1985 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such asSuper Mario Bros. andKung Fu, along with new titles such asCommando,Duck Hunt,Gauntlet,Ghosts 'n Goblins,Gradius,Hang-On,Space Harrier,Tetris andThe Way of the Exploding Fist. The year's highest-grossingarcade video games wereHang-On andKarate Champ in the United States, andCommando in the United Kingdom. The year's best‑selling home system was theNintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) for a consecutive year, while the year's best‑selling home video game wasSuper Mario Bros.

Inthe United States, annualhome video game sales fell to$100 million ($290 million adjusted for inflation) in 1985.^[1] Meanwhile, thearcade video game industry began recovering in 1985.^[2][3][4]

In Japan, the following titles were the top-grossingarcade video games on the bi-weeklyGame Machine charts in 1985.

In the United Kingdom and United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1985.

The year's best-selling game wasSuper Mario Bros. for theFamily Computer (Famicom), later known as theNintendo Entertainment System (NES) outside Japan. The game sold2.5 million copies and grossed more than¥12.2 billion ($72 million at the time, or$210 million adjusted for inflation) within several months.^[43] It eventually sold3 million cartridges by the end of 1985.^[44]

Game Machine magazine reported that more than ten Famicom games released between 1983 and 1985 had each sold over1 million cartridges in Japan by the end of 1985.^[45]The Magic Box lists fourteen Famicom games released between 1983 and 1985 that crossed1 million lifetime sales in Japan.^[46] At least 11 of the following 14 Famicom million-sellers released between 1983 and 1985 crossed1 million sales in Japan by the end of 1985.

In the United Kingdom, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1985, according to the annualGallup software sales chart. The top ten titles were allhome computer games.^[47]

Fighting games topped the UK software sales charts for two years in a row in the mid-1980s, withThe Way of the Exploding Fist in 1985 and then the home computer conversions ofYie Ar Kung-Fu in1986.^[49]

In the United States, theSoftware Publishers Association (SPA) began trackinghome computer game sales in 1985. The following fourteen computer games received Gold Awards from the SPA for sales above 100,000 units in 1985 (but below the 250,000 units required for a Platinum Award).

• August – The final issue ofElectronic Games magazine is published.

• The Way of the Exploding Fist wonGame of the Year at the thirdGolden Joystick Awards (for besthome computer game),^[52] and received the "Voted Best Game" award at theSaturday Superstore Viewer Awards.^[53]
• The sixthArcade Awards are held, for games released during 1983–1984, withStar Wars winning bestarcade game,Space Shuttle bestconsole game,Ultima III: Exodus bestcomputer game, andZaxxon beststandalone game.
• InComputer Gamer magazine'sGame of the Year Awards,Elite won best home computer game of the year (withThe Way of the Exploding Fist as runner-up) andCommando won bestcoin-op game (withPaperboy as runner-up).^[54]

• New companies:Cinemaware.Codemasters,Square Co.,Titus,Tradewest,Westwood Studios
• Defunct:Adventure International,Bug-Byte,Edu-Ware,RDI Video Systems
• David Mullich and several other laid-off employees fromEdu-Ware form Electric Transit, the first company to joinElectronic Arts' new affiliated publisher program.

Arcade

• January –Konami releasesYie Ar Kung-Fu, which lays the foundations for modernfighting games.^[55]
• March –Tehkan releasesGridiron Fight, anAmerican footballsports game featuring the use of dualtrackball controls.
• April –Atari Games releasesPaperboy with a controller modeled after bicycle handlebars,
• May – Namco releasesMetro-Cross.
• May – Konami releasesGradius in Japan (calledNemesis elsewhere).
• May – Capcom releasesCommando, a vertically-scrolling on-foot shooter which inspires many games with similar themes and gameplay.
• July – Namco releasesBaraduke (Alien Sector in the US).
• July –Sega releasesHang-On byYu Suzuki andAM2. It is the first of Sega'sSuper Scaler games.^[56][57] Its motorbikecabinet is controlled using the body, starting a "Taikan" ("to feel in the body") trend ofmotion controlled hydraulic cabinets in arcades some two decades before motion controls become popular onvideo game consoles.^[58]
• August –Atari Games releasesIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as the first System 1 game to feature digitized speech from the 1984 movie. Gameplay involves Indy freeing children from cages, whipping thugee guards and bats, an exciting minecar chase, a temple scene and a drawbridge scene.
• September 19 –Capcom releasesGhosts 'n Goblins, originally titledMakaimura in Japan. It was one of the most popular arcade games of the year,^{[citation needed]} and went on to spawn a series of later games.
• September 20 –Namco releasesMotos.
• October –Atari Games releasesGauntlet. Based on the lesser known Atari 8-bit gameDandy,Gauntlet is highly profitable, letting players insert additional quarters for more health.
• December – Sega releasesSpace Harrier by Yu Suzuki and AM2. It further develops the pseudo-3D sprite-scaling graphics ofHang-On and uses ananalogflight stick for movement.
• December –Namco releasesSky Kid, aside-scrolling shooter allowing two players simultaneously.
• Tehkan releasesTehkan World Cup, which lays the foundations forassociation football/soccer games with an above view of the field.^[59]

• Alexei Pajitnov createsTetris for theElectronika 60 in theSoviet Union.
• Strategic Games Productions createsAt the Gates of Moscow 1941 for theApple II.

Arcade

• July – Sega releases theSpace Harrier arcade hardware (also known as Sega Hang-On), the first ofSega's "Super Scaler"arcade system boards that allowpseudo-3Dsprite-scaling at highframe rates.^[61] It displays 6144 colors on screen out of a32,768color palette.
• Namco begins development on theNamco System 21 around this time,^[62] as the first arcade board dedicated to3D polygon graphics.

Computer

• January –Commodore releases their final 8-bit computer, theCommodore 128.
• June –Atari Corporation releases the520ST, the first personal computer with a bit-mapped, color GUI.
• July 23 –Commodore releases theAmiga 1000 personal computer, the first in the Amiga family. It was not widely available until 1986.
• Atari replaces previous models in theAtari 8-bit computer series with the 65XE and 130XE, the latter of which has 128K bank-switched RAM.
• Discontinued:Coleco Adam,VIC-20

Console

• July 26 –Nintendo releases theFamily Computer Robot, a peripheral for their Family Computer (Famicom)home video game console, in Japan.
• October 18 – theNintendo Entertainment System (NES)home video game console, the export version of the Famicom, is launched for a limitedtest market in theUnited States, along with theR.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) peripheral. Not only thatSuper Mario Bros was released inNorth America around this time.
• October 20 – theSega Mark III home video game console is launched in Japan.
• INTV Corporation releases the INTV III console.
• Telegames releases theDina, aColecoVision clone.
• Discontinued:ColecoVision

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• 1985 in video gaming
• Video games by year

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