90s Handheld Games: Game Boy, Game Gear and LCD Classics
90s handheld gaming wasn't just the Game Boy. It spanned Nintendo and Sega's cartridge-based systems, dedicated single-game LCD toys, and, by the second half of the decade, virtual pets you carried around and fed.
Cartridge handhelds
Nintendo's Game Boy (1989) and Game Boy Color (1998) ran the widest cartridge library of the decade; Sega's Game Gear (1990/1991) and the short-lived Genesis Nomad (1995) were the era's main alternatives, each covered in more depth in our platform guides.
Dedicated LCD games
Tiger Electronics built a business on cheap, single-game LCD handhelds licensed from whatever movie or franchise was popular that year, a completely different category from the cartridge-based systems above.
Virtual pets
Bandai's Tamagotchi (Japan, November 1996) and Digimon (Japan, June 1997) turned the same basic idea, a small LCD creature you kept alive, into two of the decade's biggest toy fads.
Choosing a nostalgia path
- Want game libraries? Start with our Game Boy or Game Gear guides.
- Want a specific licensed LCD toy? See our Tiger Electronics identification guide.
- Want virtual pets specifically? See our Tamagotchi and Digimon guides.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a Game Boy and a Tiger Electronics handheld?
The Game Boy is a cartridge-based system that plays a changeable library of games. Tiger Electronics handhelds are dedicated single-game LCD toys, each built around one specific licensed game with no cartridge to swap.
When did virtual pets become popular?
Bandai's Tamagotchi launched in Japan in November 1996, followed by Digimon in June 1997, both becoming major toy fads in the back half of the decade.
Was the Game Gear Nintendo's only 90s handheld competitor?
Sega's main ones. The Game Gear (1990/1991) was Sega's primary Game Boy competitor, and the Genesis Nomad (1995) was a smaller-scale, shorter-lived attempt at a portable home console instead.
Sourcing and corrections
Launch dates for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, Genesis Nomad, Tamagotchi, and Digimon were checked via web search against sources including Wikipedia in September 2026.