The game is based on the animated television series The Simpsons. On the Krusty the Clown Show, Bart Simpson wins the opportunity to participate in a Round-the-World scavenger hunt. However, the contest has been rigged by Mr. Burns' assistant, Smithers, in order for Burns to rid himself of the Simpson family for all the trouble they have caused him over the years. Burns sends his agents and fellow family members to take care of the Simpsons during the scavenger hunt. Bart travels through various real-world locations collecting items, with occasional cameos from the other Simpsons family members.

The game was first developed by Imagineering and published by Acclaim in 1991 for the home console Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was the second The Simpsons game to be released for the NES, after Bart vs. the Space Mutants. In 1993, Bart vs. the World was released for the home console Sega Master System (SMS), the personal computers Atari ST and Amiga, and the handheld console Game Gear (GG). The publishers for these versions were Flying Edge (SMS and GG),Virgin Games (Amiga), and Acclaim (ST). The developers were Arc Developments (GG and ST) and Virgin Games (Amiga). The game includes the theme song from The Simpsons.

Reviews of Bart vs. the World have been mixed. GamePro gave the NES version a 80/100 rating, commenting that "after running him through the rigors of a zany-but-strenuous Nintendo workout, the conclusion of this review became obvious: If ya loved Bart in Bart vs. the Space Mutants, you're gonna like him in Bart vs. the World. Despite a few shortcomings here and there, Bart's new cart is a world-beater!"Tribune Media Services also gave it a positive review, writing that "the story line is great, the graphics, as Bart would say, are 'cool, man,' and the action and control are terrific. This version of The Simpsons is a lot more complex than the first — not harder, there's just more to it."

Allgame's Brett Alan Weiss was more negative, giving the NES version 2.5/5 stars. He wrote that "most of the puzzles [...] are childish and boring. Even younger kids will get tired with these silly little games after a while. [...] The Simpsons trivia is kind of cool; you'll find yourself remembering fondly several of the earlier episodes. However, the questions begin repeating themselves a little sooner than they should." He added that "once you are through toying around with the puzzles, you'll find that the meat of the game is lame as well. The level design is far from clever, the controls are sluggish, and the action is dull." Similarly, the authors of the book Video Game Bible: 1985-2002 wrote that "the control is still lacking, though noticeably better than Bartman Meets Radioactive Man". A review in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica said the game was "very playable, though not particularly original."

The Dutch magazine Power Unlimited rated the Game Gear version 70/100, noting that it "consists partly of boring platform worlds" that are "not really worth the effort". They added, however, that "fortunately, there are also some simple puzzle games that are fun" and keep the game above mediocrity. A Game Players review gave the Game Gear version a 62/100 rating. The magazine wrote that "the twisted humor of other Simpsons games isn't there and the action segments could be from any game. Ignore it for home, but pack it for the beach."

In 2009, 1UP.com editor Bob Mackey reviewed the NES game in 1UP.com's official Retro Gaming Blog. He wrote that it had the same problems that Bart vs. the Space Mutants had, such as "lousy jumping physics", and that it "also manages to strip away the novelty that made the original Simpsons NES game worth checking out in the first place. The sequel is a straight-up, cookie-cutter platformer without any real Simpson-y touches to satisfy fans of the show; Bart finds himself wandering through generic side-scrolling levels, with a Simpsons character showing up every now and then to remind you that this is an actual licensed product and not just a ROM hack."