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Codemasters

United Kingdom Founded 1986 Website

Codemasters is a British video game developer and publisher founded by David Darling and his brother Richard in 1986. Headquartered in Southam, Warwickshire, Codemasters is one of the oldest British game studios, and in 2005 was named the top independent games developer by Develop magazine.

Codemasters at a Glance

Codemasters has been a constant presence in the video game industry since its founding in 1986. Based in Southam, Warwickshire, the studio released 40 titles during the 1980s and saw its output grow to 57 games in the 1990s. The company reached its peak productivity in the 2000s with 76 releases, before activity slowed to 40 games in the 2010s and just 18 in the 2020s so far. Over their active career spanning from 1985 to 2025, they have published 214 games and developed 100 titles on PlayPile, totaling 239 entries. The studio focuses heavily on specific genres that reflect its long history. Sport games make up the largest category with 101 releases, followed closely by racing titles at 97 games. They have also produced 68 simulator games and smaller numbers of platformers, adventure games, and arcade entries. Their platform reach is vast, with PC being the most common home for their work at 101 titles. However, they were equally active on older hardware like the ZX Spectrum with 59 games and the Commodore C64/128/MAX with 58 releases. They have also maintained a presence on modern consoles including the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, each hosting 35 of their games. Quality varies significantly across their catalog. The average rating for their 107 rated titles sits at 71 out of 100. While they have 27 great-rated games with scores above 80, they also have 63 good titles and a handful of mixed or poor entries. Their highest-rated work includes Cosmic Spacehead from 1993 with a score of 91.4 and Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis from 2001 at 89.4. More recent output shows a decline in critical scores. F1 25 released in May 2025 holds a rating of 76.9, while F1 24 from the previous year scored only 69.4. EA Sports WRC, released in October 2023, received a similar score of 69.8. This suggests that while their legacy titles remain highly regarded, their recent sports simulations have struggled to match the critical acclaim of their earlier years.

239
Total Games
71
Avg Rating
1985
First Release
2025
Latest Release

Genre Breakdown

Sport
23%
Racing
23%
Simulator
16%
Platform
8%
Adventure
8%

Platform Spread

PC (Microsoft Windows)
101
ZX Spectrum
59
Commodore C64/128/MAX
58
Amstrad CPC
48
PlayStation 4
35

Release Timeline

1980s
40
1990s
57
2000s
76
2010s
40
2020s
18

Rating Distribution

27
80-100
63
60-79
14
40-59
3
0-39
Rallycross Simulator game cover

Rallycross Simulator

1989·C64, ZXS
Ninja Massacre game cover

Ninja Massacre

1989·C64, ZXS, ACPC
MiG-29 Soviet Fighter game cover

MiG-29 Soviet Fighter

1989·NES, Amiga, Atari-ST +3
Advanced Ski Simulator game cover

Advanced Ski Simulator

1989·Amiga, Atari-ST, C64 +2
Death Stalker game cover

Death Stalker

1989·ZXS, ACPC
Fantasy World Dizzy game cover
Rating 8.5

Fantasy World Dizzy

1989·DOS, Amiga, Atari-ST +3
Fast Food game cover
Rating 8.0

Fast Food

1989·DOS, Amiga, Atari-ST +3
Street Gang Football game cover

Street Gang Football

1989·ZXS, ACPC
Blade Warrior game cover

Blade Warrior

1989·ACPC
Dizzy: Crash Edition game cover

Dizzy: Crash Edition

1989·ZXS
SAS Combat Simulator game cover

SAS Combat Simulator

1989·Amiga, Atari-ST, C64 +2
Moto X Simulator game cover

Moto X Simulator

1989·C64, ZXS, ACPC
4 Soccer Simulators game cover

4 Soccer Simulators

1988·ACPC
Super Dragon Slayer game cover

Super Dragon Slayer

1988·C64, ZXS
Pro Skateboard Simulator game cover

Pro Skateboard Simulator

1988·C64, ZXS, ACPC
Jet Bike Simulator game cover

Jet Bike Simulator

1988·C64, ZXS, ACPC
The Race Against Time game cover

The Race Against Time

1988·C64, ZXS, ACPC
Advanced Pinball Simulator game cover

Advanced Pinball Simulator

1988·C64, ZXS, ACPC +1
Rock Star Ate My Hamster game cover

Rock Star Ate My Hamster

1988·Amiga, Atari-ST, C64 +2
Treasure Island Dizzy game cover
Rating 8.0

Treasure Island Dizzy

1988·PC, NES, Amiga +4
Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure game cover
Rating 8.1

Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure

1987·C64, ZXS, ACPC
Professional Ski Simulator game cover

Professional Ski Simulator

1987·C64, ZXS, ACPC
Fruit Machine Simulator game cover

Fruit Machine Simulator

1987·C64, ZXS, ACPC
Super Stuntman game cover

Super Stuntman

1987·C64, ZXS, ACPC
Cosmonut game cover

Cosmonut

1987·C64
Lazer Force game cover

Lazer Force

1987·C64
Red Max game cover

Red Max

1987·C64, Atari8bit
Transmuter game cover

Transmuter

1987·ZXS, ACPC, Atari8bit
Ghost Hunters game cover

Ghost Hunters

1987·C64, ZXS, ACPC
Grand Prix Simulator game cover

Grand Prix Simulator

1987·C64, ZXS, ACPC +1
Armourdillo game cover

Armourdillo

1987·C64
ATV Simulator game cover

ATV Simulator

1987·C64, ZXS, ACPC
3D Starfighter game cover

3D Starfighter

1987·ZXS, ACPC
Super Robin Hood game cover

Super Robin Hood

1986·C64, ZXS, ACPC
Phantomas game cover

Phantomas

1986·ZXS
Terra Cognita game cover

Terra Cognita

1986·C64, ZXS, ACPC +1
BMX Simulator game cover
Rating 6.5

BMX Simulator

1986·NES, Amiga, Atari-ST +7
Phantomas 2 game cover

Phantomas 2

1986·C64, ZXS, ACPC +1
Mr. Angry game cover

Mr. Angry

1985·C64
Dragon Empires game cover

Dragon Empires

·PC
Heist game cover

Heist

·PS3, PC, X360
Nitro Boost Challenge game cover

Nitro Boost Challenge

Operation Gunship game cover

Operation Gunship

Super Hero game cover

Super Hero

·C64, ZXS
Dizzy: Amstrad Action Special Edition game cover

Dizzy: Amstrad Action Special Edition

·ACPC
Championship Jet Ski Simulator game cover

Championship Jet Ski Simulator

Twin Turbo V8 game cover

Twin Turbo V8