In the game, the player is a fighter robot, but is able to transform into a jet. Originally released in 1985 for the NEC PC-8801 platform in Japan, the game quickly became a best-selling hit selling over 500,000 copies. Later that same year, Game Arts licensed Thexder to Square in order to develop a conversion for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game console. In 1987, Game Arts also developed a Thexder conversion for the MSX platform.

The NEC PC8801 platform was only popular in Japan and, despite home market success, Thexder garnered little attention abroad initially. With the conversion for the MSX (the best selling platform in Brazil and many east European countries) it became an international hit. The game was subsequently licensed to Sierra Entertainment for release in the United States. In 1987, Sierra ported the game to multiple platforms including the IBM PC, 128k Tandy Color Computer 3, Commodore Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Apple Macintosh, and Tandy T-1000 computer. Thexder continued its track record of success and became a best-seller for Sierra. By 1990, the game had sold over one million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling computer games up until that time.

The two Game Arts developers responsible for creating Thexder were Hibiki Godai and Satoshi Uesaka. In 1986, they developed another action-arcade game called Silpheed and in 1989 they wrote a Thexder sequel named Fire Hawk: Thexder The Second Contact. As with the original, FireHawk sold extremely well in Japan and the United States. Today, Thexder is still remembered by many as a classic action-arcade game.

Title	Details
Thexder 2 Original release dates: 1989 (MSX/PC-8801, Game Arts release) 1990-12-30 (DOS) 2003-03-10 (PC-8801, D4E release) 1990-12-30 (DOS) 1990-12-30 (DOS)	Release years by system: 1989 – MSX, MS-DOS, PC-8801
	Notes:Thexder 2, also known as Fire Hawk: Thexder The Second Contact, was released in 1989 on MSX2 and 1990 on DOS. It retained the same concept as the original Thexder but added many improvements. The Fire Hawk robot had the same design as the Thexder: the main laser, shield, and ability to transform into a jet. It also had upgrades to allow it to launch guided missiles, and use special weapons found throughout the game. Obtaining special weapons caused a weapon carrier droid to be deployed, and if positioned correctly, would act as a shield against enemies. Graphics were improved from the original game, and game play was divided into sub-levels, with the fourth sub-level containing a "boss" enemy. It was also possible to restart later games at the beginning of a level previously visited.
Thexder 95 Original release date(s): 1995	Release years by system: 1995 – Windows 95
	Notes:Thexder 95 (also called Thexder for Windows 95) is a Windows 95 remake of the original Thexder game, which was built with Microsoft's Game SDK (precursor of DirectX). In this game, Thexder can become a tank and jet, and has a large number of new weapons, from grenades to thermal bombs. The game runs in multiple windows: the main view, and several smaller windows each having a different function, e.g., ammo count, map, and actual game, that the gamer could open and close at will during play. Computer Games Magazine rated it 2.5/5. It was also one of Sierra's showcase games at the launch of Windows 95.
Thexder & Fire Hawk Original release date(s): July 15, 2005 (PC-8801, D4E release)	Release years by system: July 15, 2005 – PC-8801
	Notes:Thexder & Fire Hawk is a compilation that includes the MSX versions of Thexder and Thexder 2. The compilation was designed by Hibiki Godai and Satoshi Uesaka, and was released in 2005 for the PC–8801.
Thexder Neo Original release dates: October 1, 2009 (PSP) January 28, 2010 (PS3)	Release years by system: October 1, 2009 – PlayStation Portable (PSP) January 28, 2010 – PlayStation 3
	Notes:Thexder Neo is a complete rework of the original PC game from 1985, released by SquareSoft. In early 2009, it was reported that Square Enix sent an application to the ESRB to receive a rating for a game titled "Thexder Neo". Later that year, the game's existence was confirmed by Square Enix through an announcement at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show. It was released worldwide on the PlayStation Network on October 1, 2009 as a download for the PlayStation Portable and on January 28, 2010 for the PlayStation 3.

The Macintosh and PC/MS-DOS versions of the game was reviewed in 1991 in Dragon #176 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.