Toy Story — stories left

To pass Sega's strict approval process, Burton disguised game glitches as part of the game; instead of receiving an error message, game testers would be sent to a bonus minigame, which Burton said was part of the game.

Critics were varied in their overall impressions; GamePro concluded that "despite the stunning graphics, Toy Storys uninspiring gameplay makes for merely fleeting fun", while Game Informer decreed the game "a humorous and fun adventure that will certainly entertain everyone in the whole family".

A brief review in GamePro opined that it did not live up to the legacy of the film and previous versions of the game, citing "plodding and repetitive" gameplay, rudimentary graphics, and the inaccuracy of Woody's drawstring.

Eurogamer reported in 2018 of Toy Story garnering "millions of sales" upon release; according to Jon Burton, this changed other companies' business models to have games launch at the same time the film was released.

According to Disney Interactive, the Super NES and Genesis versions were both "tremendous successes", though a Super NES chip shortage prevented them from producing as many copies of the Super NES version as they believed they could have sold.

Toy Story was nominated for the Video Software Dealers Association's "Video Game of the Year" for 1995, losing to Donkey Kong Country 2.

In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the Mega Drive version 3rd on their "The GamesMaster Mega Drive Top 10."

The game was praised for its impressive visuals, varied gameplay, and the PC version's enhanced soundtrack, but criticized for its poor controls and uneven difficulty, with some levels which reviewers found to be too frustratingly difficult, particularly for the young target audience.

Mark East of GameSpot praised the soundtrack of the Windows version but had several minor criticisms of the game, including keyboard control issues, delayed sound effects, and brief pauses that occur when the soundtrack restarts.

Pixar provided final animations to the team only two weeks before the game was to be submitted to Sega for final approval.

To pass Sega's strict approval process, Burton disguised game glitches as part of the game; instead of receiving an error message, game testers would be sent to a bonus minigame, which Burton said was part of the game.

The game was praised for its impressive visuals, varied gameplay, and the PC version's enhanced soundtrack, but criticized for its poor controls and uneven difficulty, with some levels which reviewers found to be too frustratingly difficult, particularly for the young target audience.

Mark East of GameSpot praised the soundtrack of the Windows version but had several minor criticisms of the game, including keyboard control issues, delayed sound effects, and brief pauses that occur when the soundtrack restarts.