American Gladiators is an action sports game developed by Incredible Technologies and published by GameTek for the NES, based on the 1989 TV show. The NES version reworks the show’s contests into five side-scrolling and overhead events — Joust, The Wall, Human Cannonball, Powerball, and Assault — which must be cleared within a set number of lives before repeating at higher difficulty. It supports two players.
How To Play American Gladiators
Control
Action
D-Pad
Move and position your contestant; hold Up/Down to aim high or low attacks
A Button
Primary action — strike, jump, or throw (varies by event)
B Button
Secondary action (varies by event)
Start
Start game / pause
About American Gladiators
Release date
NA: October 1991
Developer
Incredible Technologies
Publisher
GameTek
Platform
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES); later Amiga, MS-DOS, Genesis, SNES
Sheldon has spent over a decade immersed in retro gaming, from NES classics to arcade gems. He's deeply passionate about preserving gaming history and helping others rediscover these timeless titles. When he's not gaming, Shaun writes about the evolution of video games and their cultural impact.
