What Is Contra and Is the Latest Contra Game Worth Playing in 2026

Contra is Konami's run-and-gun shooter. You run right, jump, and shoot everything that moves: enemy soldiers, tanks, giant alien bosses. It started in arcades in 1987 and the gun-and-go formula has barely changed in almost 40 years.

The core loop is simple and brutal. You move through side-scrolling levels with a small arsenal, grab weapon power-ups like the Spread Gun, and try not to die. In the old games, one hit killed you. The famous Konami Code (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A) handed you 30 lives on the NES version, and a whole generation memorized it. That code is basically why a lot of people remember Contra at all.

If you want to actually play Contra today, the entry to start with is Contra: Operation Galuga. It launched March 12, 2024, and it is a full reimagining of the very first game, built by WayForward, the studio behind Shantae. It runs $39.99 and it is on Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC through Steam. There was a free demo on Steam before launch, so you may still be able to try a slice before buying.

Here is the honest read on whether it is worth it. Operation Galuga sits at a 70 on Metacritic, which lands it in mixed-to-decent territory. Reviewers liked that it nails the old run-and-gun feel: tight controls, chunky weapons, co-op for up to two players locally. The common knock is length. You can finish the story mode in roughly two hours, and at $40 some players felt that was thin. The flip side is replay value. There is an Arcade Mode, harder difficulties, a perk system, and 30-life-style options for people who just want to blast through. If you grew up on Contra or you want a clean, modern version of the classic without tracking down old cartridges, it delivers. If you want a long campaign for your money, go in knowing it is short.

A quick note on the rest of the series, because new players get confused fast. The all-time fan favorites are the older ones: Contra (1987 arcade and NES), Super C, and especially Contra III: The Alien Wars on the SNES. Those are still considered some of the hardest, tightest action games ever made. If you have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, several classic Contra games are bundled in the retro library, which is the cheapest way to sample the originals. There was also a rougher 2019 entry, Contra: Rogue Corps, that most fans skip. Operation Galuga exists partly to make up for that one.

Konami has kept the brand alive in other corners too. In 2025, the company quietly rolled out a new Contra lightgun arcade machine called Contra: Burst to select US arcades through Round1. It is a fresh take aimed at arcades rather than home consoles, and it shows Konami is still poking at the franchise. As for a brand-new mainline Contra console game, nothing has been officially confirmed beyond what already exists. Operation Galuga is the current entry, and it is the one to play.

For newcomers, the appeal is the same as it was in 1987. Contra is fast, loud, and unforgiving. You and a friend grab the Spread Gun, push right, and see how far you get before the screen full of bullets ends your run. It is not deep, and it does not try to be. It is one of the purest action-game ideas ever made, and Operation Galuga is the easiest way to play it on hardware you already own.