Hi friend! If you grew up in the 1980s or are a fan of video game history, you may have wondered, how much did the legendary Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) cost when it was first released in North America in 1986?
As a vintage gaming expert and enthusiast, I‘m excited to share more details and insights into the NES‘s revolutionary launch and pricing journey in the mid-1980s. Let‘s take a nostalgic trip down memory lane together!
The NES Arrived in 1985 at $199.99
The original Nintendo Entertainment System first appeared on American shores in New York City in 1985 as the Nintendo Advanced Video System. After a test launch in New York, Nintendo decided to change the name to the iconic NES that we know and love.
This inaugural release bundle included:
- The NES Control Deck console
- Two rectangular NES controllers
- The NES Zapper light gun
- R.O.B. the Robot accessory
- Super Mario Bros game cartridge
The price for the complete bundle was $199.99 USD, which would equate to about $486 adjusted for inflation today.
So even in 1985, the NES was a serious investment for most families! But the high quality and fun factor made it worth the price for many gamers.
According to early sales figures, Nintendo sold around 500,000 NES units in 1985 shortly after launch. Considering the high price and newness of home consoles, this was an impressive debut for Nintendo‘s gaming system.
The "Action Set" Dropped to $149.99 in 1985-1986
Nintendo must have realized the NES would sell better at a lower cost, because in late 1985 they introduced a streamlined bundle called the NES Action Set priced at $149.99.
This pared down bundle included:
- The NES Control Deck
- Two controllers
- The Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt double game cartridge
By eliminating R.O.B. and the Zapper, Nintendo shaved $50 off the retail price, making the NES more accessible to holiday shoppers in 1985 and 1986.
In today‘s money, $149.99 in 1985 would be about $368 – still expensive, but much better for budget-conscious families!
The Action Set must have resonated with consumers, because NES sales jumped to over 3 million units in 1986 according to Nintendo‘s own history timeline. The more affordable Action Set helped boost the NES‘s popularity significantly.
| Year | NES Price | Games Included | Units Sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | $199.99 | Super Mario Bros | 500,000 |
| 1986 | $149.99 | Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt | 3,000,000 |
As you can see, trimming $50 off the price resulted in over 6X more NES systems sold!
Standalone NES Price Dropped to $99 in 1986
In 1986, as the NES continued to gain momentum, Nintendo got even more aggressive with the pricing. They began offering:
- A standalone NES Control Deck for $99
- An NES bundle with a game for $129
$99 was an especially important psychological price point, as it allowed budget-minded families to buy the NES console for "under $100."
In today‘s money, the $99 standalone NES would be $239. For just $129 ($313 today), you could get the system along with a hit game like Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, or Excitebike – an awesome deal!
Nintendo was clearly trying to attract the most price-sensitive buyers in 1986. And it worked brilliantly – NES sales exceeded 4 million units in 1987, despite stiff competition from the Sega Master System. The affordable $99 NES price was crucial to fending off the Sega challenge.
| Year | NES Price | Games Included | Units Sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | $99 | None | 4,000,000 |
| 1986 | $129 | Choice of game | 4,000,000 |
Lower prices accelerated growth further, even when competing with Sega systems. Nintendo‘s value positioning was right on the money.
NES Game Prices Ranged from $25 to $50
Of course, the NES console was only one part of the total gaming package. Building up a library of great games to play was every gamer‘s quest back in the 1980s and 90s!
When the NES first arrived, individual game cartridges typically cost between $25-$50 at launch.
Here were some of the most popular titles and their prices in the mid-1980s:
- Super Mario Bros – $40-50
- The Legend of Zelda – $45 when new
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – $42 initial price
- Metroid – $35 at launch
- Kirby‘s Adventure – $39.99 original MSRP
Lesser known games could sell for $20-30 if retailers needed to clear inventory. But the big name franchises commanded premium prices up to $50.
Factoring for inflation, a $50 NES game in 1985 would cost about $122 today. So while the nominal prices seem cheap by modern standards, they represented a decent chunk of income for kids back then.
I remember carefully planning which 1 or 2 new NES games I would get for birthdays and Christmas each year. Building a collection required focus and patience!
Game Prices Stayed Consistent Through the 1980s
Just like the NES console, game prices remained fairly steady after launch. Even as the NES library expanded to over 500 titles by 1990, the $25-$50 price band held firm.
Some of the last licensed NES games released in 1991-1995 included:
- Battletoads – $49.99 in 1991
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III – $59.99 in 1992
- Wario‘s Woods – $39.99 in 1994
- Mickey Mousecapade – $39.99 in 1991
Nintendo kept game prices consistent to maximize profits on the huge NES installed base. With over 60 million NES systems sold globally, they had enormous scale.
Many thrifty gamers like me relied on the local video store to rent new release games for $3-$5 a pop instead of buying them. Why pay $50 when you could rent a game for a whole weekend for just a few bucks?
The NES Cements Its Place in History
In the end, the Nintendo Entertainment System‘s fair launch pricing and large on-going game library drove an astounding 61 million units sold globally during its peak years from 1985-1995.
Even today, the NES remains etched in the gaming history books as one of the most culturally impactful and best-selling consoles ever released.
I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into NES pricing history! Let me know if you have any other retro gaming topics you‘d like me to explore in a future post. Have a Nintendo-tastic day!
Your friend,
Jason
