The 30 Best Games on the Sega Dreamcast

It’s hard to believe that the Sega Dreamcast is approaching its 30th anniversary, originally released on November 27, 1998, in Japan before arriving in North America and Europe a year later. Even harder to believe is that the Dreamcast would mark Sega‘s final home console following a string of incredibly successful hardware releases that saw the company consistently trailing just behind Nintendo in the market. Thanks to the missteps of the Sega Saturn‘s North American launch in the 5th generation, Sega would fall significantly behind competitors Sony and Nintendo, and the Dreamcast would ultimately suffer a similar fate as the world’s first 6th generation console. But going back and looking at some of the best Sega Dreamcast games reveals that the Dreamcast’s library positions it as a system ahead of its time that deserved greater success.

Similar to the Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast became the de facto home for top-quality arcade ports, which led to the system having an impeccable library of fighting games, light gun shooters, racing titles, sports simulations, shmups, and more. But more than its arcade ports, the Dreamcast would also be home to several forward-thinking titles that foreshadowed coming trends in the industry. Long before games like Just Dance or Guitar Hero and Rock Band would take the world by storm, the Dreamcast had similar titles way ahead of their time like Space Channel 5 and Samba de Amigo, complete with plastic instrument peripherals. And, thanks to the Dreamcast’s built-in modem, it would be the first home console tailor-made for online competitive play, years before Halo 2 and Xbox Live would make that an industry standard moving forward.

GigaWing

• Release Date — November 11, 1999
• Publisher — Capcom
• Developer — Takumi Corporation
• Genre — Scrolling Shooter/Shmup
• Review Aggregate Score — 51% (Mixed or Average)

Don’t let the low review scores fool you — Giga Wing is one of the best shmups on a console that has one of the genre’s greatest libraries. Capcom would deliver a handful of shooting games on the Dreamcast (including the excellent Mars Matrix), but Giga Wing stands tall as many shmup fans’ favorite title on the console thanks to its satisfying gameplay, unique steampunk setting, and distinct visual palette. While Capcom and Takumi would partner again for Giga Wing 2 later in the console’s lifespan, the original Giga Wing is arguably superior.

Dynamite Cop

• Release Date — May 27, 1999
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sega AM1
• Genre — Beat ’em Up
• Review Aggregate Score — 58% (Mixed or Average)

Sega’s Dynamite Deka series is the studio’s over-the-top 3D beat ’em up that would prove to be hugely popular in arcades despite never really landing with a Western audience. The original Dynamite Deka would receive a Saturn port that was released as Die Hard Arcade outside Japan, but its Dreamcast-bound sequel would simply arrive as Dynamite Cop, dropping the Die Hard license in an attempt to let the property stand on its own. Like Giga Wing, players shouldn’t let the low review scores sway them from checking out Dynamite Cop, as it’s one of the better attempts at a 3D beat ’em up, and its irreverent sense of humor and relatively short length make it a worthwhile ride that can be completed in a single sitting.

Space Channel 5

• Release Date — December 16, 1999
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sega AM9
• Genre — Music/Rhythm
• Review Aggregate Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)

Coming from the talented mind of Tetsuya Mizuguchi (whose tenure at Sega’s AM3 division would lead to the creation of several of the company’s greatest arcade machines), Space Channel 5 is a game unlike any other of the era. A rhythm-based dancing game in which players dance-fight away an alien invasion as a stylish go-go dancing reporter, Space Channel 5 is bursting with style and features a killer soundtrack to accompany its musical gameplay. While there was nothing like Space Channel 5 at the time, it would clearly go on to influence the soon-to-come dancing game craze that series like Dance Dance Revolution and Just Dance would popularize.

Border Down

• Release Date — September 25, 2003
• Publisher — G. Rev
• Developer — G. Rev
• Genre — Scrolling Shooter/Shmup
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A

By 2003, the Dreamcast had largely been declared a failure in Western markets, but the console was still thriving in Japan. As a result, there are a small handful of newer arcade games that would receive Japan-only ports to the console, and G. Rev’s Border Down is one of them. Arguably one of the best shmups to come from the studio, Border Down gets its name from the title’s unique “border system”, in which each stage’s “border” changes from green, to yellow, and then red as players lose lives, with each color change raising the difficulty. Thanks to Border Down being developed on Sega’s NAOMI arcade hardware, its Dreamcast port is its only home release, and it’s one of the best exclusive shmups to the console.

