This is a list of video game consoles by the era they appeared in. Eras are named based on the dominant console type of the era (even though not all consoles of those eras are of the same type). Also included in this list is handheld game consoles, which are usually of lower power than the home consoles of the same era.

Future

As of 2004, these consoles are in development and are expected to be released at some point in 2006.

• Nintendo - Project Revolution (code name, expected in 2006)
• Sony - PlayStation 3 (expected in 2006)
• Microsoft - Xbox 2 (tentative title, expected in 2005)

128 Bit Era (2000-present)

• Cybiko
• Discover Technology Units
• Dreamcast (9/9/99)
• Game Boy Advance
• GameCube
• GamePark 32 (GP32)
• Gizmondo
• N-Gage
  • N-Gage QD
• Nintendo DS
• Nintendo iQue (64-bit)
• Nuon
• PlayStation 2
• PlayStation Portable
• Tapwave Zodiac
• WonderSwan Color

32/64-bit era (1993-1999)

• 3DO (1993)
• Apple Pippin (1996)
• Atari Jaguar (1993) (64-bit)
  • Atari Jaguar CD
• Commodore Amiga CD32 (1993-1994) (32-bit)
• Game.com
• Game Boy Color
• Neo Geo Pocket
  • Neo Geo Pocket Color
• Nintendo 64 (1996-2002) (64-bit)
• Panasonic M2 (unreleased)
• PC-FX
• Playdia (1994)
• PlayStation (1995-2000)
• Sega Saturn (1995-1998)
• WonderSwan

16-bit era (1989-1998)

• Gamate
• Atari Lynx
  • Atari Lynx II
• Commodore C64GS (1990)
• Game Boy
  • Game Boy Pocket
• Neo-Geo (1989)
  • Neo-Geo CD (1994-1999)
• Nintendo Virtual Boy
• Philips CD-i
• PC-FX
• Sega Game Gear
• Sega Genesis (Sega MegaDrive) (1989-1998)
  • Sega CD (Sega Mega-CD) (1991)
  • Sega 32X (Sega Genesis 32X or Sega Mega 32X or Sega Super 32X) (1993)
  • Sega Nomad
  • Sega VR
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom)
• TurboGrafx 16 (PC-Engine) (1989)
  • TurboExpress
  • TurboGrafx-CD
  • TurboDuo
  • SuperGrafx

8-bit era (1985-1995)

• Atari 7800 (1986)
• Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) (1985-1995)
• Sega Master System (1986)
• SG-1000 Mark III (1984)
• Generic Family Game clones such as the TV Boy
• Amstrad GX4000 (1990)

Pre-video game crash of 1983

• Adam*
• Arcadia 2001 (1982)
• Atari 5200 (1982)
• Colecovision (1982)
• Gemini *
• Game And Watch*
• Intellivision (1980) 16-bit
• Philips Videopac G7400 (1983) (This was to be released in the USA as the Odyssey3 Command Center; changing market conditions prevented its release.)
• SG-1000 (1983)
• SG-1000 Mark II
• Vectrex (1982)

1970s

• Atari 2600 VCS
• Bally Astrocade (1977)
• Game Brain *
• Fairchild Channel F (1976)
• Magnavox Odyssey*
• Magnavox Odyssey2 (1978) (Known in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000)
• Microvision
• Pong*
• Studio 2 *
• Coleco Telstar*

* Consoles of the early 1970s (Pong and Magnavox Odyssey) were often inaccurately called "analog" but actually used discrete logic.