Xevious, the first title in the franchise, was released for arcades in January 1983 in Japan and a month later in North America by Atari, Inc.

[1] The game has received many sequels, spin-offs, and re-imaginings, the most recent being Xevious Resurrection in 2009.

The franchise contains twelve games—seven mainline entries and five spin-offs—soundtrack albums, pachinko machines, and an animated feature film produced by Groove Corporation.

Later games introduce mechanics such as additional playable ships, power-ups, protective shields, and two-player co-operative play.

[1][2] It is one of the first vertically scrolling shooters and among the first video games to implement bosses,[2] pre-rendered visuals,[3] and a cohesive world and storyline.