The Simpsons

Arcade, MS-DOS, Commodore 64, PlayStation 3 +11991

  1. JP1991
  2. NA1991
  3. EU—
  4. RU—

The arcade game is simply called The Simpsons, while the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS ports and the 2012 digital re-release were titled The Simpsons Arcade Game. That re-release was removed from Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in December 2013, and no digital storefront currently sells the game.

The Simpsons is an arcade beat 'em up developed and published by Konami, first released in North America in March 1991. It was the first video game based on the animated series. Konami built two cabinets: a two-player model and a four-player one with a dedicated position for each character.

The Japanese version followed on 11 August 1991. It is two-player only but plays differently: it adds throwable nuclear bombs, a life bar that can be overfilled and its own scoring rules. Novotrade made Commodore 64 and MS-DOS versions under the title The Simpsons Arcade Game.

The arcade game returned on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in February 2012, but both services removed it in December 2013. In 2021 Arcade1Up announced a 30th-anniversary home cabinet that pairs it with The Simpsons Bowling.12

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA The SimpsonsTwo-player and four-player cabinets. Arcade March 1991 Konami 1
NA The Simpsons Arcade GamePort by Novotrade. Commodore 64 1991 — 1
NA The Simpsons Arcade GamePort by Novotrade. MS-DOS 1991 — 1
JP The SimpsonsJapanese version is two-player only. Arcade Aug 11, 1991 Konami 1
WW The Simpsons Arcade GamePlayStation Network; removed in December 2013. PlayStation 3 February 2012 Konami 1
WW The Simpsons Arcade GameXbox Live Arcade; removed from sale in December 2013. Xbox 360 February 2012 Konami 1

Also known as: The Simpsons Arcade Game NA1

Version differences

  • GameplayArcade (JP)

    The Japanese version adds throwable nuclear bombs that clear enemies in the blast radius, a life bar that can be overfilled by up to two levels, and hidden items revealed by hitting certain objects.1

  • GameplayArcade (JP)

    Scoring works differently in the Japanese version: points depend on the enemy type, there are end-of-level bonuses for remaining life, and bonus-stage points count toward the score.1

  • ContentArcade (JP)Arcade (NA)

    Outside Japan the game came in two-player and four-player cabinets, the latter with a position for each character; the Japanese version is two-player only.1

Reception

The game won a Platinum AAMA award for its 1991 sales as one of the top three arcade games of the year, and Game Machine ranked it the eleventh most popular arcade game in Japan in its 1 October 1991 issue.1

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2en.wikipedia.org

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

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