Mega Man Legacy Collection is a set of two video game collections based on Capcom's Mega Man series. Each collection includes versions of the first ten numbered games from the Mega Man "Classic" series, which were first released between 1987 and 2010. These versions work on modern systems, and the collections also include added features and extra content like interviews or artwork.
The first Mega Man Legacy Collection was created by Digital Eclipse and released in 2015. The second collection, called Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, was made by Capcom and released in 2017. Both collections were available for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The first collection was also released for Nintendo 3DS. Later, versions for Nintendo Switch were released in 2018. Because of the popularity of these collections, Capcom made similar releases for other Mega Man series, including Mega Man X Legacy Collection (2018), Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (2020), Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (2023), and Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection (2026).
Overview
Players can choose to play the Japanese "Rockman" versions or the international "Mega Man" versions of each game. Both sets include a "Museum" mode that displays galleries of concept art, sprite sheets, and production images, as well as a music player for all the game's music tracks. The Nintendo 3DS and Switch versions of the first collection have an extra Museum section called "Antiques," which is not in other versions. This section includes over 200 additional images, such as scans of original box art and pages from the Japanese instruction manuals. A "Challenges" mode offers more than fifty time-based missions, such as completing a goal within a stage or defeating multiple bosses. Some Challenges are divided into sections based on levels from the included games, with portals that let Mega Man move through to reach the end, and all of his weapons are unlocked from the start. Eleven additional Challenges can be unlocked in the 3DS and Switch versions by using a Mega Man Amiibo. Cheat sheets showing the best order to defeat Robot Masters are included as a bonus in Mega Man Legacy Collection but not in its sequel. Legacy Collection 2 added an "Extra Armor" feature that reduces the damage players take by half. Legacy Collection includes a Database mode similar to earlier Rockman Complete Works releases, which lists character profiles. By highlighting a specific Robot Master in the Database (Legacy Collection) or Gallery (Legacy Collection 2), players can play a practice battle against that Robot Master. The Switch version of Legacy Collection includes a gameplay rewind feature to help new players, which was later added to previous versions through a free update, except for the 3DS version.
The first Legacy Collection focuses on the series' games for the NES, while Legacy Collection 2 includes later mainline games released for SNES, PlayStation, and Wii. Legacy Collection 2 also includes all downloadable content from Mega Man 9 and 10, which can now be unlocked by completing each game or entering a secret code on each game's title screen.
Development
On June 8, 2015, Digital Eclipse was restarted after being bought by Other Ocean Group. One of its co-founders, Frank Cifaldi, became the company's "Head of Restoration," focusing on preserving video games. Mega Man Legacy Collection was the first game Digital Eclipse created after restarting, serving as a test for future game collections. When looking through Capcom's game library, developers chose Mega Man as the best choice for their first collection. Frank Cifaldi compared Digital Eclipse's work to The Criterion Collection, which preserves movies, and aimed to create an easier way to keep video games safe. He also wanted Mega Man Legacy Collection to celebrate NES games, not just collect game files. This was the first game made using the Eclipse Engine, a new tool created by Mike Mika and Kevin Wilson, based on Other Ocean's "Bakesale engine." The Eclipse Engine changes game code into a format the engine can read. It was designed to be easy to use on different platforms, avoiding the need to start over for each platform. As Cifaldi explained, "all basic processes are easily portable, so once a game works on it, it should work anywhere Eclipse is." While the engine can copy how games run, the goal for Mega Man Legacy Collection was "extreme accuracy without using traditional emulators."
All six Mega Man games included in the collection were made to run exactly as they did on original NES hardware, including effects like screen flickering and slowdown. Programmed flickering effects were kept, but flickering caused by hardware limits was removed. The focus was on the original six games rather than all numbered entries in the series, unlike Mega Man Anniversary Collection. Capcom allowed the inclusion of concept art and unreleased material because they had previously released an art book for the Mega Man series. The "Challenges" mode, which includes parts of levels from the games, was created for speedrunners and to let fans experience levels they might not normally play multiple times. One challenge, "Craig's Challenge," was designed by Craig Skistimas from the YouTube channel ScrewAttack. The TV filter in the game mimics a CRT television more accurately than earlier Mega Man compilations, showing color bleeding and pixel scaling without using filters. An extra CRT monitor filter was added based on Cifaldi's preference, replicating SCART video output. After completing the project, Cifaldi called it “[his] baby” and left the company to work on the Video Game History Foundation. Mega Man Legacy Collection was announced on June 8, 2015, shortly after remasters of Devil May Cry 4 and Resident Evil Zero were announced.
After announcing a sequel on June 5, 2017, Frank Cifaldi said Digital Eclipse was not involved in its production. Instead, Capcom handled the development of Mega Man Legacy Collection 2. Although the Eclipse Engine could copy hardware other than the NES, Capcom chose to develop the game internally because of the "complexity and scope of the project." The team focused on including remaining classic games from the series and their original releases, excluding titles like Mega Man & Bass and the Sega Saturn version of Mega Man 8, which had extra content. Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, a Capcom producer, said the project took "three times the amount of work" due to differences in technology between games. Capcom used ideas from Digital Eclipse's design, keeping the "Challenges" mode and bonus material but changing the user interface to be more user-friendly.
Release
Mega Man Legacy Collection was announced before E3 2015 and was available for people to try at the E3 show floor. It had its own display area at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2015. The original Mega Man Legacy Collection came out in North America and Europe on August 25, 2015, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The Nintendo 3DS version was released on February 23, 2016, followed by a Japanese release on February 25, 2016. The Nintendo 3DS version had a special edition that included a golden Mega Man Amiibo figure. It came out in Japan on all other platforms on May 26, 2016. A physical version of the collection was also released in Japan at a lower price on September 14, 2017, for Nintendo 3DS. A sequel to Mega Man Legacy Collection was mentioned early on the Korean Game Rating and Administration Committee's website. Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 was later announced on June 5, 2017. It was released on August 8, 2017, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. At first, there were no plans for a Nintendo Switch version. A Nintendo Switch version was later announced during the 30th anniversary of the Mega Man series, and both collections were later moved to the console on May 22, 2018. A combined physical release for Switch, Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 + 2, includes a game card for Legacy Collection 1 and a code to download Legacy Collection 2, which is only available digitally. The Nintendo Switch version of the collection was released in Japan a few days later on May 24, 2018. Mega Man Legacy Collection was also available on the Amazon Luna Retro Channel before the channel was discontinued.
Reception
Mega Man Legacy Collection received positive reviews from Metacritic and OpenCritic, which are websites that collect and share game reviews. Will Freeman, who wrote for The Guardian, described the collection as "direct, unchanged versions of the series’ first six games," noting that it offers the best way for new players to begin playing. Mike Minotti from GamesBeat initially thought the collection was not as complete as the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, which included more games. He pointed out that all six games in Legacy Collection were originally released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and that newer titles like Mega Man 9 and 10 were not included.
In its first week, the Nintendo 3DS version of the collection was the second best-selling game in Japan. Media Create reported that 50% of the first shipment of the game was sold in stores. Capcom, the game’s developer, stated that the Nintendo Switch version had "strong sales." As of September 30, 2025, Legacy Collection is the second best-selling Mega Man game, with 1.7 million copies sold. Legacy Collection 2 is the eighth best-selling, with over 1 million copies sold. The success of Mega Man Legacy Collection gave Capcom confidence to release Mega Man 11, which has since become the best-selling Mega Man video game.