The fifth generation of video game consoles began in 1993 and ended in 2003. The fifth generation was also called the 32-bit, 64-bit or the 3D generation of video game consoles. Throughout the fifth generation, only three consoles were among the most popular video game consoles in this era. These consoles include, the Sega Saturn (1994), the Sony PlayStation (1994), and the Nintendo 64 (1996). In different parts of the world, console sales varied widely. However, the PlayStation was the best-selling system of the fifth generation. The 3DO, Atari Jaguar, Amiga CD32 and PC-FX and other consoles were also part of this generation. However, those systems were not very successful.
The handheld game consoles of the fifth generation were not that successful. The first handheld, Sega Nomad had a lifespan of two years. The Virtual Boy only had less than one year. Both of them were discontinued. Nintendo's Game Boy Color became the best-selling handheld video console of the fifth generation. There were two updated versions of the original Game Boy such as the Game Boy Light (Japan only) and the Game Boy Pocket.
The bit ratings of consoles in the 5th generation began to blur & were less of a selling feature than the previous "bit wars" of the 8 and 16 bit era. The number of "bits" in console names referred to the CPU word size. It had been used by hardware marketers as a "show of power" for many years. The fifth generation saw the increase of emulation. The development of the Internet made it possible to save and download tape and ROM images of older games. This led the seventh generation consoles to make many older games available for purchase or download.
Home systems
Comparison
Other consoles
Non-mass-market systems
Worldwide sales
Handheld systems
Milestone titles
Crash Bandicoot
Dragon Warrior VII
Final Fantasy VII
Gran Turismo
GoldenEye 007
Star Fox 64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Metal Gear Solid
The Need for Speed
Nights into Dreams... PaRappa the Rapper Perfect Dark Nintendo's Pokémon titles for the Game Boy Super Mario 64 Resident Evil Silent Hill Spyro the Dragon Tomb Raider
