R-Type DX Cartridge Comeback Packs Five Games Into One Collector’s Box
Limited Run Games is resurrecting a shooter many gamers thought was gone for good — and cramming five full games onto one cartridge to do it. The publisher announced Thursday that R-Type DX is returning in physical form for the first time since 1999.
The reissue arrives through a new partnership with Retro Bit, marking the first release in what the companies call an ongoing cartridge series. It lands as physical media makes a real comeback in an industry now dominated by digital downloads.
R-Type DX first launched in 1999 from developer Brits Studios Ltd., following the studio’s acclaimed Game Boy ports of R-Type and R-Type II. The original release combined both shooters into one package and introduced an exclusive continuous campaign mode.
Five Modes on One Cartridge
The new cartridge keeps that ambition intact, packing five distinct game modes into one collector’s box. Players get monochrome versions of R-Type and R-Type II, color-enhanced remasters of both, and the exclusive “R-Type DX Mode” campaign.
R-Type DX Mode merges both games into a single, continuous progression with on-the-fly checkpoint saves. It’s exclusive to this release and only playable on Game Boy Color hardware.
The monochrome versions run on original Game Boy or Game Boy Color hardware. The color-enhanced editions and R-Type DX Mode require a Game Boy Color, and the cartridge itself ships as what Limited Run Games calls a “Cosmic Cartridge.”
Beyond the cartridge, the collector’s edition includes deluxe numbered hardcover packaging featuring artwork from anime illustrator Paul “Otaking” Johnson. A full-color instruction manual rounds out the package, a nod to how games used to ship decades ago.
Soundtrack Gets CD, Vinyl Release
Limited Run Games is also expanding the release beyond the game itself. Through its music publishing arm, ClariceDisc, and continued partnerships with Irem and City Connection, the company is releasing a full R-Type DX soundtrack.
The R-Type DX Original Soundtrack arrives on both CD and vinyl LP, containing 33 total tracks. It combines 19 arranged pieces from “R-Type DX: Music Encore” with 14 original Game Boy background tracks.
Masato Ishizaki, known by the stage name WASi303, and Masahiko Ishida composed the score, with original Game Boy audio arranged by David Whittaker. The Music Encore tracks were remixed by WASi303 alongside Tetsuro Sato.
The CD edition includes a full-color booklet with exclusive cover art by Johnson and an interview with producer Nobuhiro Yoshikawa. The vinyl LP splits the soundtrack across two sides and is pressed on “Cosmic Vinyl.”
That vinyl edition ships in a collector’s gatefold jacket with the same producer interview included as an insert. It’s designed as a standalone piece for soundtrack collectors, not just a game add-on.
Preorders for the R-Type DX collector’s edition opened Thursday and run through Nov. 1, 2026, via the Limited Run Games website. The publisher has built a reputation for selling out reissues quickly, and numbered copies are expected to move fast.
Limited Run Games has not said how many units of the R-Type DX collector’s edition will be produced. Past cartridge reissues from the publisher have sold out within days, sometimes hours, of preorders opening.
