Battle City

バトルシティー (Batoru Shitī)NES, Arcade, Other, Game Boy +71985

  1. JP1985
  2. NA—
  3. EU—
  4. RUDendy

Battle City kept the same name in every region, but for 35 years it was officially sold only in Japan; in Russia and the CIS it is known as «Танчики». Today the easiest legal ways to play it are Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One), which contains the Famicom version, and Arcade Archives VS. Battle City on Switch and PS4.

Battle City is a tank action game developed and published by Namco for the Famicom in Japan on 9 September 1985. It is a sequel to Namco's arcade game Tank Battalion: the player's tank has to destroy 20 enemy tanks per stage while protecting the base, drawn as a phoenix emblem that many Russian players remember as an eagle. The Famicom version has 35 stages, two-player co-op and a built-in construction mode, one of the earliest level editors in a console game.

Officially, the Famicom game did not leave Japan until June 2020, when it was included in Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2. Long before that it spread around the world on bootleg multicarts and famiclones, where it was one of the most common inclusions. In Russia it became «Танчики», and Dendy-era cartridges often carried Tank 1990, an unlicensed follow-up by the pirate company Yoko Soft that added two extra bonuses.

The game also appeared in an arcade version for the Nintendo VS. System, on Japanese home computers and on Game Boy, and the Famicom original can be unlocked in the Japanese release of Star Fox: Assault for GameCube. In September 2024 Hamster re-released VS. Battle City in its Arcade Archives line for Switch and PS4.123456

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
JP バトルシティーBatoru Shitī NES Sep 9, 1985 NamcoNBC-4500 7
JP VS. バトルシティーNintendo VS. System arcade version Arcade 1985 Namco 7
JP Battle CityFM-7 version Other November 1986 Dempa Shinbunsha 7
JP Battle CitySharp X1 version; an MZ-1500 version was also released in 1986 Other 1986 Dempa Shinbunsha 7
JP バトルシティーBatoru ShitīGame Boy version by Nova (sources give 8 or 9 August 1991) Game Boy August 1991 NovaDMG-BCA-JPN 8
JP Namco Gallery Vol.1New Game Boy version included in the Namco Gallery Vol.1 compilation Game Boy 1996 — 9
JP Star Fox: AssaultGameCube; Famicom version unlockable in the Japanese release of Star Fox: Assault Other 2005 — 1
JP バトルシティーVirtual Console Wii Sep 4, 2007 Bandai Namco Games 7
JP バトルシティーVirtual Console Nintendo 3DS Jul 31, 2013 Bandai Namco Games 7
JP バトルシティーVirtual Console Wii U Jul 9, 2014 Bandai Namco Games 7
WW NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 2First official release outside Japan; Steam date Windows Jun 17, 2020 Bandai Namco Entertainment 10
WW NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 2 PlayStation 4 Jun 18, 2020 Bandai Namco Entertainment 11
WW NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 2 Xbox One Jun 18, 2020 Bandai Namco Entertainment 12
WW Arcade Archives VS. BATTLE CITYEU PlayStation Store listing dated 11 September 2024 PlayStation 4 Sep 12, 2024 Hamster 6
WW Arcade Archives VS. BATTLE CITY Switch Sep 12, 2024 Hamster 6

Also known as: バトルシティー JP9Batoru Shitī JP9VS. Battle City JP7Танчики RU4Tank 1990 RU4

Box art by region

  • バトルシティー box art, Japan release
    JP バトルシティー

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • GameplayGame Boy (Nova, 1991)

    The 1991 Game Boy version by Nova has 50 stages (stage select goes up to 35), drops the construction mode, scrolls the playfield and adds a radar for finding enemy tanks. Two players can link up with a cable.9

  • GameplayGame Boy (Namco Gallery Vol.1)

    The Game Boy version in Namco Gallery Vol.1 is a fresh adaptation rather than a port: it has a scrolling Normal mode with radar, a FIX mode that shows each stage across two screens like the Famicom, new stages from 36 onward and Super Game Boy support.9

  • ContentMZ-1500

    The MZ-1500 computer version has 84 stages and adds the Yellow Hyper Tank from Glob Down as an enemy.9

All differences (5)

Where to play legally today

  • Arcade Archives Purchase

    Arcade Archives VS. BATTLE CITY

    VS. System arcade version

    Checked: 2026-10-1313nintendo.com

  • Arcade Archives Purchase

    Arcade Archives VS. BATTLE CITY

    VS. System arcade version

    Checked: 2026-10-1314store.playstation.com

  • PlayStation Store Purchase

    NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 2

    Famicom version (English)

    Checked: 2026-10-1311store.playstation.com

  • Steam Purchase

    NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 2

    Famicom version (English)

    Checked: 2026-10-1310store.steampowered.com

  • Microsoft Store (Xbox) Purchase

    NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 2

    Famicom version (English)

    Checked: 2026-10-1312xbox.com

Reception

In Japan Battle City was a mid-level hit that helped keep the Famicom boom going; the 1998 guide Chōzetsu Daigirin said its two-player mode was sure to get heated.9

In lists

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2stopgame.ru
  3. 3tcrf.net
  4. 4ru.wikipedia.org
  5. 5iphones.ru
  6. 6gamefaqs.gamespot.com
  7. 7gamefaqs.gamespot.com
  8. 8tcrf.net
  9. 9ja.wikipedia.org
  10. 10store.steampowered.com
  11. 11store.playstation.com
  12. 12xbox.com
  13. 13hamster.co.jp
  14. 14store.playstation.com
  15. 15nintendo.com

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.