{{short description|Video game cartridge containing more than one game}} {{refimprove|date=May 2009}} [[File:Super 154 in 1 menu.png|thumb|A pirate multicart released for a famiclone]] In video game parlance, a '''multicart''' is a cartridge that contains more than one game. Typically, the separate games are available individually for purchase (such as ''Sega Smash Pack'') or were previously available individually (such as ''Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls''). For this reason, collections, anthologies, and compilations are considered multicarts. The desirability of the multicart to consumers is that it provides better value, greater convenience, and (in the case of portable games) more portability than the separate games would provide. The advantage to developers is that it allows two or more smaller games to be sold together for the price of one larger game, and also provides an opportunity to repackage and sell older games one more time, often with little or no changes.
Multicarts are distinct from minigame series such as ''Mario Party'', ''Game & Watch Gallery'', or ''WarioWare''. These games consist of several minigames specifically created for the overall game experience. In contrast, the NES multicart ''Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt'' contains two full-version games, each available for purchase individually.
Although most commonly associated with NES and SNES, both authorized and unauthorized, multicarts have appeared for many cartridge-based systems, including the Atari 2600, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, Master System, Sega Genesis, Vectrex, and Game Boy. As storage capacity on cartridges continues to grow and become less expensive, the popularity of multicarts has seen a resurgence on the only remaining cartridge-based systems, those of Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance and DS. Since launch, these systems have seen an increase in “2-in-1” and “3-in-1” games, with some re-releasing popular titles previously seen on the same platform, such as Konami's ''Castlevania''.
==Pirate multicarts== Among pirate Famicom games, multicarts often advertise an inflated number of games on their labels, calling them "x-in-1" (x can be any number greater than 1, such as "76-in-1," "200-in-1," "1200-in-1," and even "9999999-in-1"), but in reality usually<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-11-04 |title=CoolBoy 400-in-1 Real Game |url=https://famicloneblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/coolboy-400-in-1-real-game/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210319/https://famicloneblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/coolboy-400-in-1-real-game/ |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2025-10-19 |work=The Famiclone Blog |language=en-US}}</ref> only have anywhere from five to one hundred truly unique games. The list is padded by different variations of these games, modified to start the player either at different levels or with different power-ups. The games are usually first-generation Famicom titles, several of which were never officially released outside of Japan, and in typical pirate fashion have either had their names deliberately misspelled, their copyright notices/logos removed, or both.
Other popular video game systems have their own share of unique pirate multicarts. Unlike the Famicom, the Nintendo Game Boy multicarts have a variety of different, innovative multicart designs. Standard-sized Game Boy multicarts have either a game selection menu like the NES multicarts, or require quick toggling of the Game Boy power switch to select through games. Most of them incorporate an external soft reset button (not available on any original cart), so you can reset the game without powering off the system. Huge pirate carts were created to overcome the storage limitations of a standard-sized pirate cart. These unusually large and thick carts, more than twice the height and depth of a standard Game Boy cartridge, could easily store many of the larger new games, such as ''Donkey Kong Land''. One drawback of these carts is that they lack any battery backup, but some newer carts come with battery backup, so saving games on them is impossible if the battery backup is not included. Most of these carts were produced in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
