Initially released in Japan as the PC Engine in 1987, the TurboGrafx-16 would not be released in North America until 1989. It is considered the first entry in the fourth generation, or 16-bit era, of game consoles. It saw great success in Japan, outselling its main rival, Nintendo’s Famicom, at release.

However, its delayed North American release meant it had to compete against the next generation of consoles from Nintendo and Sega: the Super NES and the Genesis. The TurboGrafx-16 never gained a strong foothold in the US market.