The first compilation was released in August 1993 on a single 1.44MB floppy for both Microsoft Windows 3.1 and the Apple Macintosh.

It favorably cited the many hints and strategies included in WinHelp files for the games, and the boss key.

[6] In the United States, Return of Arcade debuted in position 16 on PC Data's computer game sales rankings for April 1996.

[14] According to PC Data, Return of Arcade was the eighth-best-selling computer game in the United States for 1996 overall,[15] after claiming 16th in the rankings for the first half of the year.

[16] PC Data reported the game's sales at 335,176 units that year, which earned revenues of $9.5 million.