It was 1987. Lethal Weapon was in theaters, Bon Jovi released “Livin’ on a Prayer,” the Lakers beat the Celtics 4-2, and nearly every kid you knew had a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in their living room. Their game library may not have been all exactly the same, but it was almost certain they owned a copy of Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and, of course, Contra.
Konami’s famous run ‘n’ gun series has spanned decades and continues to this day. A new game is on the horizon, and players unfamiliar with the franchise may be interested in its history. Or perhaps you’re a fan looking for a reminder. Either way, our list of all Contra games in release order will set you straight.
How to play all Contra games in release order
- Contra (1987) — NES, MSX2, Arcade, Commodore 64, CPC, ZX, DOS
- Super Contra, aka Super C in North America (1987) — NES, Arcade, Amiga, DOS
- Operation C (1991) — Game Boy
- Contra III: The Alien Wars (1992) — SNES, Game Boy
- Contra Force (1992 – NA only) — NES
- Contra: Hard Corps (1994) — Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
- Contra: Legacy of War (1996) — PlayStation, Sega Saturn
- C: The Contra Adventure (1998) — PlayStation
- Contra: Shattered Soldier (2002) — PlayStation 2
- Neo Contra (2004) — PlayStation 2
- Contra 4 (2007) — Nintendo DS
- Contra Rebirth (2009) — Nintendo Wii download
- Hard Corps: Uprising (2011) — PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 download
- Contra: Rogue Corps (2019) — Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
What’s next for Contra?
Contra is a legendary game. Many who grew up playing it recall its blistering action, rocking soundtrack, and brutal difficulty. That is unless you knew about the magical button combination that granted 30 lives. Contra may not have been the first to include the Konami Code (that honor goes to 1986’s Gradius), but it did popularize its use. Contra saw you storming a jungle, solo or alongside a friend, to stop Red Falcon at all costs. It was the beginning of a saga, one that had its fair share of ups and downs.
Contra fans deserve a win, and hopefully one is coming soon. After the utter disappointment that was Contra: Rogue Corps, players may have nearly written off the franchise for good. But there is optimism. Konami is teaming up with 2D gaming aficionados WayForward to create Contra: Operation Galuga. A throwback to the original, Operation Galuga is the kind of kickass, traditional run-and-gun action Contra fans crave like plants to electrolytes. We’ll have to wait and see to find out if it lives up to the name.
If you’re done checking out our list of Contra games in release order, we have one for another 1987 Konami classic: Castlevania.
