With hindsight being 20/20, console add-ons weren’t the best idea. They were often as expensive as an individual console and didn’t offer that many exclusives of their own. They may have had some cult classics, likeCastlevania: Rondo of Bloodon the PC Engine Super CD-ROM². But they were ultimately fads that did more economical harm than good, likethe Sega CD.
Made to hook up to the Sega Genesis, the device could play audio CDs, CD+Gs for karaoke, and video games with enhanced graphics and audio capabilities. But most of its library consisted of rough FMV games and Genesis ports that didn’t really use the add-on’s extra power. However, with enough looking, 90s kids could satiate their buyer’s remorse with theSega CD’s best games.
Updated on June 17, 2025 by David Heath:The Sega CD is about as fondly remembered as a high school confession gone wrong. Yet it’s practically a success compared to some of its rivals.Retro Gamermagazine managed to find enough games for their ‘Perfect 10’ feature, where they pick out 10 of a device’s best games. But they could only find 5 for its failed follow-up, the Sega 32X.
Its cult classics, likeSonic CDandSnatcher, have kept it going in its afterlife, either fondly remembered by fans who got to play them at the time, or younger audiences who got curious and gave them a go via emulation. So, this list has been updated with a few more top entries for the old device that they might want to look back on, or even play again if they can find them in the wild.
14Star Wars: Rebel Assault
GameFAQs Score: 3.06/5 Stars
The Sega CD version ofStar Wars: Rebel Assaultcomes with caveats compared with its other ports. Unlike the 3DO, DOS, and Mac releases, the graphics are a little fuzzier, Stage Seven got cut out, and players can’t choose between the male or female rookie. They can only play as the guy as, like Luke Skywalker, they go from being a moisture farmer on Tattooine to an ace fighter pilot.
They can still blast away at threats across the series, from the Star Destroyer and AT-AT walkers right down to the Death Star. It could be challenging too, as the different cannons, asteroids, TIE fighters and more would bring the player down if they weren’t careful. The game is a compromised port, and it’s much easier to get the original PC version via Steam/GOG today, but at the time it was a solid option for dogfighting fun.
Before Core Design shifted focus to the PlayStation via acertain raider of tombs, they made a lot of games for Sega’s consoles, including the Sega CD.Heimdall,Jaguar XJ220and theChuck Rockgames all made it to the add-on, but they were also available for more affordable machines like the Amiga and the Genesis on its own. As good as they are, they didn’t really make the most of the CD format.
AH-3 Thunderstrike(akaThunderhawk) was different as, while it hit the Amiga and Atari ST first, it made a bigger impact on the Sega CD. Players took an attack chopper into different war zones to complete a series of missions, from escorting convoys to blowing up targets. The Sega CD port offered more intuitive gameplay than the microcomputers and had improved graphics. It still makes for a fun, explosive time today too.
GameFAQs Score: 3.6/5 Stars
FMV games were all the rage in the mid-1980s because they were interactive movies.Dragon’s Lair,Space Ace,Time Gal, etc., looked like proper cartoons next to the eight-bit and sixteen-bit machines that surrounded them in the arcades. But by the time consoles got powerful enough (and affordable enough) to bring them home, they lost their shine. Behind their flashy looks, they were ultimately a longquick time event.
But if there was one FMV game worth playing on the Sega CD, it would have to beRoad Avenger(akaRoad Blaster). In it, players take control of a vigilante seeking to avenge his wife’s death at the hands of a biker gang. It was essentially the same as its rivals-press the right buttons at the right prompts- but it told a fun 80s action movie-style story, with an art style resembling old-school anime classics likeMobile Suit GundamandMacross.
11Silpheed
GameFAQs Score: 3.67/5 Stars
Nowadays, it’s not that odd to see a retro game get a release on a flashy console via one retro bundle or another. But they were a harder sell back in the day when they were still sold separately, and required their own cases, manuals, and other extras. The Sega 32X had a great port ofSpace Harrier, but an arcade hit from 1985 wasn’t going to save a console add-on from 1995.
