RoboCop is based on the 1987 film. Ocean Software sub-licensed the game rights from Orion Pictures while the film was still at the script stage, and Data East made the arcade game, which plays much like its earlier Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja and came out in Japan in January 1989.
Ocean built its own versions for home computers and the Game Boy from parts of an early, unfinished arcade build that Data East had shown it, then expanded them with original content. They became huge in Britain: on the ZX Spectrum RoboCop was the best-selling game of 1989 and stayed in the top five until February 1991. Jonathan Dunn's calm title theme became famous, and Ariston later licensed the Game Boy version of it for TV adverts.
The NES version was developed mainly by Data East, with programming by Sakata SAS, and was released in Japan on 25 August 1989. An Atari Jaguar port was planned but never released.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | RoboCop | Arcade | February 1989 | Data East | 1 |
| NA | RoboCop | MS-DOS | November 1989 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| NA | RoboCop | NES | December 1989 | Data East | 1 |
| EU | RoboCopDeveloped by AGC Hamburg; MSX version also 1988 | Amstrad CPC | 1988 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| EU | RoboCopNorth American release 1989 | Commodore 64 | 1988 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| EU | RoboCopOcean's own adaptation; UK release, entered the Spectrum charts in December 1988 | ZX Spectrum | 1988 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| JP | RoboCopData East arcade game; it was already the highest-grossing arcade game of 1988 in Hong Kong | Arcade | January 1989 | Data East | 1 |
| JP | ROBOCOPFamicom; developed by Data East with programming by Sakata SAS | NES | Aug 25, 1989 | Data East | 1 |
| EU | RoboCopNorth American release November 1989 | Amiga | 1989 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| EU | RoboCopDeveloped by Ocean; North American release December 1990 | Game Boy | 1990 | Ocean Software | 1 |
| JP | RoboCop | Game Boy | Mar 1, 1991 | Epic/Sony Records | 1 |
| EU | RoboCop | NES | Apr 25, 1991 | Data East | 1 |
Also known as: ROBOCOP JP2
Box art by region
NA RoboCop 
EU RoboCop 
JP ROBOCOP
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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ContentOcean home computer versions
Ocean's home computer versions were built from sections of an early, unfinished arcade build that Data East showed the company and were expanded with Ocean's own content; the North American and European computer versions also differ from each other.1
Reception
Ocean's home computer versions sold over 1 million copies, and RoboCop was the best-selling home computer game of the 1980s in the UK, topping the all-format full-price chart for a record 36 weeks. The ZX Spectrum version scored 92% in Crash and 94% in Sinclair User. Data East's arcade game was the highest-grossing arcade game of 1988 in Hong Kong.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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