Psyvariar 2: The Will to Fabricate

• Release Date — February 26, 2004
• Publisher — Success
• Developer — SKONEC Entertainment Co.
• Genre — Scrolling Shooter/Shmup
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A

Much like Border Down, Psyvariar 2 was originally developed using Sega’s NAOMIarcade hardware. So when it came time to port the title to console, the easiest and most cost-effective route was to bring it to the Dreamcast, despite the fact that the platform’s popularity was quickly beginning to wane and Sega had stopped production on the Dreamcast back in 2001. Still, Psyvariar 2 is one of the hidden gems of the Dreamcast shmup library, an excellent vertically-scrolling mech shooter with some sharp visuals and challenging gameplay, and its arrival on the console after it had effectively died makes it a rare genre cult classic that too few have played.

The House of the Dead 2

• Release Date — March 25, 1999
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sega AM1
• Genre — Rail Shooter/Light Gun Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)

Before the sharp decline in popularity of light gun games thanks to real-world violence, Sega’s The House of the Dead 2 was about as good as it got bringing the thrill of an arcade light gun shooter into your living room. Like its predecessor, House of the Dead 2 is an on-rails shooter that takes players through a series of haunted house-style stages in which they’re assaulted by zombies, werewolves, and other monsters. While the Dreamcast version of the game didn’t come with an official first-party light gun (requiring players to use the controller), third-party manufacturers quickly stepped up, helping to make House of the Dead 2 one of the console’s killer launch apps for the Dreamcast’s North American release.

Seaman

• Release Date — July 29, 1999
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Vivarium, Jellyvision
• Genre — Simulation
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)

Quite possibly one of the strangest games ever made, Seaman is the type of left-field experience that only would have been possible on the Dreamcast thanks to the console’s willingness to take on experimental and forward-thinking projects. At its core, Seaman is a simulation game in which players get to cultivate an ecosystem from the single-celled organism up the food chain. But as soon as more complex lifeforms like fish and, eventually, mammals, start evolving with human faces, you know you’re in store for something special. Seaman is the type of game you really only need to play once, but its place as a console exclusive and one of the only games to truly utilize the microphone attachment make it a must-play in the Dreamcast library.

Frame Gride

• Release Date — July 15, 1999
• Publisher — FromSoftware
• Developer — FromSoftware
• Genre — Action, Fighting
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)

Long before FromSoftware would completely reshape the way we thought about action RPGs and combat-driven games, the studio’s bread and butter would be the Armored Core franchise. While FromSoftware would never have the chance to bring Armored Core to the Dreamcast, it did the next best thing by giving us Frame Gride. Other than its medieval setting and larger, more open environments, Frame Gride is basically Armored Core in all but name, including some incredibly satisfying mech customization and vastly improved controls (something which the mainline Armored Core series wouldn’t get until Armored Core 3).

Unreal Tournament

• Release Date — March 13, 2001
• Publisher — Infogrames
• Developer — Epic Games, Digital Extremes
• Genre — FPS, Arena Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)

The growth of the first-person shooter genre in the late 90s led to two distinctly diverging paths; one set of shooters opted for more immersive gameplay, cinematic storytelling, and lengthy single-player campaigns with impressive technicality and sandbox gameplay, while the other set helped create what we now know as “arena shooters” — games like Unreal Tournament and Quake III: Arena. Both Unreal Tournament and Quake III: Arena shined on the Dreamcast thanks to its included modem, making the console one of the first non-PC platforms to facilitate competitive online FPS play. Unreal Tournament is more arcade-y than Quake III, but it’s still one of the best shooters on the console and a blast in both local and online multiplayer.

Samba de Amigo

• Release Date — April 27, 2000
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sonic Team
• Genre — Music/Rhythm
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)

Several years before the plastic peripheral craze kicked off in earnest with Guitar Hero, Sega and Sonic Team delivered their own take with the incredibly fun and charming Samba de Amigo and its plastic maraca controllers. Like many other unique first-party titles on the Dreamcast, Samba de Amigo began its life as a successful arcade cabinet before making its way to the console, and its infectious gameplay and soundtrack saw it become a critical and commercial success on the platform, leading to several other future ports. Still, the Dreamcast version is arguably the best, if for nothing else than its faithful in-home recreation of the arcade experience thanks to those little plastic peripherals.