Likewise,Silpheedbegan life as a PC-8801 game from 1986, and wouldn’t have done much for the Sega CD if it was released as a straight port. So, GameArts spruced it up by using polygon models againstpre-rendered backgrounds, with a few cinematic cutscenes here and there. It still played like a classic vertical shooter which, while great, lacked the wow factorStar Fox’s into-the-screen gameplay had. But it outdid the SNES classic in looks, with better-detailed models and worlds.
9Keio Flying Squadron
GameFAQs Score: 3.77/5 Stars
If stoic, 3D sci-fi vertical shooters weren’t to players' tastes, they might prefer a wacky, 2D, technically historical horizontal shooter instead.Keio Flying Squadronsees Rami, a bunny girl alien from Keio-era Japan (1865-1868), attempt to get the Key to the Secret Treasure back from Dr Pon Eho, a genius thief who happens to be a tanuki. All she needs to get past his hordes are her dragon, Spot, and a range of power-ups.
This game needs little introduction.Earthworm Jimwas a classic on both the SNES and Genesis, which saw an earthworm gain sentience via a supersuit that fell from the sky. Naming himself Jim, he now has to save Princess What’s-Her-Name while avoiding villains who want his supersuit for themselves. It played and looked great on cartridge, so its CD port needed more than crisper graphics and sound to sell it.
Earthworm Jim: Special Editionstill had that, and included redesigned, extended levels. It also threw in a new level that didn’t make it into the cartridges or the HD remake. ‘Big Bruty’ had Jim deal with an invincible but blind monster called Bruty that he had to lead using his scent. One wrong move, and he’d become Bruty’s lunch. For an extra treat, the game had different endings for the Easy and Difficult settings, which was a nice extra.
300 years ago, the ruler of the kingdom of Cheshire and his allies defeated the demon Arliman. They imprisoned him in a crystal and made the immortal Velonese his guardian. But over the past few centuries, Arliman’s influence corrupted Velonese and turned him into the titularDark Wizard. Gaining a burning hatred for Cheshire, he summons four evil generals to take over the land while trying to free Arliman from his jewel-based prison.
It’s up to the player to save the day by picking one of four heroes: Prince Armer IX, Robin the Cavalryman, Krystal the sorceress, and Amon the vampire. From there, they have to retake chunks of Cheshire hexagon by hexagon, using their character’s strengths and units to overcome Velonese’s forces. It’s a funFire Emblem-like game for fans of turn-based strategy games.
Speaking ofFire Emblem, its closest Sega counterpart was theShining Forceseries, and one of its standout games made it onto the Sega CD.Shining Force CDwas actually a combined remake of theShining Force Gaidengames on the Game Gear, where it split its story across four ‘Books’ that can be played sequentially or on their own. But players had to beat the first two to unlock the latter set.
Players can even carry over their built-up stats from earlier books to later ones, though doing this on real hardware required a backup RAM cart. Still, it was a neat feature that came in handy as Nick, the hero of Book 1, had newer, bigger threats to face in Books 3 and 4. While Book 2 saw Deanna and their party journey to save Nick from the dark kingdom of Iom.
The SNES was ultimately the best console forFinal Fightfans, thanks largely to its exclusive sequels.Final Fight 2and3had two-player local co-op and three to four selectable characters. But the SNES port ofFinal Fight 1was single player only, censored (no Poison or Roxy), and cut out stages and a playable character. People who wanted to play the ninja Guy would have to getthe rental exclusiveFinal Fight Guy, or get a Sega CD.
Final Fight CDhad all the cut content intact, from Guy to the Industrial Area stage, and had two-player co-op support. The game was less censored (Poison and Roxy return), got an extra time attack mode, and had rearranged audio, complete with voice acting for the cutscenes. The only drawbacks were its slower gameplay, fewer enemies, and washed-out color palette. Still, outside emulated arcade ports, it’s the best version of the game.
