Arcade Archives 2 Balloon Bomber Hits Xbox Series X|S: Price, VRR and No Windows PC Release

For Xbox owners, the main points are about buying the right version. There is no last-gen version to upgrade from, the ownership discount does not cover Xbox, and Hamster's platform list for this game does not include Windows PC.

The release at a glance​

Hamster's official title page lists both versions with an October 1, 2026 release date. Here is how they split by platform and price:

Gematsu reported the same split, prices and $2.99 / ¥330 upgrade fee the day before launch. Nettosgameroom also confirmed that Arcade Archives Balloon Bomber will be available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 while Arcade Archives 2 Balloon Bomber will be available on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

On Xbox, TrueAchievements lists the game as published and developed by HAMSTER Corporation, digital only, with a size of 433MB. That's a small download.

Summary: There are two versions across five platforms, both out now. Xbox Series X|S only gets the newer Arcade Archives 2 version, at $9.99.

The Xbox upgrade question​

The VGChartz report says only that "an upgrade will be available for $2.99 / 330 yen." That's accurate, but it leaves out who qualifies.

Hamster's official pricing note is more specific. People who buy the original Arcade Archives Balloon Bomber on Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 4 can buy Arcade Archives 2 Balloon Bomber on Nintendo Switch 2 or PlayStation 5 for $2.99. Hamster attaches three conditions:

• Same account only. The discount does not apply unless both purchases are made on the same account.
• Order matters. If you buy the original edition after buying the Arcade Archives 2 edition, you don't get the discount.
• Saves don't carry over. Hamster says the two editions do not share save data.

Xbox isn't part of either pairing. Xbox One gets no Balloon Bomber release, so no Xbox purchase can qualify for the discount. Hamster names only Switch to Switch 2 and PS4 to PS5. Nothing official suggests an Xbox discount or any cross-platform purchase entitlement, so Xbox players should expect to pay the full $9.99.

Hamster also warns that store listings can differ by country or region, and that it can't answer questions about regional availability. If you can't find the game in your local store, it may not be sold there.

Summary: The $2.99 upgrade only works from Switch to Switch 2 or from PS4 to PS5, on the same account. Xbox buyers pay $9.99.

Where's the Windows PC version?​

This is the main gap for WindowsForum readers. Hamster's official platform list for Balloon Bomber covers Switch 2, Switch, PS5, PS4 and Xbox Series X|S, and nothing else. Hamster does publish on Windows: in the same official lineup, Crazy Balloon (also a TAITO game from 1980), Dacholer and Wiz all list Windows PC. According to Wikipedia's Arcade Archives entry, the series' platforms include PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and Arcade Archives 2 reached Windows on May 28, 2026.

Hamster hasn't announced a PC version of Balloon Bomber. Some Arcade Archives games reach Windows and some don't, and nothing announced so far tells us which way this one will go. For now, the only Microsoft platform with Balloon Bomber is Xbox Series X|S.

The game: missing has a cost​

Hamster's description is straightforward. You control an anti-aircraft gun and shoot at bombs hanging from balloons as they drift overhead. You need to hit the bomb itself. If you hit the balloon, the bomb drops and blows a hole in the ground, and your gun can't drive over holes.

So every miss shrinks the area you can move in. You lose points, and you also lose room for the rest of the stage.

Wikipedia's entry adds some history. It says Taito released the game in Japan in March 1980 and credits Tomohiro Nishikado as designer, the same person behind Space Invaders. It also describes the craters as something you cannot be moved past limiting mobility.

Sources disagree on how often the game has been re-released. Time Extension wrote that Balloon Bomber never received a home port. Wikipedia lists appearances in compilations including Taito Legends 2 for PlayStation 2 and Taito Legends Power Up for PSP. The fair reading is that Balloon Bomber has been very hard to find outside arcades, and this may be its first standalone console release, though even that is debatable.

Hamster's title page lists the game as a 1–2 player shooter but doesn't say how two-player mode works. It also says this release does not include a "NETWORK MODE." Wait — that last detail comes from Hamster's page, not TrueAchievements: Hamster says the release has no "NETWORK MODE", so don't expect online play.

Summary: It's a fixed shooter from 1980 where poor aim gradually traps you, and it has rarely appeared outside arcades.

What Arcade Archives 2 adds​

Hamster's page lists the standard Arcade Archives conveniences in Original Mode:

• Difficulty and display settings
• Button remapping
• Rapid-fire options
• Multiple save files, created at any time
• A rewind function to undo your last move

Online leaderboards apply only to Hi Score Mode and Caravan Mode.

The Arcade Archives 2 edition, which is the only one on Xbox, adds two things:

1. Time Attack Mode, which ranks how fast you finish the game rather than your score.
2. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support, which Hamster says reproduces gameplay more accurately and closer to the original arcade experience.

The VRR claim deserves some caution. Old arcade boards often ran at refresh rates that don't match a modern 60Hz signal, and VRR can help an emulator keep the original timing without dropping or repeating frames. That's general emulation knowledge, though, not something Hamster has detailed. Hamster hasn't published refresh rates, latency figures or VRR behaviour per platform for this game. On Xbox you'll need a VRR-capable display with VRR turned on to see any difference.

Earlier Arcade Archives 2 games in the Microsoft Store have listed Xbox achievements and cloud saves. The Bomb Bee listing, for example, shows Xbox achievements, Xbox cloud saves. That doesn't prove Balloon Bomber has the same features, so check its own store listing before assuming it does.

Summary: On Xbox you get Time Attack Mode and VRR support. Online rankings apply only in Hi Score and Caravan modes, and there's no online multiplayer.

Is it worth $9.99?​

Time Extension's verdict was that whether the game is worth £6 of your hard-earned cash is a conversation between you and your wallet. That seems fair. Balloon Bomber isn't Galaga. It's a single-screen shooter from 1980 with one clever idea.

That idea still makes it more interesting than most shooters from its year. Most games of the era punish a miss with lost time or a lost life. Here, a miss damages the ground you play on. Score chasers in Hi Score Mode should find the risk-and-reward balance holds up longer than the presentation suggests.

The choice is simple:

• Xbox Series X|S players: It's $9.99 for the Arcade Archives 2 edition, with no discount route. Buy it if you collect Arcade Archives games or want to chase leaderboard scores.
• PC-only players: No Windows version has been announced. Watch Hamster's lineup if you want it.
• People with both Switch and Switch 2 (or PS4 and PS5): Buy the Arcade Archives 2 edition if you can. The cheaper route, $7.99 plus a $2.99 upgrade, costs more in total and gives you two separate sets of saves.

Hamster has been releasing Arcade Archives games roughly weekly for more than a decade, and there's another one next week. If you're thinking of buying this one on Xbox, aim carefully, because every missed shot leaves a hole you can't cross.