Bubble Bobble
Bubble Bobble is a 1986 platform video game developed and published by Taito for arcades. It was released in North America by Romstar and in Europe by Electrocoin. Players control Bub and Bob, two dragons who set out to save their girlfriends from a world called the Cave of Monsters. In each level, Bub and Bob must defeat every enemy present by trapping them in bubbles and popping them. The enemies will then turn into bonus items when they hit the ground. There are 100 levels total, each becoming progressively more difficult.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1986
- Developer
- Taito
- Platforms
- 5 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 1 September 1986 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Taito |
| Publisher | Romstar, Taito |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Arcade, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck |
| Genres | platformer |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q88759, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Bubble Bobble? How long to beat it
Total play time for Bubble Bobble is about 4.9 hours to do everything, and around 2.9 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 2.9h | 62 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 2.9h | 7 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 4.9h | 9 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Bubble Bobble sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Bubble Bobble lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 38ahead of 2% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 52ahead of 90% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Bubble Bobble
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where Bubble Bobble appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Bubble Bobble qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Common questions about Bubble Bobble
What platforms is Bubble Bobble on?
Bubble Bobble is available on Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Arcade, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck. It first released in 1986.
Who made Bubble Bobble?
Bubble Bobble was developed by Taito and published by Romstar, Taito.
How long does it take to beat Bubble Bobble?
about 2.9 hours for the main story, 2.9 hours with the main extras, 4.9 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.