Power Stone

• Release Date — February 25, 1999
• Publisher — Capcom
• Developer — Capcom
• Genre — Fighting, Arena Fighter
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)

Capcom’s Power Stone series never seems to be discussed when talking about the studio’s greatest fighting games, which is a shame considering how influential it would prove to be on the incredibly successful Smash Bros. series and how fondly most players remember it. Thankfully, Capcom is finally bringing both Power Stone and its sequel to modern platforms with its upcoming Fighting Collection 2, which will give a whole new audience a chance to experience one of the Dreamcast’s greatest launch titles and one of the best arena fighters ever made. While its character roster and stages are arguably outshined by its sequel, the first Power Stone is a 3D fighter unlike any other that was way ahead of its time.

Sega Rally 2

• Release Date — January 28, 1999
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sega AM Annex
• Genre — Driving/Racing
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)

Sega Rally and its sequel are considered to be two of the best arcade racers of the era, so it should come as no surprise to learn that the Dreamcast port of Sega Rally 2 is every bit as essential as the Saturn port of its predecessor. While the Dreamcast port does make some concessions to run properly on the hardware (including needing to halve the framerate from 60FPS down to 30FPS), it’s still one of the better racing games on the platform and would serve as one of the Dreamcast’s better launch titles in both Japan and North America.

Ikaruga

• Release Date — September 5, 2002
• Publisher — Entertainment Software Publishing
• Developer — Treasure
• Genre — Scrolling Shooter/Shmup
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)

Often cited as the greatest shmup ever made, Ikaruga is one of developer Treasure’s crowning achievements and its first home console port would be on the Dreamcast before later arriving in the West courtesy of the GameCube version. Ikaruga is as much a puzzle game as it is a shooting one, forcing players to regularly switch between white and black shot types to counter enemies of the opposite color or absorb shots of the same color. While it is difficult, Ikaruga is one of the best games in the genre, and its Dreamcast port looks as good and runs just as well as its arcade counterpart.

Crazy Taxi

• Release Date — January 27, 2000
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sega AM3
• Genre — Driving/Racing
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)

For many North American players, Crazy Taxi would serve as one of the early killer apps for the Dreamcast, faithfully recreating the arcade thrill of Sega’s hit coin-op right in the comfort of our living rooms. While its gameplay might seem simplistic from a modern perspective, it’s important to remember that Crazy Taxi was released in a pre-open-world Grand Theft Auto era, which made its bustling city streets and frantic, over-the-top driving action all the more novel. Throw in the Dreamcast version’s iconic soundtrack by The Offspring and you have one of the most essential games on the console.

Bangai-O

• Release Date — December 9, 1999
• Publisher — Entertainment Software Publishing (JP), Conspiracy Entertainment (NA)
• Developer — Treasure
• Genre — Run n’ Gun, Shmup
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)

Part shmup, part run n’ gun, and all fun, Bangai-O is one of the Dreamcast’s greatest games and a title that only continues to age gracefully thanks to its finely tuned gameplay and impeccable art direction and visuals. The original version of Bangai-O would release on the Nintendo 64, but this Dreamcast port makes significant improvements to the package to serve as the title’s definitive version. It’s also one of the few Dreamcast shmups to receive later sequels on other platforms, cementing its legacy within the genre as an all-time classic.

Quake III Arena

• Release Date — October 19, 2000
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — id Software
• Genre — FPS, Arena Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)

While Unreal Tournament would fill a more arcade-style shooter niche on the Dreamcast, Quake III: Arena felt as serious as a heart attack by comparison. Darker in its art direction and visuals, more violent, and faster-paced, Quake III serves as the definitive arena shooter of the era and one of the Dreamcast’s most essential games for multiplayer, whether playing in local co-op or using the Dreamcast’s built-in modem. Plus, it’s impossible to make a list of the greatest Dreamcast games and not include the title that gifted us strafe-jumping and rocket-jumping.

Virtua Tennis

• Release Date — July 11, 2000
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sega AM3
• Genre — Sports
• Review Aggregate Score — 92% (Universal Acclaim)

Quite possibly still the greatest tennis game ever made, Virtua Tennis would serve as one of the first must-have titles in the Dreamcast’s second wave of software, becoming a massive hit on the console at the time of its release. Like several other titles on this list, Virtua Tennis would begin its life as one of Sega’s more popular arcade cabinets developed by its AM3 division, and its Dreamcast port retains all the great inter-court action of the coin-op, complete with an all-timer of a multiplayer exhibition mode.

