# Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection
**Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection** is a compilation of 14 classic [Yu-Gi-Oh!](https://www.edgepedia.org/yu-gi-oh) video games, originally released between 1998 and 2004 for the [Game Boy](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-boy), Game Boy Color, and [Game Boy Advance](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-boy-advance), published by Konami for Nintendo Switch and Steam on February 27, 2025.[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/) • [2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) Developed by Digital Eclipse, the collection was released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, which Konami celebrated in February 2024.[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) • [3](https://img.konami.com/ir/en/stockbond/stockholderinfo/generalmeeting/53/syosyu.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platforms / launch | Nintendo Switch and Steam, February 27, 2025[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/) |
| Contents | 14 games from Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance, including 4 never previously released outside Japan[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/) • [2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) |
| Developer / publisher | Digital Eclipse / Konami[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) |
| Price / rating | MSRP $49.99; ESRB Teen (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity)[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/) |
| Online play | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists supports online dueling at launch; select other titles were slated for post-release online updates[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/) |
| Removed features | Local multiplayer and card trading from the original cartridges are disabled; attempting to open a versus or trade menu in most games returns "This game feature is not supported in this collection"[4](https://www.vgchartz.com/article/464050/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection-ns/) |
| Bonus card | Physical Switch copies include a Harpie's Feather Duster card in the never-before-seen Quarter Century Secret Rare rarity[5](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/products/yugioh_earlydayscollection/) |
## Contents and title lineup
The collection gathers 14 titles, more than half of them belonging to the [Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters](https://www.edgepedia.org/yu-gi-oh-duel-monsters) series: Duel Monsters (1998), Duel Monsters II: Dark Duel Stories (1999), Dark Duel Stories (2000), Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists (2000), The Eternal Duelist Soul (2001), Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 (2001), The Sacred Cards (2002), Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel (2003), and Reshef of Destruction (2003).[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) The full lineup also includes Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh! Monster Capsule, Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004, Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveler, and Yu-Gi-Oh! 7 Trials to Glory: World Championship Tournament 2005 (released in some regions as Yu-Gi-Oh! Day of the Duelist: World Championship Tournament 2005).[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/)
Four games in the collection had never been released outside Japan before.[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/) One localization limitation remains: Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 is included in Japanese only, and Konami directs players wanting that experience in other languages to Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel.[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/)
## Gameplay across the era
Most of the included games follow a similar formula of defeating duelists in battle to unlock new areas and cards.[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) The rules evolve across the series. The first game predates the official Yu-Gi-Oh! card game, so its rules are based on the manga instead; the in-game dueling rules gradually come to resemble the real trading card game, reaching full alignment with the actual card game rules at the fifth entry, The Eternal Duelist Soul.[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) The last two games, The Sacred Cards and Reshef of Destruction, revert to simplified gameplay while adding an RPG element that lets players walk through town environments between duels.[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection)
Some early Duel Monsters games use mechanics foreign to the modern card game, such as an alignment system in which monsters of one type are strong against another; a normal summon with 300 attack points could automatically defeat a seven-star, two-sacrifice summon with 2500 attack points on an alignment advantage.[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection)
**Non-card games.** The collection is not limited to card dueling. Dungeon Dice Monsters (2003) is based on the board game of the same name seen in the manga and anime; Destiny Board Traveler is a [Mario Party](https://www.edgepedia.org/mario-party)-style board game; and Monster Capsule, originally a Japan-only release, is a turn-based tactics game in which players collect and train monsters in capsules and fight on a 2D battle map.[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) • [6](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/analisis-de-yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection-para-switch-y-steam-duelos-con-sabor-anejo-n/)
## Modern features and omissions
Digital Eclipse added quality-of-life features across the collection: the ability to save at any time, a Rewind function, a fast-forward option, customizable button mapping, adjustable screen size, filter, and border, and rule customization such as removing Deck Capacity, Duelist Level, and Forbidden & Limited List restrictions.[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/) • [2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection) • [7](https://mp1st.com/reviews/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection-review-its-time-to-duel) A Digital Gallery preserves the box art and original instruction manuals for each title, which reviewers noted was especially helpful given the games' lack of in-game tutorials.[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/) • [8](https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/yugioh-early-days-collection-review/)
The main omissions concern connectivity. Konami stated that select titles would be updated to support online play after release.[1](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/)
## Reception
The collection received generally positive reviews from genre outlets, with Nintendo Life scoring it 7/10 and praising the curation as "an excellent time capsule of the origins of the iconic Yu-Gi-Oh! series" while criticizing tedious gameplay and clunky user interfaces inherited from the originals.[2](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection)
## References
1. [Yu-Gi-Oh! EARLY DAYS COLLECTION, Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game official product page](https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/products/early_days_collection/)
2. [Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection Review (Switch), Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection)
3. [Konami general shareholder meeting report (53rd term)](https://img.konami.com/ir/en/stockbond/stockholderinfo/generalmeeting/53/syosyu.pdf)
4. [Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection (NS) Review, VGChartz](https://www.vgchartz.com/article/464050/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection-ns/)
5. [Yu-Gi-Oh! EARLY DAYS COLLECTION, Konami Digital Entertainment](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/products/yugioh_earlydayscollection/)
6. [Análisis de Yu-Gi-Oh! EARLY DAYS COLLECTION para Switch y Steam, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/analisis/analisis-de-yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection-para-switch-y-steam-duelos-con-sabor-anejo-n/)
7. [Yu-Gi-Oh Early Days Collection Review – It's Time to Duel, MP1st](https://mp1st.com/reviews/yu-gi-oh-early-days-collection-review-its-time-to-duel)
8. [Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection Review: Time to Duel, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/yugioh-early-days-collection-review/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Licensed and media tie-in game titles › Toy, tabletop, and card adaptations*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license