Which Game Had the First New Game Plus?
Chrono Trigger, released in 1995, is the game credited with the name New Game+. The idea of replaying a game after the ending is older according to the same sources, and we found no reliable source that settles which game did it earliest.
Where does the name New Game Plus come from?
Giant Bomb says the option dates back decades but that the term was not used before Chrono Trigger in 1995. Wiktionary gives the same origin, and Wikipedia credits the game with coining the term, citing a 2008 Gamasutra feature by Kurt Kalata.
In Chrono Trigger, which came out in Japan on 11 March 1995, finishing the game lets you start again with your character levels, techniques and equipment. Money does not carry over, and some story items have to be found again. Giant Bomb adds that the game has multiple endings and that the mode was required to see most of them.
So the earliest documented use of the name has a clear answer. The feature does not.
What came before Chrono Trigger?
The example we can document is The Legend of Zelda, released in Japan on 21 February 1986. After finishing it, you can start a harder version called the Second Quest, with changed locations and secrets, different dungeons and stronger enemies. Giant Bomb lists Second Quest as an alias of the concept.
Whether that counts depends on the definition, because the sources we read do not say that anything carries over.
Wikipedia names two more early games, but that passage is tagged as needing a citation, so we leave them out here.
What counts as New Game Plus?
| Definition | Example from the sources | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A harder replay unlocked by finishing the game | The Legend of Zelda, 1986 | No carry-over documented in the sources we read |
| A new run that keeps levels, items or abilities | Chrono Trigger, 1995 | Also the origin of the name |
| A new run with changes, such as a different character | Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, per Giant Bomb | Progress is typically not carried over |
Giant Bomb describes the mode as a new game that carries over things like levels, items or money, usually unlocked by finishing the game.
What can we say with confidence?
- Earliest documented use of the name: Chrono Trigger, 1995.
- Earliest example of a replay unlocked by finishing the game in the sources we could check: The Legend of Zelda, 1986.
- Earliest game with carry-over: not established. We found no source that documents one with evidence.
A better source would change this page, and we would update it.