Action
Action is a genre of video games in which the success of completing a task depends on the player's reaction speed and ability to make quick, correct decisions. The dynamics of such games are high, although some allow for a slower pace. Most often, this genre includes fighting games, shooters, platformers, and some sub-genres of real-time strategy. Action games may include elements of exploration, racing, puzzles, and more, but the foundation is always built on visual-motor coordination.
Years
Platforms
NESGame BoyCommodore 64TurboGrafx CDMSXSharp X1GenesisPC-88Amstrad CPCSEGA Master SystemPC-98FM TownsSharp X68000DOSTurboGrafx-16Apple IIPC Engine SuperGrafx
Statuses
Best Games in the Action genre of 1989 (Game released)
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Genesis, iPhone, PlayStation 3, SEGA Master System, TurboGrafx CD, Wii, PC, WonderSwan Color, Xbox 360, ZX Spectrum → 1991
Players:
8.7/10
Steam:
84/100
Metacritic:
68/100
Golden Axe is a fantasy action game about three heroes who set out against the evil Death Adder. Players choose a mighty fighter, an Amazon, or a dwarf and battle...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIgs, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Mac, PC-98, PC Booter, PC → 1990
Players:
10/10
Steam:
62/100
An adventure action game with simulator elements and a side view. Step into the role of a pirate during the golden age of the Caribbean. You can choose one of 6...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, FM Towns, Game Boy, Game Gear, MSX, NES, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16, Wii, ZX Spectrum → 1991
This arcade racing game centers on police chases, with the player driving a Porsche 928 in pursuit of fleeing criminals. Each level requires catching the target...
Game released: Acorn 32-bit, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, BREW, Commodore 64, Genesis, J2ME, MSX, NES, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, Zeebo, ZX Spectrum → 1991
An arcade maze-action game viewed from an isometric perspective, Pac-Man has to collect dots while evading the ghosts chasing him. A stage is cleared by collecting...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari ST, DOS, FM Towns, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, Genesis, iPad, iPhone, Mac, NES, Nintendo 3DS, SAM Coupé, SEGA CD, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, SNES, TurboGrafx CD, Wii, iOS → 1990
Players:
8.1/10
Prince of Persia is a side-scrolling adventure arcade action platformer. While the Sultan of Persia is waging war in a foreign country, his Grand Vizier Jaffar...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM-7, Game Gear, NES, PC-88, SEGA 32X, Sharp X1, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, SEGA Saturn, TurboGrafx-16, Wii, ZX Spectrum, PlayStation 4 → 1988
Players:
7.7/10
A pseudo-3D arcade shooter in which the hero fires in all directions. The game also features fixed bursts of...
Game released: Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy, Game Gear, MSX, NES, PC-98, PC Booter, Thomson TO, ZX Spectrum → 1987
F-15 Strike Eagle — the game begins with the player selecting Libya (much like Operation Eldorado Canyon), the Persian Gulf, or Vietnam as the mission...
Game released: Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, BlackBerry, Commodore 64, ColecoVision, DOS, Game Boy, Intellivision, J2ME, Mophun, MSX, NES, Odyssey 2, TI-99/4A, VIC-20 → 1983
Players:
7.5/10
This arcade game centers on an isometric pyramid of cubes that the protagonist must recolor by hopping from one to another. Each landing changes a cube’s color, and...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Genesis, iPhone, MSX, NES, PlayStation 3, SEGA Master System, TurboGrafx-16, TurboGrafx CD, Wii, PC, Xbox 360, Zodiac, ZX Spectrum, Mac, Linux → 1989
Players:
6.5/10
Steam:
93/100
This arcade action platformer is set in a mythological world and follows a quest to rescue Athena, the daughter of Zeus, who has been captured by Neff, God of the...
Role-playing game, Action, Platformer, Third-person view, Top-down view, Anime / Manga, Fantasy / Medieval
Game released: Genesis, MSX, PC-88, PC-98, Sharp X1, TurboGrafx CD → 6 December 1991
Exile (1991) is a third-person role-playing game with a mixture of action, platforming, anime/manga and fantasy games from the developers of Renovation Game. The...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, MSX, NES, SEGA 32X, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, ZX Spectrum → 1988
An arcade third-person combat flight game in which the player pilots an F-14 Tomcat fighter on a series of missions. The aircraft takes off from the carrier SEGA...
Game released: Android, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Dragon 32/64, Electron, J2ME, MSX, ZX Spectrum → 25 September 2009
Chuckie Egg is a platform game in which the player collects eggs across multi-level stages before a countdown runs out. The character moves between platforms and...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, MSX, NES, PC-88, PC-98, SEGA Master System, ZX Spectrum → November 1988
A side-scrolling fantasy action game based on Dragonlance follows eight heroes on a journey through the ruins of Xak Tsaroth. Their quest is to recover the Disks of...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, NES, SEGA Master System, TurboGrafx-16, Wii, Xbox 360, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Switch → 1989
Metacritic:
78/100
This arcade action-platformer follows the ninja Joe Musashi as he confronts the criminal organization Zeed, which has kidnapped the children of the Oboro clan. He...
Game released: Acorn 32-bit, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIgs, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Electron, Mac, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum → 1990
This tactical shooter centers on a hostage crisis at an embassy in Paris, where the player leads a six-person counterterrorist team seeking to stop the attackers...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Game Boy, Genesis, MSX, NES, TurboGrafx CD, Wii, ZX Spectrum → 1989
Players:
8/10
Double Dragon 2: The Revenge is a third-person action game with fighting game elements from the studio Technos Japan Corp.. The main publisher of the game is Virgin...
Game released: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, MSX, NES, SEGA Master System, TurboGrafx-16, Wii, ZX Spectrum → 1988
Players:
7/10
Operation Wolf is a first-person arcade game with action and shooter elements from developers from the Taito Corporation studio. The game is published by Ocean...
Game released: Android, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy, iPhone, J2ME, MSX, PC-88, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16, TurboGrafx CD, Wii, ZX Spectrum → 12 September 2011
R-Type is an arcade game with action and shooter elements from developers from the Irem Corp. studio. The game is published by Electric Dreams Software. R-Type...
Game released: MSX, NES, Sharp X68000, SEGA Master System, SEGA Saturn, TurboGrafx-16, Wii, Nintendo Switch → 1987
Metacritic:
84/100
This arcade side-scrolling shooter puts players in control of the spaceship Opa-Opa as it battles enemies across fantastical levels. Each stage requires destroying...