With Yu-Gi-Oh! having been around as a real world card game since 1999 (and both a manga and anime series even earlier than that), it’s built up a long history, and some surprisingly deep and varied lore too. However, you may not know that, prior to its emergence as a tabletop trading card game (or TCG), Yu-Gi-Oh! was first adapted into video game form.
Given that the video games have an even longer history than the physical TCG, it’s a surprise that it’s taken this long for publishers Konami to bring a collection of classic Yu-Gi-Oh! titles back to life, but that’s exactly what they’re doing with the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection, which is due to release on February 27th, 2025 for Nintendo Switch, and for PC via Steam.
Let’s take a look at all of the games, in this nostalgic collection of classics, from the early days of Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories
First up, we have Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories (the Japanese box art for both titles is shown above). The first game was released on the Game Boy in 1998, and was never released outside of Japan. The same is true for the second title, which never made it to Western shores; this was a Game Boy Color game (meaning that it was compatible with the original, monochrome Game Boy, but could also be played in Color on the then-new version of the handheld console), which was released in 1999. Both titles sold around 1.5 million units, which is genuinely impressive given that they were never released outside of their home territory!
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters III: Tri-Holy God Advent/Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories
The first Yu-Gi-Oh! title to be translated into English was known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters III: Tri-Holy God Advent, but became known simply as Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories in the West, and was again released for the Game Boy Color platform. It was released in 2000 in Japan, but not until 2002 in the US and 2003 in the EU. As with the first titles, its gameplay was based on the Duel Monsters version of the card game, rather than those of the physical TCG, which hadn’t been developed when the first Duel Monsters title was created.
The English version of the game was packaged with three limited edition cards for the TCG; there were two different packs of three cards, which meant that there were six of these limited edition cards to collect. The first pack is probably the most instantly recognizable for old school Yu-Gi-Oh! fans, as it contained Exodia, The Forbidden One, Dark Magician, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The second pack contained Acid Trap Hole, Seiyaryu, and Salamandra. Many physical cards could be unlocked in-game by entering an 8-digit password found on the card. Though this wasn’t possible with all cards, all six of the cards found in Dark Duel Stories as physical bonuses could all be unlocked and added to the digital collection on the cartridge.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists
The fourth Dark Duel Stories game, Battle of Great Duelists, was another title that was only released in Japan, in the year 2000. It went on to become the biggest selling Game Boy Color game in Japan, where it sold an incredible 2.5m units. The fact that there were three editions of the game (Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba) no doubt contributed to its phenomenal sales figures. Each version of the game focused on a deck used by one of the main characters from the manga/anime, so players could choose their favorite or, as was likely the case for many young fans, buy more than one version!
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 5: Expert 1/Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul
The first Yu-Gi-Oh! title for the Game Boy Advance (or GBA), The Eternal Duelist Soul (released in Japan as Duel Monsters 5: Expert 1) was a noticeable leap forward in terms of its audio and visuals, thanks to the 32-bit, more advanced nature of the GBA. It also faithfully replicated the experience of the TCG for the first time, rather than the simplified Duel Monsters ruleset. More than 800 cards were included in the game digitally, and Limited Edition physical cards were also included with the non-Japanese versions of the game. Its release wasn’t quite as delayed outside Japan, where it was released in 2001; it launched in the US in 2002, and in the EU in 2003.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 7: The Duelcity Legend/Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards
Launching in Japan in 2002, the Duel Monsters name and numbering convention persisted, whereas other regions had different, distinct names for the Yu-Gi-Oh! games. In the US and EU, where it was launched in 2003 and 2004 respectively, Duel Monsters 7: The Duelcity Legend was known as The Sacred Cards. Unlike many of the prior games, The Sacred Cards did feature a story, based on the Battle City arc of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime. Strangely, it was a slight step back from The Eternal Duelist Soul, in that the gameplay was more akin to the earlier Duel Monsters titles than the real TCG.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 8: Reshef of Destruction/Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction
It’s pretty amazing to think that the Duel Monsters series was already on its eighth entry by 2003 in Japan, but Reshef of Destruction, released in the US and EU in 2004, was only the third handheld title to make it to the West. By this time, Yu-Gi-Oh! games had already started appearing on the home consoles too, with a PS2 and GameCube title having been released.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule GB
Of course, the collection isn’t all about the Duel Monsters games, and there’s some obscurities and general oddities included; Capsule Monster GB fits into both the obscure and odd categories!
Released in Japan in 2000, Capsule Monster GB never made it outside Japan, so its inclusion in the Early Days Collection is its first official Western release. It’s perhaps unsurprising; the game isn’t even a card game, instead being a turn-based, strategy board game which features characters, and is based on specific storylines from, the Yu-Gi-Oh! saga.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel
2003 title Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel (now there’s a mouthful of a title!) fully recreated the authentic experience of playing the real life Yu-Gi-Oh! card game. It has rules and cards that would have been accurate to the experience of playing Yu-Gi-Oh! back in 2003, and features opponents drawn directly from the anime, as well as different tournaments to take part in, in-game. If you’re looking for the full Yu-Gi-Oh! experience, this is the game you’re likely to play first in the Early Days Collection.
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004 and Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005
Of course, there’s also the tournament-focused, authentic recreations of Yu-Gi-Oh! in the follow up titles, Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004 and Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005, which update the card list each time to be more current with the game’s meta at the time, while each time expanding upon and refining the in-game tournament mechanics and structure. With these two titles and Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel included, fans of classic and even modern Yu-Gi-Oh! will have an awful lot of content to play through, even without thinking of the numerous other games on the Early Days Collection.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters
Another for the oddity pile, Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters is a game based around dice and a board instead of cards. Despite not being a card game, and not following the Yu-Gi-Oh! formula as we know it, Dungeon Dice Monsters is an excellent game, and it’s great to see it included in the Early Days Collection.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveler
Finally, we have Destiny Board Traveler; as you can probably guess from the name, it’s another board game based adaptation of the Yu-Gi-Oh! saga. In Destiny Board Traveler, the mechanics are a sort of hybrid between board games and the Yu-Gi-Oh! card games, given that more than 750 cards are featured, used in battles as you fight for dominance of the game’s board.
Can We Expect New Features to Be Added to These Games?
Though unconfirmed for all games, online play against other Yu-Gi-Oh! fans is, excitingly, being added to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection for at least one title, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists. Additionally, save states will also be added for all games, which is a great touch, and a nice concession to the conveniences that more modern games are blessed with.
Will Any Bonuses Be Included in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection?
As well as the games included in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection, there’s also an exciting extra if you purchase the physical edition of the Nintendo Switch version.
If you buy the physical version of the game on the Nintendo Switch, in a nice nod to the way Yu-Gi-Oh! games were historically packaged (at least if you’re in the US or EU), you’ll also receive a random card from the selection of two shown above. Each of these Harpie’s Feather Duster cards will be a Quarter Century Secret Rare variant of the card; this rarity is often highly sought after by Yu-Gi-Oh! collectors, so these cards are a very exciting addition to an already impressive collection. The Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection is due to be released on the 25th of February, 2025.
If you want to make sure your Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are the real deal, check out our guide to spotting fake Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Also, did you know that thieves stole a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card that was worth an astonishing $33,000? Check out this article for more details!
