Contra

魂斗羅 (Kontora)NES, Arcade, ZX Spectrum, MSX2 +111987

  1. JP1987
  2. NA1987
  3. EU1987
  4. RUDendy

Contra was called 魂斗羅 (Kontora) in Japan, Gryzor in European arcades and on Ocean's home computer ports, and Probotector on the PAL NES, where the heroes became robots. Today the easiest legal way to play it is the Contra Anniversary Collection (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Steam), which includes the arcade game, the Japanese and North American versions and Probotector; the arcade original is also sold separately as Arcade Archives: Contra.

Contra is a run-and-gun game that Konami released in Japanese arcades on 20 February 1987. Its name comes from the Contras, the Nicaraguan rebel groups of the 1980s. The home version arrived on the Famicom and NES in February 1988 and sold about 2 million copies, largely thanks to simultaneous two-player co-op. Entering the Konami Code on the NES title screen gives 30 lives, which helped make the code famous.

The game changed considerably from region to region. In Europe the arcade game and Ocean's home computer ports were called Gryzor, while the PAL NES version became Probotector, with robot heroes in place of soldiers. Bob Wakelin's European cover art drew on the film Predator, with the second hero modeled on Rambo. The Japanese Famicom cartridge used Konami's VRC2 chip for cutscenes and animated backgrounds, features the cheaper NES board cut. Japan also got a reworked MSX2 version for one player.

The 2019 Contra Anniversary Collection brings these versions together: the arcade game plus the Japanese Famicom, North American NES and European Probotector releases. Hamster has also re-released the arcade original in its Arcade Archives line.1234

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Contra Arcade March 1987 Konami 2
NA ContraRussian Wikipedia gives 2 February 1988; English Wikipedia and GameFAQs give 12 February NES Feb 12, 1988 KonamiNES-CT-USA 5
JP 魂斗羅Kontora Arcade Feb 20, 1987 Konami 1
EU GryzorPort by Ocean; Amstrad CPC version also 1987, C64 version February 1988 ZX Spectrum December 1987 Ocean Software 2
EU Gryzor Arcade 1987 Konami 2
JP 魂斗羅KontoraFamicom; uses Konami's VRC2 chip NES Feb 9, 1988 KonamiRC826 5
JP 魂斗羅KontoraReworked single-player version with 19 stages MSX2 May 26, 1989 KonamiRC762 5
EU ProbotectorSources differ between November 1990 and 28 December 1990 NES 1990 KonamiNES-77 2
JP オレたちゲーセン族 魂斗羅Oretachi Gēsen Zoku: KontoraArcade version PlayStation 2 May 25, 2006 HamsterSLPM-62730 5
WW ContraXbox Live Arcade, arcade version ported by Digital Eclipse Xbox 360 Nov 8, 2006 Konami 2
JP 魂斗羅KontoraVirtual Console (MSX2 version) Wii Feb 2, 2010 Konami 1
JP 魂斗羅KontoraVirtual Console (MSX2 version) Wii U Oct 15, 2014 Konami 1
JP アーケードアーカイブス 魂斗羅Ākēdo Ākaibusu KontoraArcade Archives; NA 2016-09-27, EU 2016-11-15 PlayStation 4 Aug 10, 2016 HamsterCUSA-04522 5
WW Contra Anniversary CollectionCollection with arcade, Contra (NA), Contra (JP) and Probotector; also PS4, Xbox One and Windows (Steam) Switch Jun 11, 2019 Konami 4
WW Arcade Archives: ContraArcade version Switch Sep 3, 2020 Hamster 5

Also known as: 魂斗羅 JP1Kontora JP1Gryzor EU2Probotector EU2Arcade Archives: Contra WW5Oretachi Game Center Zoku: Contra JP5Контра RU6

Box art by region

  • Contra box art, North America release
    NA Contra
  • Probotector box art, Europe release
    EU Probotector
  • 魂斗羅 box art, Japan release
    JP 魂斗羅

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

Version differences

  • CensorshipNES (EU) Probotector

    To get around German youth-protection rules on violent games, the PAL NES release, Probotector, turned the two soldiers and several human enemies into robots and replaced the helicopter in the ending with a futuristic jet.7

  • ContentFamicom (JP)

    Only the Famicom cartridge has story cutscenes at the start and between stages, along with a map of the Galuga archipelago before each area; the NES versions show a plain black stage card instead.7

  • GraphicsFamicom (JP)NES (NA/EU)

    Konami's VRC2 chip let the Famicom version animate backgrounds such as swaying palm trees, a snowstorm and a pulsating alien lair. The NES versions used a cheaper board with half the program memory and dropped these effects.2

All differences (8)

Where to play legally today

  • Arcade Archives Purchase

    Arcade Archives CONTRA (Nintendo Switch)

    Arcade version

    Checked: 2026-10-138nintendo.com

  • Nintendo eShop Purchase

    Contra Anniversary Collection

    Arcade, Contra (NA), Contra (JP) and Probotector

    Checked: 2026-10-139nintendo.com

  • Steam Purchase

    Contra Anniversary Collection

    Arcade, Contra (NA), Contra (JP) and Probotector

    Checked: 2026-10-134store.steampowered.com

Reception

The arcade game was one of the four highest-grossing US arcade games of 1987 and topped Game Machine's Japanese table-cabinet chart in April 1987. The NES version sold about 2 million copies and won EGM's Best Action Game of 1988.2

In lists

Sources

  1. 1ja.wikipedia.org
  2. 2en.wikipedia.org
  3. 3ru.wikipedia.org
  4. 4store.steampowered.com
  5. 5gamefaqs.gamespot.com
  6. 6dtf.ru
  7. 7tcrf.net
  8. 8nintendo.com
  9. 9nintendo.com

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

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