There have been Game Boy Advance multicarts with several GBA games and several or even hundreds of NES ROMs. These carts are known to include some bootlegs, hacks, or variations of games, advertising them as different games and giving them incorrect box art on the main box art.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rex |date=2010-08-18 |title=The Nintendo Game Boy Advance Clone |url=https://obscurehandhelds.com/2010/08/the-nintendo-game-boy-advance-clone/ |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Obscure Handhelds |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Unlicensed multicarts== These multicarts were published with the consent of the owners of copyright in the games themselves, but without the console maker's consent: *''Action 52'', from Active Enterprises. This ambitious project attempted to put 52 unique games into a single cartridge, but shoddy programming and heavy code reuse between games, combined with a hefty $200 (USD) retail price, resulted in this game often being considered one of the worst multicarts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Action 52 (1991) |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/7762/action-52/ |access-date=2025-10-19 |website=MobyGames |language=en}}</ref><ref>[http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/special/active.html Active Enterprises article on Atari HQ; the site states that the company had "far more wild dreams than actual talent", leading to their sudden demise in 1993.]</ref><ref>[http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/special/active11.html "...all small companies with big mouths usually go out of business. They tend to promise far, far more than they can actually deliver and end up choking themselves." - Atari HQ on Active enterprises]</ref> *''Caltron 6-in-1'' - Rare vintage NES multicart, later re-released as the ''Myriad 6 in 1'' **''MaxPlay Classic Games Volume 1'' *''Maxivision 15-in-1'', which contained fifteen games from unlicensed NES manufacturers such as Color Dreams and American Video Entertainment. * The North American versions of the ''Quattro'' series by Codemasters, published by Camerica * Wisdom Tree compilations: ** ''Bible Adventures'' - This three-in-one Game Boy cartridge featured ''Noah's Ark'', ''Baby Moses'', and ''David and Goliath''. ** ''King James Bible'' - This included the King James Version Bible in e-book format, plus ''Bible Word Match'' and ''Bible Shepherd''. ** ''King of Kings: The Early Years'' - This three-in-one NES cartridge featured ''The Wise Men'', ''Flight to Egypt,'' and ''Jesus and the Temple''. ** ''NIV Bible & the 20 Lost Levels of Joshua'' - This included the New International Version Bible in e-book format, plus ''Bible Word Match'', ''Bible Shepherd'' and ''Joshua: The Lost Levels''. The latter is a port of ''Joshua & the Battle of Jericho'' for the Game Boy, featuring 20 levels not available in the NES version. ** ''Sunday Funday'' - The last NES game released commercially in the United States for several years, this three-in-one cartridge featured the title game (a graphics hack of Color Dreams's old ''Menace Beach''), ''Fish Fall'' (a previously unreleased puzzle game), and a karaoke program featuring a Christian pop song, "The Ride," by 4Him.
==Official multicarts== <!--systems ordered by their original release date --> ===Atari 2600=== *''32 in 1'': Only released in Europe (PAL systems) contains Atari's early hits such as ''Blackjack'', ''Boxing,'' and ''Combat'' [http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/32in1/32in1.htm] *''2005 Minigame Multicart'': Published by AtariAge well after the end of the 2600s lifespan, this collection includes seven entries of the 2005 MiniGame Competition [https://web.archive.org/web/20090207173908/http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=2728] ''Due to the relative ease of duplicating Atari 2600 cartridges, a large number of pirate multicarts were developed for the system. Most of these were released outside the US and EU (most commonly Brazil).''
===Nintendo Entertainment System=== *''Donkey Kong Classics'': Contains ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Donkey Kong Junior'' *''Final Fantasy I-II'' *''Super Mario Bros.''/''Duck Hunt'' *''Sesame Street A-B-C and 1-2-3'' *''Short Order/Eggsplode'' *''Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt / World Class Track Meet'' *''Super Mario Bros. / Tetris / Nintendo World Cup'' (PAL) *''Super Spike V'Ball/Nintendo World Cup''
===Sega Master System=== *''Arcade Smash Hits'': includes Atari's ''Centipede'', ''Breakout,'' and ''Missile Command'' *''Hang-On/Safari Hunt'': Dual cart bundled with Sega Master System sets. *''Hang-On/Astro Warrior'': Dual cart bundled with Master System "Base System" sets (those without the Sega Light Phaser gun). *''Marksman Shooting & Trap Shooting'': Contains two games for the Master System light gun, the Light Phaser. A third game, ''Safari Hunt,'' was included in the European release.
Sega-released Master System multicarts were labeled "The Combo Cartridge" on the box, as opposed to the "Mega Cartridge" and "Two-Mega Cartridge" labels placed on single-game cart boxes.
