, very popular especially in the eighties. The program is loosely based on Howard Phillips Lovecraft's short stories about the powerful deity of Cthulhu. The action of the game takes place in England, just after the First World War. Our hero is entangled in a murder, which will soon turn into an occult chase for mythical beings from hell.

Stunt Car Racer

PC

Racing

May 20, 1989

The player plays the role of one of the drivers of extremely spectacular car races, in which stunts will be of primary importance. All the daredevils were divided into four divisions, three players each. We start the game in the lowest ranked group and our main goal is to reach the top of the league, which of course requires a lot of driving skills and steel nerves.

Ford Simulator 2

PC

Racing

May 20, 1989

The second edition of the programme sponsored by Ford, combining information functions (car database) and typical entertainment functions (possibility of driving in several game modes).

Rodeo Games

PC

Sports

May 20, 1989

Rodeo Games is an arcade game that will allow you to take part in a series of competition clearly associated with Western and Wild West. Among these unusual disciplines there are such attractions as catching a bull for a forest or riding a wild mount.

Rick Dangerous 2

PC

Arcade

December 20, 1989

The second part of Rick Dangerous's adventures. This time our hero will have to oppose the invasion of aliens, and all this in five fabulously colorful lands.

Populous: The Promised Lands

PC

Strategy

December 31, 1989

Official game supplement to Bullfrog's Populous game, introducing to the game five completely new scenes: Block Land, Silly Land, Wild West, Bit Plains and Revolution Francaise, as well as 500 new maps to play in Conquest mode.

Magicland Dizzy

PC

Arcade

October 12, 1989

Another story about a nice egg-shaped creature. This time Dizzy must disenchant his friends and get rid of the evil wizard Zaks.

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

PC

Action

October 20, 1989

Despite a quick and effective retaliation in the first part of the game, Marian was murdered by members of the mysterious Shadow Boss gang. Billy Lee had no choice but to stand up again and administer justice. Our hero doesn't know yet that there is a way to restore a woman's life, but in order to do this you have to penetrate the underground hiding place of the main opponent.