Contra III: The Alien Wars 1992

Released: February 28, 1992
Genres: Shooter · Adventure
Platforms: Arcade · Super Nintendo Entertainment System · Wii · Wii U · New Nintendo 3DS · Super Famicom
Developer: Konami
More info: Wikipedia IGDB

Where to buy

On sale: $6.09 $19.99 -70% in Contra Anniversary Collection on Fanatical The lowest price we've seen on Fanatical since September 2026 More deals on Fanatical, and in Adventure
In a collection: Contra Anniversary Collection

GOG Steam Nintendo PlayStation Xbox
Physical: Search on Amazon

Affiliate links: GOG, Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, ININ Games and Amazon

Is it still worth playing?

Konami's 1992 run and gun for the Super NES, in which Bill Rizer and Lance Bean fight an alien invasion of Earth across six stages, alone or in two player co-op. Four stages scroll sideways and two are seen from above, using Mode 7 to let you rotate the screen and destroy set targets. Every stage ends with a boss, and the characters can hang from railings, climb walls and somersault. You carry two guns that can be swapped and upgraded with pickups such as homing missiles, torpedoes, a flamethrower, a laser and a spread shot. A limited number of bombs damage every enemy on screen. Contact with enemies or a fall into a pit costs a life. If you come to it now, expect two guns to choose between, and an easy setting with seven lives that makes the stages learnable.