===Sega Mega Drive/Genesis=== *''6-Pak'': Includes ''Columns'', ''Golden Axe'', ''The Revenge of Shinobi'', ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''Streets of Rage'', and ''Super Hang-On'' *''Arcade Classics'': - features Atari's ''Centipede'', ''Missile Command'', and ''Pong''. *''Game no Kanzume Otokuyou'': Includes ''16t'', ''Flicky'', ''Putter Golf'', ''Hyper Marbles'', ''Shi no Meikyuu'', ''Medal City'', ''Paddle Fighter'', ''Doki Doki Penguin Land MD'', ''Pyramid Magic'', ''Robot Battler'', ''Teddy Boy Blues'', and ''Aworg''. Available only on the Japanese Sega Channel and the Japanese Mega Drive Mini. The official name in English is ''Value Games in a Can''. *''MegaGames 3 in 1 - Vol 1'': Includes ''Columns'', ''Super Hang-On'', and ''World Cup Italia '90''. Released in North America as ''Triple Score: 3 Games In 1'' *''MegaGames 3 in 1 - Vol 2'': Includes ''Golden Axe'', ''Streets of Rage'', and ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' *''MegaGames 3 in 1 - Vol 3'': Includes ''Super Thunder Blade'', ''Alien Storm'', and ''Super Monaco GP'' *''Classic Collection'' (''MegaGames 4 in 1''): Includes ''Flicky'', ''Gunstar Heroes'', ''Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle'', and ''Altered Beast'' *''MegaGames 6 - Vol 1'': Includes ''Golden Axe'', ''Streets of Rage'', ''The Revenge of Shinobi'', ''Columns'', ''Super Hang-On'', and ''World Cup Italia '90'' *''MegaGames 6 - Vol 2'': Includes ''Super Thunder Blade'', ''Alien Storm'', ''Super Monaco GP'', ''Super Hang-On'', ''World Cup Italia '90'', and ''Columns'' *''Mega 6 - Vol 3'': Includes ''Columns'', ''The Revenge of Shinobi'', ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''Streets of Rage'', ''Super Monaco GP'', and ''Sega Soccer''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://segaretro.org/Mega_6_Vol._3 | title=Mega 6 Vol. 3 | date=4 October 2023 }}</ref> *''Mega Man: The Wily Wars'': Includes remade versions of ''Mega Man'', ''Mega Man 2'', and ''Mega Man 3'', as well as an unlockable exclusive bonus game called ''Wily Tower''. *''Menacer 6-game cartridge'': Included with Sega's lightgun accessory, contains 6 original shooting games *''Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures'': Includes ''Pac-Man'' and ''Pac-Jr.'', playable by entering a password or going to the Arcade. The latter of which is an exclusive remake of ''Ms. Pac-Man'' that requires three cartridges hidden. *''Sonic Compilation'': Includes ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'', and ''Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine''. Released in North America as ''Sonic Classics'' *Sega Top Ten: Includes ''Columns'', ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''Super Monaco GP'', ''The Revenge of Shinobi'', ''Streets of Rage'', ''Golden Axe'', ''Super Hang-On'', ''World Cup Italia '90'', ''California Games'', ''Flicky''. Released in Brazil by Tectoy and released by Sega in Asian Countries under the name of ''Mega Games 10''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.giantbomb.com/sega-top-ten/3030-58069/|title = Sega Top Ten (Game)}}</ref>
===Game Boy=== *''Dragon Warrior I & II'': contains remade versions of the NES titles *'' Galaga & Galaxian'': contains the two arcade classics. *''4-in-1 Funpack, Volume 1'' *''4-in-1 Funpack, Volume 2'' *''Bo Jackson: 2 Games in 1'': Contains football and baseball games *''Centipede & Millipede'' *''Defender & Joust'' *''Namco Gallery'' compilations: **''Vol. 1'' includes ''Battle City'', ''Galaga'', ''Mappy'', and ''Namco Classic''. **''Vol. 2'' includes ''Galaxian'', ''Dig Dug'', ''The Tower of Druaga'', and ''Famista 4''. The last of which is an original game. **''Vol. 3'' includes ''Sky Kid'', ''The Tower of Babel'', ''Family Tennis'' and ''Jantaku Boy''. *''Konami GB Collection'' compilations: **''Vol. 1'' includes ''Nemesis'', ''Castlevania: The Adventure'', ''F1 Spirit'', and ''Operation C''. **''Vol. 2'' (released in PAL as ''Vol. 3'') includes ''Twinbee Da!!'', ''Ganbare Goemon: Sarawareta Ebisumaru!'', ''Motocross Maniacs'', and ''Loco-Motion''. **''Vol. 3'' (released in PAL as ''Vol. 4'') includes ''Nemesis II'', ''Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge'', ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'', and ''Antarctic Adventure''. **''Vol. 4'' (released in PAL as ''Vol. 2'') includes ''Parodius Da!'', ''Quarth'', ''Track & Field'', and ''Frogger''.