Rez

• Release Date — November 22, 2001
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — United Game Artists
• Genre — Music/Rhythm, Rail Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)

Were it not for Rez, you could claim either Ikaruga or Bangai-O as the greatest shooter on the Dreamcast. But thankfully, Rez exists, and it remains the greatest shooting game on the console and also happens to be one of the greatest games ever made. Another classic from the mind of Sega luminary Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Rez toys around with the concept of synesthesia that had interested the developer, mixing sights, sounds, and tactile sensations into a hypnotic concoction that makes playing the game an almost transcendental experience. Simply from an audiovisual perspective, Rez has few peers, and its gameplay happens to back up its incredible sense of style.

Phantasy Star Online

• Release Date — December 21, 2000
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sonic Team
• Genre — MMORPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)

The Dreamcast utilized its built-in modem for a lot more than just arena shooters, including being the first home console with an MMORPG in Phantasy Star Online. Beating Final Fantasy XI to the punch by a few years, Phantasy Star Online laid the foundations for how an MMO spin of a popular console RPG franchise could work, and its online community would continue to thrive long after the Dreamcast’s demise. Even after the decommissioning of the official servers, there are still thousands of players who continue to play PSO, and it’s a groundbreaking title that serves as an important footnote in not just the Dreamcast’s history, but the entire gaming industry’s.

NFL 2K1

• Release Date — September 7, 2000
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Visual Concepts
• Genre — Sports
• Review Aggregate Score — 97% (Universal Acclaim)

Sega’s embracing of sports games had long been a staple of the company’s hardware business, especially in the Genesis era where a fruitful partnership with Electronic Arts led to it being the best home for hits like Madden, NHL, and more. But no one could have predicted how impactful and influential NFL 2K1 would be, blowing the doors off of the professional football video game market and giving Madden its first real competition in years. While Madden is the only name in NFL games today, there was a time when many players preferred Sega and Visual Concepts’ NFL 2K series, and NFL 2K1 is still one of the greatest sports games ever made.

Power Stone 2

• Release Date — April 27, 2000
• Publisher — Capcom
• Developer — Capcom
• Genre — Fighting, Arena Fighter
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)

For everything great about Power Stone, Power Stone 2 simply does it better. The roster is more varied and features some excellent new combatants, the arenas are larger and more detailed (as well as more interactive), and the game’s visuals and performance are rock-solid. Even above other similar series like Smash Bros. or Square Enix’s Ergheiz, Power Stone 2 ranks as many players’ favorite arena fighter, and for good reason. While both Power Stone games are essentials in the Dreamcast library, if you’re going to have just one, make it the excellent sequel that is Power Stone 2.

Shenmue

• Release Date — December 29, 1999
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sega AM2
• Genre — Action-Adventure, Beat ’em Up, Life Simulation
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)

Occasionally, a great game can be eclipsed by its own lofty ambitions, and such is the case with Yu Suzuki’s Shenmue. At the time of its release, there was nothing like Shenmue, which mixed some impressively immersive life sim elements along with the freedom of an RPG and beat ’em up combat to be one of the Dreamcast’s most anticipated titles. Since its release, the core foundations of the Shenmue games have gone on to help inspire the excellent Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise, but that original game still holds up as one of the foundational experiences on Sega’s final console, even if it’s faults and lopsided gameplay prove that it bit off more than it could chew.

Grandia II

• Release Date — August 3, 2000
• Publisher — Game Arts (JP), Ubisoft (NA)
• Developer — Game Arts
• Genre — RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)

While I’m more inclined to like the original Grandia more, there’s no denying that Grandia II is one of the Sega Dreamcast’s greatest RPGs and the definitive version of the title. Like its predecessor, Grandia II mixes thoroughly enjoyable RPG progression and turn-based combat with a compelling story that goes to some surprising places, and were it not for Skies of Arcadia, it would undoubtedly be the best RPG on the Dreamcast to release worldwide. For evidence of how essential the Dreamcast version is to the game’s legacy, look no further than it being used as the source for the recent HD remasters of the title.

Sonic Adventure 2

• Release Date — June 19, 2001
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Sonic Team
• Genre — Platformer, Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)

There’s a strong case to be made for Sonic Adventure 2 being the best 3D game in the Sonic franchise, which only holds more water when you realize how many of its levels and iconic setpieces were recreated for the excellent Sonic X Shadow Generations. A major level up from Sonic Adventure in every way, Sonic Adventure 2 is a classic in the platforming genre that showcases how nobody does spectacle quite like Sega and Sonic Team when they’re firing on all cylinders.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2

• Release Date — March 30, 2000
• Publisher — Capcom
• Developer — Capcom
• Genre — Fighting
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)

I think it’s safe to say that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is the single greatest 2D fighting game of all time, and I’m sure there are plenty of people who would agree. While this legendary Capcom coin-op would eventually receive ports to the PS2 and Xbox, the original Dreamcast version is the one that most players are familiar with, and it both looks and performs the best out of any home console port of this legendary arcade fighting game. With one of the greatest rosters of all time, incredible 3v3 matches, and the best soundtrack of any fighting game ever, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is the kind of title that no Dreamcast library feels complete without.

