Timeline of Game Boy Events

This visual timeline’s release data and cover images is sourced from GameFAQs. Feel free to contact me with any addition or errata at pl@gameboyessentials.com.

Any data only available in a yearly range (mostly European releases for which only the calendar year of their release is available) are currently ignored and not visible on this timeline.

1985

October

The NES is released in the New York market as a test bed for a staggered release of the console. It will see a full North American release in September 1986. ※

1986

September

The NES is released in North America. It was released in a limited fashion starting with the New York market the year before. ※

1989

January

Epyx publicly unveils the Handy at CES, which will become the Lynx later in the year. ※

July

Game Boy is released in North America for $90 USD with Super Mario Land, Alleyway, Baseball, and Tennis. Tetris is of course bundled with the system. ※

August

September

Atari releases the Lynx for $179 in North America. ※
Motocross Maniacs is released in North America. It is Konami’s first Game Boy title. ※

December

1990

January

February

March

April

Fist of the North Star: 10 Big Brawls for the King of the Universe

May

June

July

August

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan

September

October

November

December

Ghostbusters II (Logo Cover)

The TurboExpress is released in Japan for ¥44,800 and North America for $249. ※

1991

January

Dragon's Lair: The Legend (Imagesoft Release)

February

March

NEC temporarily raises the price of the TurboExpress due to low screen yields. ※

April

The Sega Game Gear is released in North America for $149. ※

May

David Crane's The Rescue of Princess Blobette

June

July

August

Bill & Ted's Excellent Game Boy Adventure

The Super Nintendo is released in North America. ※

September

InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Berlitz French Translator

InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Spell Checker and Calculator

InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Frommer's Travel Guide

InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Personal Organizer and Phone Book

InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Berlitz Spanish Translator

October

Mario the Juggler, the last Game & Watch game, is released. ※

November

December

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers

1992

January

February

March

April

Fighting Simulator: 2-in-1 Flying Warriors

May

Turn and Burn: The F-14 Dogfight Simulator

June

July

August

September

October

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends

The price of the Game Boy is decreased by $10 to $80 USD at some point during the year, with the price drop evidently in force during the holiday period. ※

November

The Ren & Stimpy Show: Space Cadet Adventures

December

1993

January

February

The Flintstones: King Rock Treasure Island

March

April

May

June

July

Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers

The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt

August

Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing

September

October

Sports Illustrated: Championship Football & Baseball

The NES Top Loader is released in North America. ※

November

Alien vs. Predator: The Last of His Clan

Tiny Toon Adventures 2: Montana's Movie Madness

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue

December

1994

January

February

WCW World Championship Wrestling: The Main Event

March

April

Sports Illustrated for Kids: The Ultimate Triple Dare

May

June

Super Game Boy is released in North America and Japan. ※

July

August

September

October

The first Game Boy game to use the ESRB rating system is released. It is Nintendo’s collaboration with Hudson, Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! The ESRB was officially unveiled the previous month. ※
In my beloved Québec Christmas Sears catalogue, a Game Boy without any bundled game is sold for 60$ CDN. It appears the system is sold for the same price (USD $60) in the United States. ※

November

Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness

Star Trek: Generations - Beyond the Nexus

December

Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues

1995

January

February

The first third-party Game Boy game to feature an ESRB rating, Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf, is released. All released Game Boy games will be rated after the end of February. ※

March

Nintendo releases coloured Game Boy models in North America for $60 USD, under the umbrella of the Play It Loud! Campaign. The price was carried over from the regular grey model. ※

April

May

June

July

Arcade Classic No. 1: Asteroids / Missile Command

August

Arcade Classic No. 2: Centipede / Millipede

The Virtual Boy is released in North America. ※

September

October

The Sega Nomad is released, exclusively in North America, for $180. ※

November

Virtual Boy Wario Land is released in North America. ※

December

1996

January

March

Tetris 3D, the last North American released Virtual Boy game, marks the end of Nintendo’s support for the console. ※

April

May

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Players Choice)

Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land (Players Choice)

