Which game has the most ports and re-releases?

Video Games
1

In the history of gaming, which game has the most ports and re-releases?

My criteria for what counts and doesn’t count:

  1. It has to be essentially the same game. It can have some enhancements, but the original core of the game has to be there.
  2. It has to have the same title. It can be part of a compilation, but inside that compilation it has to have that title. So no sequels and no reinvented games.
  3. It can’t be a clone, it has to actually be that game. For example, no Pong clones, it has to be Pong™.
  4. It has to be officially released. No unreleased games, no unofficial or unlicensed ports. For example, no “Doom on a graphing calculator”.
  5. Emulation can count, so long as it’s official. Plug-n-plays, Virtual Console, compilations, they all count.

Many people (including Guinness) might say Tetris, but I’d argue that most releases of Tetris are distinct enough that they shouldn’t be considered the “same game.” But if you have a counterargument I’m open to hear it.

My guess for the most re-released game is probably Pac-Man. It’s been ported to almost every console and PC platform. The issue is, this is very difficult to verify because there’s so many.

What game do you think is the most ported of all time?

1 Like
2

Semantics…

Are we counting ports or host platforms (some of which received the same emulated version)?

For me ports are unique.

Back in the day games were remade from scratch for different platforms, which is not a port. These days we tend to get emulated versions of the original, also not a port.

Figuring out if a release is a port or not requires some level of investigation and comparison with the original.

We went down this bumpy road a while back:

and

Games with the most individual bespoke versions

3

Thanks for pointing out the other threads!

I’m asking about something slightly different than those threads though.

I think that what I want to count is distinct releases rather than ports.

For example, I consider all of these games “releases” of Pac-Man. Some of them are emulated and some of them are ported, but they’re all distinct releases of the same game.

  • Original arcade release
  • All of the various ports to consoles and PCs from the 80s and 90s (some of which received multiple ports)
  • All Namco Museum compilations that include it or an emulation of the NES port
  • All Pac-Man compilations that include it or an emulation of the NES port
  • All Virtual Console releases of either the original or the NES port
  • Arcade Archives releases
  • All games that include it either emulated or ported as an unlockable, such as Pac-Man World

In my mind, these are all distinct releases.

4

Gotta catch 'em all

I think the Moby Games releases/platforms totals (mentioned in passing on the other thread) are pretty much what you’re counting? Not sure how to get the latest totals from them.

5

So yeah surely Pac Man?

I do always wonder about data on Super Mario Bros sales if we knew how much each re-release sold.

Yeah I agree, I always find it very odd what people decide is ‘the same game’.

An example I always bring up is how GTA5 on PS4Bone was a complete remaster with graphical overhaul, major new modes and was the only version to continue to be supported with the attached online game after a short period. But because it doesn’t have ‘Remastered’ in the title the sales get counted together.

2 Likes