Sakura Wars 3

• Release Date — March 22, 2001
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Red Company, Overworks
• Genre — TRPG, Adventure, Visual Novel
• Review Aggregate Score — 92% (Universal Acclaim)

During the 5th console generation, RPG fans pretty much had to make a definitive choice between the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, which ultimately boiled down to choosing Final Fantasy or Sakura Wars. While the Sakura Wars games would never make it to the West, they were incredibly popular in Japan, and Sakura Wars 3 was one of the Dreamcast’s killer apps for RPG fans. This blend of turn-based tactical RPG and dating sim/visual novel is a series unlike anything else in either genre, and its third entry on the Dreamcast is still one of the greatest games in the long-running series.

Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica

• Release Date — February 3, 2000
• Publisher — Capcom
• Developer — Capcom Production Studio 4
• Genre — Survival Horror
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)

Originally conceived as the “true” Resident Evil 3 before Capcom decided to release a stop-gap title, Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica was a major leap forward for the franchise and one of the Dreamcast’s major exclusives (before its eventual PS2 port just a few months later). Ditching the pre-rendered backgrounds of the original trilogy for a fully 3D world, CODE: Veronica is the first real “next-gen” version of Resident Evil, even if its gameplay adheres to the tried-and-true classic formula of the PS1 games. CODE: Veronica is hard, and its campy story and voice acting is over-the-top bad (even within the context of the rest of the series), but it’s still the Dreamcast’s greatest survival horror game and a pivotal entry in the Resident Evil franchise.

Skies of Arcadia

• Release Date — October 5, 2000
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Overworks
• Genre — RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)

While most JRPGs of the 5th and 6th console generations would trade the high fantasy and whimsy of the genre’s past for grimdark protagonists, dystopian future settings, and more mature themes in their storytelling, Skies of Arcadia serves as a reminder of the genre’s golden era and embodies the lighthearted nature of some of the role-playing genre’s most foundational series and games. It’s also one of the few Dreamcast-exclusive RPGs on the console, giving the platform an important genre entry at a time when pretty much everyone was focused on the PlayStation 2 and Final Fantasy X. Skies of Arcadia has some excellent visuals and presentation, great combat, and a unique sky pirate setting that, even 25 years later, make it one of the more unique games in the genre.

Jet Set Radio

• Release Date — June 29, 2000
• Publisher — Sega
• Developer — Smilebit
• Genre — Platformer, Action-Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)

One of the most important games to release on the Dreamcast, and one that still resonates as one of the more important titles of the early 2000s, is Jet Set Radio (or, for North American players, Jet Grind Radio). Arriving at a time when the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series was beginning to take over as one of the most successful and critically acclaimed sports titles available, Jet Set Radio mixes the skating mechanics of that franchise with the “running from the police” thrill of Grand Theft Auto and the 3D platforming of games like Sonic Adventure or Mario 64 into a one-of-a-kind thrill ride that also happens to do a great job of immersing players into the underground culture of Tokyo. Grafitti, skating, breaking the law, and cel-shaded visuals — what’s not to love?

Soulcalibur

• Release Date — August 5, 1999
• Publisher — Namco
• Developer — Namco
• Genre — Fighting
• Review Aggregate Score — 98% (Universal Acclaim)

The Dreamcast’s most important game and still one of the most impressive arcade ports in the history of the medium (especially when you learn the studio had a mere 7 months to develop it, with a smaller team), Soulcalibur is the console’s greatest game, fighting or otherwise. Soulcalibur was already an impressive and ground-breaking 3D fighter in arcades, and its Dreamcast port manages to outdo it at every turn in its gameplay, performance, and additional features, and it would serve as the perfect showpiece for the Dreamcast during its North American launch window. Years later, the Dreamcast version of Soulcalibur is still the greatest release of the original entry in the series, and it holds up as one of the best 3D fighting games ever made, even in a modern context.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Sega Dreamcast hardware.