Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 14 playedEvery major Contra entry in release order, grouped by era. Start with Operation Galuga or Contra III, then fill in the rest.
Arcade and 8-bit era
- 1 Contra Arcade 1987, NES port 1988. Start with the Galuga reimagining instead.
- 2 Super Contra NES port titled Super C (1990).
- 3 Operation C Game Boy entry.
16-bit era
- 4 Contra III: The Alien Wars The 16-bit peak; dual weapons and Mode 7 stages.
- 5 Contra: Hard Corps Genesis entry with four heroes and branching paths.
32-bit era
- 6 Contra: Legacy of War First 3D perspective entries; divisive.
- 7 C: The Contra Adventure
2000s revival
- 8 Contra: Shattered Soldier PS2 return to 2D shooting with fixed weapon sets.
- 9 Neo Contra Top down PS2 sequel to Shattered Soldier.
- 10 Contra 4 WayForward DS sequel modeled on Contra III.
- 11 Contra ReBirth WiiWare download entry.
- 12 Hard Corps: Uprising Prequel to Hard Corps with anime art.
Modern era
- 13 Contra: Rogue Corps Twin stick sequel set after the Alien Wars.
- 14 Contra: Operation Galuga WayForward reimagining of the original; released March 12, 2024. Start here.
About Contra
Contra is Konami's run and gun series about soldiers Bill Rizer and Lance Bean fighting the Red Falcon alien force. Release order is the recommended play order, since continuity is loose and the mechanics evolve with each era. Newcomers should start with Contra: Operation Galuga, the 2024 WayForward reimagining, or Contra III: The Alien Wars for the 16-bit peak.
The list groups 14 entries by era, from the 1987 arcade original to Operation Galuga, released March 12, 2024. Handheld and download titles like Operation C and Contra 4 sit alongside console mainstays. No new Contra title had been announced as of September 2026.
Good to know
Operation Galuga is a reimagining of the 1987 original, not a port of one version. Rogue Corps launched September 24, 2019. Contra 4 (2007) was developed by WayForward, who later made Operation Galuga. Contra Force (1992) is a NES spinoff with different heroes and is excluded. Contra Returns, a free to play mobile entry, launched globally in 2021 and is noted here only.
