Battletoads (1991 video game)

Battletoads is a 1991 beat 'em up platform video game developed by Rare and published by Tradewest for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The first installment of the Battletoads series, it was released in North America and Japan in 1991 and in Europe in 1993. Ports without Rare's involvement were released on the Mega Drive and Game Gear in 1993, and on the Amiga and Amiga CD32 in 1994 (despite the former having been developed in 1992); a port developed by Rare for the Game Boy was released in 1993 as Battletoads in Ragnarok's World. In the game, three space humanoid warrior toads form a group known as the Battletoads. Two of the Battletoads, Rash and Zitz, embark on a mission to defeat the evil Dark Queen on her planet and rescue their kidnapped friends: Pimple, the third member of the Battletoads, and Princess Angelica.

The game was developed in response to the interest in Mirage Studios' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It received mostly positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the graphics and variations of gameplay; however, many critics were divided over the game's difficulty. It won seven awards from the 1991 Nintendo Power Awards, and has since been renowned as one of the most difficult video games ever created. It was later included in Rare's 2015 Xbox One retrospective compilation, Rare Replay, and was re-released on the Nintendo Classics service on November 26, 2025.