The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2 (Players Choice)

Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (Players Choice)

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Players Choice)

Nintendo announces the Player’s Choice program for SNES and Game Boy. An exhaustive list of Game Boy Players’ Choice and their releases elude me. ※

June

July

August

Gunpei Yokoi, father of the Game Boy and general manager of R&D1, leaves Nintendo for his own company, Koto Laboratory. ※

September

The Gunpei Yokoi designed Game Boy Pocket is released in North America, retailing for $70 USD, a price increase of $10 compared to the current price of the original model. It also eschews a bundled game. ※
The Nintendo 64 is released in North America. ※

October

Arcade Classics: Super Breakout / Battlezone

November

December

Sonic Blast is released for Game Gear in Japan and North America, the last major release on the console. ※

1997

January

February

March

April

May

The first Bandai developed Tamagotchi is released in North America. It was first released the year before in Japan. It will kick-start a fad that will last a couple of years. ※

July

August

October

Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball - Game Boy Edition

Gunpei Yokoi is killed in a car accident. He was 56. ※

November

December

1998

February

March

April

Sunsoft announces a reprint of all four early Game Boy Squaresoft titles; they have no new features or changes. ※
The first episode of the Pokémon anime is aired in the United States on first run syndication. ※

May

Mickey Mouse: Magic Wands! (Players Choice)

June

July

August

September

October

November

The Game Boy Color is released in North America with Tetris DX, Wario Land II and Pocket Bomberman as release titles. ※

December

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

1999

January

February

March

Midway Presents Arcade Hits: Joust / Defender

The Wonderswan, designed by Gunpei Yokoi’s Koto Laboratory, is released in Japan. ※

April

May

Midway presents Arcade Hits: Moon Patrol / Spy Hunter

June

July

August

September

October

Sesame Street: The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

Pokemon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition

Disney's Beauty and the Beast: A Board Game Adventure

Game Boy Color Hardware (Pokemon Yellow Version)

November

Donkey Kong Land (Players Choice Re-release)

Donkey Kong Land 2 (Players Choice Re-release)

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Players Choice Re-release)

December

Deja Vu I & II: The Casebooks of Ace Harding

The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley

2000

January

February

March

April

Winnie the Pooh: Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood

May

June

Saban's Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue

July

August

September

MTV Sports: Skateboarding Featuring Andy Macdonald

Austin Powers: Welcome to my Underground Lair!

Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire 2nd Edition

October

Championship Motocross 2001 Featuring Ricky Carmichael

Microsoft: The 6in1 Puzzle Collection Entertainment Pack

November

The Powerpuff Girls: Paint the Townsville Green

Extreme Sports with the Berenstain Bears

Disney/Pixar Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Walt Disney's The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Wild Adventure

Disney's 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue

Star Wars Episode I: Obi-Wan's Adventures

December

Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour

WDL World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks

Disney's The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure

2001

January

February

Majesco Entertainment announces a budget rerelease of the Game Gear priced at $30 with reissues of ten games priced at $15 each. ※

March

SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula

The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror

The Game Boy Advance is released in Japan for ¥9800. ※

April

May

Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths & Legends

June

Microsoft: The Best of Entertainment Pack

The Game Boy Advance is released in North America. ※

July

Lara Croft - Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword

Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Saves the Day

August

September

Dragon Warrior Monsters 2: Cobi's Journey

Dragon Warrior Monsters 2: Tara's Adventure

Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 is released in North America. It is the last cartridge compatible with the original Game Boy. ※

October

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: Digital Companion

November

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: Escape from Planet Earth

Cubix: Robots For Everyone - Race 'N Robots

Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

The Pokémon Mini, the diminutive portable console dedicated to Pokémon games was released in North America. It will fail to find any success in the market. ※

December

2002

January

March

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and the Cosmic Garden

May

June

October

November

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is released in North America. It is the last North American Game Boy Color game. This is the true end of the Game Boy era, since from this point on all future events relate to Game Boy compatibility as a feature of Game Boy Advance systems. ※