===Game Boy Color=== *''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'': contains ''Super Mario Bros.'' and ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''. The latter of which requires 300,000 points in the former. *''Pac-Man: Special Color Edition'': includes ''Pac-Man'' and ''Pac-Attack''. *''Ms. Pac-Man: Special Color Edition'': includes ''Ms. Pac-Man'' and ''Super Pac-Man''.
===Sega Game Gear=== *''Arcade Classics'': features Atari's ''Centipede'', ''Missile Command'' and ''Pong''. *''Sega Game Pack 4 in 1'': a collection of four video games released by Sega in 1992 for the Game Gear and was generally included with new consoles in Europe. The games include a variation of Columns, Penalty Shootout, Championship Tennis, and Pan American Road Rally. This cartridge was only available in Europe.
===Super Nintendo Entertainment System=== *''Nichibutsu Arcade Classics'': Contains ''Moon Cresta'' and ''Crazy Climber'' and ''Frisky Tom''. *''Nichibutsu Collection 1'': Contains ''Gionbana'' and ''Kouryaku Casino Bar''. *''Nichibutsu Collection 2'': Contains ''Super Gomoku Shougi'' and ''Mahjong Hanjouki''. *''Ninja Gaiden Trilogy'': Contains the three NES Ninja Gaiden games with an improved color palette and a remixed (and slightly reordered) soundtrack. *''Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures'': Includes ''Pac-Man'' and ''Ms. Pac-Man'', playable by entering a password or going to the Arcade. The latter of which requires three cartridges hidden. *''Super Mario All-Stars'': Includes remade versions of the three ''Super Mario Bros.'' games on the NES, as well as the Japanese version of ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' (retitled ''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels''). These games featured remixed soundtracks of their NES/Famicom counterparts. *''Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World'' (in Europe: ''Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario World''): Includes all the games from ''Super Mario All-Stars'', and ''Super Mario World''. It was released only in North America and Europe. In North America, it was exclusively a pack-in game for the Super NES Mario Set. *''Super Scope 6'': Contains six games for the Super Scope. *''Tetris & Dr. Mario'': Contains enhanced remakes of ''Tetris'' (1989) and ''Dr. Mario'' (1990) *''Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits'': Contains ''Defender'', ''Defender II'', ''Joust'', ''Robotron: 2084'', and ''Sinistar''
===Nintendo 64=== *''Namco Museum 64'': Contains ''Pac-Man'', ''Ms. Pac-Man'', ''Pole Position'', ''Galaga'', ''Galaxian'', and ''Dig Dug'' *''Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits'': Contains ''Defender'', ''Sinistar'', ''Robotron: 2084'', ''Joust'', ''Spy Hunter'', and ''Tapper''
===Game Boy Advance=== *''3-in-1 Sports Pack'': contains ''Paintball Splat'', ''Dodgeball: Dodge This!'', and ''Big Alley Bowling'' *''Board Game Classics 3-in-1'' *Capcom Classics-Mini Mix: contains the NES versions of "Strider", "Mighty Final Fight", and "Bionic Commando" *''Candy Land/Chutes & Ladders/Memory 3-in-1'' *''Castlevania Double Pack'' - ''Aria of Sorrow''/''Harmony of Dissonance'' *''Centipede/Breakout/Warlords 3-in-1'' *''Dora the Explorer'': ''Super Star Adventures''/''The Search for Pirate Pig's Treasure'' *''Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls'': contains ''Final Fantasy I'' and ''II''. *The Incredibles & Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures *''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords'' *''Gauntlet'' [arcade, but single-player] & ''Rampart'' [arcade] *''Looney Tunes Double Pack'' *''Madagascar and Shrek 2'' *''Majesco's Rec Room Challenge'': contains ''Darts'', ''Roll-a-Ball'', and ''Shuffle Bowl'' *''Marble Madness & Klax'' *''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''; contains the title game and ''Mario Bros.'' *''Metroid: Zero Mission''; contains the title game and ''Metroid'' *''Mother 1+2''; contains the first two games of the ''Mother'' series (known as ''Earthbound'' in the United States). *''Namco Museum'': contains ''Pole