1990 · Amstrad · UK · computer
Amstrad GX4000
A cartridge console launched exactly as 8-bit machines were being buried.
Mixed Trivial to run Needs a keyboard ▶ Watch on YouTube ↗
Amstrad's 1990 cartridge console, built on the CPC Plus hardware and launched exactly as 8-bit machines were being buried by the Mega Drive and SNES. Barely two dozen games appeared before it was cleared from shelves at a fraction of its price.
The pack-in racer Burnin' Rubber showed what the hardware could do; almost nothing else got the chance to.
What it cost
only about 10% of a month’s pay in 1990 · about $423 today
| UK launch list price (£99 with Burnin’ Rubber & 2 pads) |
£99 (1990)
Console version of Amstrad’s 8-bit CPC Plus home computer. |
|---|---|
| Typical street price | — No verified mass-market street price recorded yet. |
| Units sold | ≈15,000 estimate Approximately 15,000 units sold. |
Why it mattered
Its quick death marks the moment the 8-bit home computer stopped being viable in Europe: Amstrad built a cartridge console just as the audience moved wholesale to 16-bit machines.
Emulating it today
| Emulators | Caprice32, CPCEC |
|---|---|
| Setup effort | Trivial to run (1.5 on this site's scale) |
| Controls | This is a computer-like platform: games may use a joystick or pad, but launching and configuring software often needs a keyboard. |
| Runs on a handheld | Yes |
The emulator names above are starting points, not a promise that every title or accessory behaves identically. Computer platforms usually add model selection, disk handling and keyboard setup even when CPU emulation itself is mature.
Amstrad Plus System Cartridge ROM (cpcplus.rom / gx4000.zip)
The Amstrad GX4000 console contains no built-in firmware ROM on its motherboard; instead, it relies on system firmware stored in the cartridge header or the Amstrad Plus System Cartridge ROM (cpcplus.rom / gx4000.zip). Caprice32 and MAME require this ROM to boot games.
How many files you need: 1. A single system ROM file: cpcplus.rom (or gx4000.zip in MAME).
Where it stands legally: Copyrighted by Amstrad / rights holders.
Firmware details checked 2026-08. Emulator requirements change — see Libretro — Cap32 documentation for the current list.
Where the software is
TOSEC catalogues computer disks and tapes broadly, including many revisions. It is useful for preservation, while a smaller curated selection is usually easier to play.
Copyright: Commercial software remains copyrighted unless its owner explicitly released or relicensed it. Homebrew, public-domain programs and current reissues should be treated separately from abandoned commercial titles.
This site names preservation projects and explains what they are. It does not link to ROM downloads.
Where to start
- Burnin' Rubber 1990 racing
The pack-in game, and one of the few that showed what the hardware could do.
- Pang 1990 action
- Robocop 2 1990 action
- Navy Seals 1991 action
- Plotting 1990 puzzle
The verdict
Burnin' Rubber and a handful of arcade ports show real promise; the near-empty library does not sustain it.
With barely two dozen games, mostly ports, there is little reason to choose this over the CPC computers it was based on.
- Worth it if
- Players curious about sinclair and amstrad and willing to learn how the original machine worked.
- Not for
- Anyone who wants a large, instantly accessible library and no model, firmware or control decisions.
Scored 3/5 for fun today and 3/5 for historical importance. Those two scores decide the label at the top — a machine can matter enormously and still be no fun.
Read more & watch
This page is 50% complete against the facts we try to record for every system. Gaps are shown as gaps.