Contra (series)

Contra
Logo as it appears in the 1987 Contra arcade video game
Genres
DevelopersKonami
Appaloosa Interactive (1996)
WayForward Technologies (2007-2024)
M2 (2009)
Toylogic (2019)
PublisherKonami
PlatformsArcade, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, IBM PC, NES, MSX2, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Windows, PlayStation, Saturn, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Network, Game Boy Advance, Mobile, Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo DS, Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition, WiiWare, Virtual Console, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5
First releaseContra
February 20, 1987
Latest releaseContra: Operation Galuga
March 12, 2024
Spin-offsProbotector, Hard Corps, Contra Force, Contra ReBirth

Contra is a video game series produced by Konami composed primarily in the run and gun genre. The series debuted in February 1987 with the Japanese coin-operated arcade game of the same name, which has since spawned several sequels produced for various platforms.

The arcade version of Contra was released a few months after the Iran–Contra affair was made public. While it is unclear whether the game was deliberately named after the Nicaraguan Contra rebels, the ending theme of the original game was titled "Sandinista" (サンディニスタ, Sandinisuta), after the adversaries of the real-life Contras.