Excitebike

エキサイトバイク (Ekisaito Baiku)NES, Arcade, Other, Famicom Disk System +51984

  1. JP1984
  2. NA1985
  3. EU1986
  4. RUDendy

Excitebike kept the same name in every region (エキサイトバイク, Ekisaito Baiku, in Japan), while its arcade and Disk System versions are called Vs. Excitebike. Today the NES game is in the Nintendo Switch Online library, and the VS. System arcade version is sold on Switch as Arcade Archives EXCITEBIKE.

Excitebike was released for the Famicom in Japan on 30 November 1984 at 5,500 yen, more than the usual 4,500 yen cartridge price. It was directed and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, with Toshihiko Nakago programming and music by Akito Nakatsuka. The NES version followed in North America on 18 October 1985.

The racing hinges on two ideas. Holding the turbo button overheats the engine and forces a cooldown, while driving over arrows resets the temperature. Landing with both wheels down keeps the bike's speed; an uneven landing slows the rider or causes a crash. The Design mode offers 19 types of obstacles for building custom tracks.

The smooth side-scrolling engine built for Excitebike was reused for Super Mario Bros. (1985). The game later returned in an arcade version, a 1988 Disk System edition with a two-player mode, a 3DS release with stereoscopic 3D, and an Excitebike-themed track in Mario Kart 8, which is also included in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.12

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Vs. Excitebike Arcade March 1985 Nintendo 2
NA Excitebike NES Oct 18, 1985 Nintendo 2
NA Excitebikee-Reader cards Game Boy Advance Sep 16, 2002 Nintendo 2
NA Classic NES Series: Excitebike Game Boy Advance Jun 7, 2004 Nintendo 2
NA ExcitebikeVirtual Console Wii Mar 19, 2007 Nintendo 2
NA ExcitebikeVirtual Console Wii U Apr 26, 2013 Nintendo 2
JP エキサイトバイクEkisaito BaikuFamicom; priced at 5,500 yen NES Nov 30, 1984 Nintendo 2
JP Vs. ExcitebikeNintendo VS. System Arcade December 1984 Nintendo 2
JP ExcitebikePC-88 (PC-8801); Sharp X1 version the same year Other October 1985 Hudson Soft 2
EU Excitebike NES Sep 1, 1986 Nintendo 2
JP VS.エキサイトバイクFamicom Disk System version with two-player VS. Excite mode Famicom Disk System Dec 9, 1988 Nintendo 2
JP エキサイトバイクFamicom Mini series Game Boy Advance Feb 14, 2004 Nintendo 2
EU ExcitebikeVirtual Console Wii Feb 16, 2007 Nintendo 2
WW 3D Classics: ExcitebikeEnglish Wikipedia gives 6 June, Japanese Wikipedia 7 June Nintendo 3DS June 2011 Nintendo 2
WW ExcitebikeNintendo Switch Online NES library; Vs. Excitebike (FDS) was added later as a separate entry Switch Sep 19, 2018 Nintendo 3
WW Arcade Archives EXCITEBIKENintendo VS. System version Switch Sep 21, 2018 Hamster 4

Also known as: エキサイトバイク JP1Ekisaito Baiku JP1Vs. Excitebike WW2VS.エキサイトバイク JP13D Classics: Excitebike WW2

Box art by region

  • Excitebike box art, North America release
    NA Excitebike
  • Excitebike box art, Europe release
    EU Excitebike
  • エキサイトバイク box art, Japan release
    JP エキサイトバイク

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

Version differences

  • GameplayVs. Excitebike (arcade)

    The arcade Vs. Excitebike has no Design mode and offers three difficulty levels. Knocking down five rivals without falling gives unlimited turbo until the next crash.2

  • GameplayVs. Excitebike (arcade)

    In the arcade version each challenge has three courses and qualifying requires 5th place; points, 1UPs, bonus stages and a top-10 score table were also added.1

  • AudioFamicom Disk System

    The 1988 Disk System Vs. Excitebike adds a head-to-head two-player VS. Excite mode and has completely different music, including a new theme by Soyo Oka.2

All differences (6)

Where to play legally today

  • Nintendo Switch Online Subscription

    Excitebike (NES)

    NES version

    Checked: 2026-10-135nintendo.com

  • Arcade Archives Purchase

    Arcade Archives EXCITEBIKE

    Nintendo VS. System version

    Checked: 2026-10-134nintendo.com

Reception

Excitebike was one of the best-selling NES games in North America, and Vs. Excitebike was the second highest-grossing arcade system game of 1985 there. The NES version holds a Metacritic score of 71, and IGN ranked it the 14th best NES game.2

In lists

Sources

  1. 1ja.wikipedia.org
  2. 2en.wikipedia.org
  3. 3gameinformer.com
  4. 4arcadearchives.com
  5. 5nintendo.com
  6. 6nintendo.com
  7. 7ja.wikipedia.org
  8. 8ja.wikipedia.org
  9. 9ja.wikipedia.org
  10. 10ja.wikipedia.org

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

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