Position'', ''Galaga'', ''Galaxian'', ''Ms. Pac-Man'', and ''Dig Dug'' *''Namco Museum 50th Anniversary'': contains ''Pac-Man'', ''Rally-X'', ''Galaga'', ''Ms. Pac-Man'', and ''Dig Dug'' *''Pac-Man Collection'': contains ''Pac-Man'', ''Pac-Attack'', ''Pac-Man Arrangement'', and ''Pac-Mania'' *''Paperboy and Rampage'' *''Phantasy Star Collection'': contains ''Phantasy Star I'', ''II'', and ''III''. *Pong, Asteroids, Yar’s Revenge * ''Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' / ''Tomb Raider: The Prophecy'' (Europe only) *''Rayman 10th Anniversary'': contains ''Rayman Advance'' and ''Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc'' *''Risk/Battleship/Clue 3-in-1'' *''Scooby-Doo: 2 Game in 1'' *''Sega Arcade Gallery'': ''After Burner''/''Space Harrier''/''Out Run''/''Super Hang-On'' *''Sega Smash Pack'': contains ''Ecco the Dolphin'', ''Golden Axe'', and ''Sonic Spinball'' *''Shark Tale & Shrek'' (Video) *Sonic Advance & Sonic Pinball Party *''Spy Hunter/Super Sprint'' *''Super Mario Advance'': contains ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' and ''Mario Bros.'' *''Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2'': contains ''Super Mario World'' and ''Mario Bros.'' *''Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3'': contains ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'' and ''Mario Bros.'' *''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3'': contains ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' and ''Mario Bros.'' *''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Double Pack'': contains ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus'' *''Tony Hawk's Underground / Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer'' *''Yu-Gi-Oh! Double Pack'': ''Reshef of Destruction'' & ''The Sacred Cards'' *''Yu-Gi-Oh! Double Pack 2'': ''Destiny Board Traveler'' & ''Dungeon Dice Monsters''
=== Nintendo GameCube ===
* Sonic Gems Collection (Includes: Sonic The Fighters, Sonic CD, Sonic R, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Sonic Spinball, Sonic The Hedgehog Triple Trouble, Sonic Drift 2, Tails’ Skypatrol, Tails Adventures (Unlockable: Vectorman, Vectorman 2)) * The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time + Ocarina of Time: Master Quest
===Nintendo DS=== *''ATV: Thunder Ridge Riders/Monster Trucks Mayhem'' *''Battleship/Connect Four/Sorry!/Trouble'' *''Clue/Mouse Trap/Perfection/Aggravation'' *''Namco Museum DS'': contains ''Xevious'', ''Galaga'', ''Galaxian'', ''Pac-Man'', ''Dig Dug II'', ''The Tower of Druaga'', ''Mappy'', ''Super Xevious'', and ''Pac-Man VS'' *''Puzzler Collection'': contains ''Crossword'', ''Sudoku'', ''Word Search'' and ''Fitword'' *''Uno/Skipbo/Uno Free Fall 3-in-1'' *''Sonic Classic Collection'': contains ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'', ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'', ''Sonic and Knuckles'', ''Knuckles in Sonic 2'', and ''Sonic 3 and Knuckles'' *''Mega Man Zero Collection'': contains all four games in the ''Mega Man Zero'' series. *''Madagascar Kartz'' & ''Shrek's Carnival Craze Party Games''
=== Wii ===
* Namco Museum Megamix (Includes: Grobda, PAC-MAN, Boscnian, Galaxian, Rally-X, Dig Dug II, New Rally-X, PAC-Mania, Galaga, King & Balloon, Gaplus, Mappy, Dig Dug, Super PAC-MAN, PAC & PAL, Xevious, Cutie Q, Motos, Galaga Remix, Grobda Remix, Rally-X Remix, PAC-Motos, PAC n’ Roll Remix, Gator Panic Remix)
===Nintendo 3DS=== *''Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions'': contains ''Pac-Man'', ''Galaga'', ''Pac-Man Championship Edition'', ''Galaga Legions'', ''Pac-Man Tilt'' and ''Galaga 3D Impact'', the last two of which are exclusive to this compilation. *SEGA 3D Classics Collection (Including Power Drift, Puyo Puyo 2, Sonic The Hedgehog, Galaxy Force II, Helicopter Combat: Thunder Blade, Fantasy Zone II, Altered Beast, Maze Walker, Fantasy Zone II: The Tears Of Opa-Opa)
=== Nintendo Switch === *Super Mario 3D All-Stars: contains Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. ==References== {{reflist}}
{{Sega Retro Compilations}}
Category:Video game marketing Category:Video game distribution Category:Bundled products or services *