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Shanghai
上海麻雀
Shanghai is a puzzle game developed by Activision and released in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is based on Mahjong solitaire mechanics, where players match pairs of identical tiles to clear them from the board. The objective is to remove all tiles by finding and selecting matching pairs—two identical tiles that are not blocked by other pieces. The game features a straightforward control scheme using the directional pad to navigate the tile selection cursor and buttons to confirm matches. Shanghai includes multiple levels with progressively complex tile arrangements, each presenting different spatial puzzles to solve. The gameplay is turn-based and contemplative, rewarding pattern recognition and planning rather than quick reflexes. With its accessible puzzle mechanics and numerous levels to work through, Shanghai provides a solid entry point to Mahjong solitaire gameplay.
- Developer
- Activision
- Released
- 1986
- Platform
- NES
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Players
- 1P
- Rating
- 4.9 / 5 (4.3K)
- Last updated
Shanghai Controls — NES Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Shanghai on our in-browser NES emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
| Keyboard | Console button | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | D-Pad Up | Move up |
| ↓ | D-Pad Down | Move down |
| ← | D-Pad Left | Move left |
| → | D-Pad Right | Move right |
| X | A | Primary action (jump / confirm) |
| Z | B | Secondary action (attack / cancel) |
| Enter | Start | Start / Pause |
| Shift | Select | Select / Mode |
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Shanghai Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Shanghai on NES before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Shanghai" NES longplay 1986
Shanghai Cheat Codes
4 community-curated cheats for Shanghai. Tick any to activate them automatically when you click "Play with cheats" — or copy a code into your own emulator.
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Freeze Timer
00A0:01+00A1:01005A:00 -
Instantly Beat Game
0094:00 -
Instantly Beat Level
0037:90 -
Infinite Hints
0040:00
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Shanghai released?
Shanghai was released in 1986 for the NES.
Who developed Shanghai?
Shanghai was developed by Activision, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Shanghai support?
Shanghai is a single-player Puzzle game for the NES.
What type of game is Shanghai?
Shanghai is a Puzzle game for the NES, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Shanghai for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Shanghai runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Shanghai in the browser?
No. Shanghai streams from a public archive into a browser-side NES emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Shanghai?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original NES cartridge supported.
Does Shanghai work on mobile devices?
Yes — the NES emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Shanghai this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Shanghai. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
