"Toy Story" was received positively on the Genesis and SNES, while reception to the PC version was mixed. 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. The visuals were best received on the Genesis version due to the game's 3D-rendered graphics, which had several precedents on the SNES and PC but were completely new to the Genesis. Critics were varied in their overall impressions; "GamePro" concluded that "Despite the stunning graphics, "Toy Story"'s 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." Roger Burchill of "Super Play" wrote that while the Genesis version "marked a new high point" in graphics and gameplay, the Super NES version "can't help but be compared to "Donkey Kong Country 2" and that's a comparison where it will lose every time."