Best Sega 32X Games: Tried, Tested and Rated in 2024

Sega’s 32X machine was an underdog of consoles from the very start way back in 1994.

Sega were already working on the Sega Saturn to rival other brand consoles in the 32-bit market, but the delay in development and manufacture saw a shift in focus from Sega and on to competitors such as Atari with their Jaguar.

As an interim measure Sega created what was an add-on to the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis to turn the machine from a 16-bit to a 32-bit.

It meant though without owning a Mega Drive or Genesis, it wasn’t possible to use the 32X, which alone limited the market size of the device.

This served Sega’s goal, but with Atari Jaguar in full swing, and Sega Saturn only months away, software developers decided to boycott games for the 32X in favour of waiting for Saturn.

This meant ultimately 32X became a bit of a flop as only 40 games were ever developed for the b bolt on machine.

Unlike other consoles and video game systems with hundreds or even thousands of titles to choose from, the Sega 32X game catalogue looks rather small and meek.

There was nothing wrong with the technology, or the 32-bit games created for the 32X, but it just became a very forgotten add-on.

It’s a shame as console add-ons would have been a better route for many console manufacturers to go rather than releasing yet another console system as technology, speed and memory increased.

With a smaller catalogue of mostly overlooked games there are a number of surprise hidden 32X gems that rarely saw the light of day, and certainly never got the attention they deserved.

32X are inexpensive when found on the secondary market, along with the games, so if you have a Mega Drive or Genesis sitting around and looking for enhanced 32-bit gameplay on your 16-bit device, this may make a great wishlist birthday, Christmas, or personal treat present!

Here are the best Sega 32X games, tried, tested, and rated.

Spiderman: Web of Fire

Opening sequences of games on the Sega 32X clearly show the step up from 16-bit gaming quality.

Spiderman: Web of Fire is of no exception.

Almost all 32-bit games in the 1990s had a certain feel to them.

A mix between animation and full video sequence, the pixelated almost real life characters were certainly a step up, it’s just whether that step was always in the right direction.

The gameplay of Spiderman: Web of Fire on the Sega 32X is nothing short of fast.

Spiderman moves faster than seen on any other console to date, with an arrange of web firepower in his arsenal to take on would be foes.

Each foe needs at least two take downs. One attack to render him helpless caught in web, and the second to knock the foe to the ground.

Although the gameplay and fast and furious, and the graphics hit a sweet touch when playing, the developers could have spent a little more time polishing the control functionality.

Spiderman can move in somewhat of a jerky fashion, and triggering web material can be haphazard at best.

I bet Tom Holland doesn’t have this problem!

Due to the popularity of Spiderman this game was one of the top sellers in the short back catalogue list making up the game library of the 32X.

Graphics are 32-bit quality that’s for sure, and the game itself immersive, the control functionality though take off some points in our review.

Kolibri

Kolibri is probably one of the most unique and quirky titles seen on almost any console, and I’m including the zany characteristics of the most creatively imaginative developers of ZX Spectrum games in the 1980s!

What starts as a gentle hummingbird frolic amongst butterflies and other exotic hummingbirds set within the most lush tranquil background scenery seen on a 32-bit, turns in to a hummingbird shoot ‘em up!.

Without instructions on how to play Kolibri a player is not going to have a clue what’s going on.

It may seem joyful flying in and out of the tropical paradise, but it isn’t until you realise you need to head to towards the bottom of the screen and collect nectar from one of the plants that the game actually starts.

From here a crystal is released from the ground giving your hummingbird special fire power.

From here on in it’s a hummingbird massacre, attacking all manor of nasty insects – that also have developed firepower – to complete each level.

Kolibri on the Sega 32X is unique.

There isn’t another game like it and may never be again.

It sits in the section of gaming that’s so quirky it’s addictive.

The graphics are exquisite. Beautifully crafted in every little detail and sprite, and the controls to manoeuvre your hummingbird around the screen are sublime.

I could quite easily have spent an entire afternoon traversing level after level. Part fascination of how such a game was developed, and in part curiosity on what the next level is going to bring.

Kudos for the developers for taking such a risk, especially on a new add-on such as the 32X.

Definitely a hidden gem!

Night Trap

Night Trap is considered to be a cult classic.

It didn’t just get a release on the 32X, but was also developed for other 32-bit systems such as the 3DO.

The ports between the 3DO version and Sega 32X are incredibly similar.

Night Trap focuses on a security team watching over an American family whilst watching real time video across several monitors throughout the house on the lookout for vampires.

The aim is to help the family fight off the vampires one by one, and help save the family from mortal danger.

Night Trap is more point and click rather than the direct controlling of a character, as such is the case with real video based games.

Once 32-bit technology hit the market, developers looked to move away from animation and into video produced interactive gaming as the next wave in entertainment.

The fad died off quickly the moment the Sega Saturn and then Playstation were introduced.

In the meantime we are left to reminisce in retro land on how the 1990s brought us immersive video like experiences – good and bad.

Night Trap is incredibly cheesy and was not without its critics based on the games violence and aggression towards female characters in the game.

It certainly wouldn’t be made today!

If you have never played Night Trap, and enjoy those video like interactive games, then Night Trap on the Sega 32X has to be played at least once!

RBI Baseball 95

Unlike some of the games released on the Sega 32X, RBI Baseball decided to focus on animation based gameplay rather than introduce video sequences.

In hindsight this may have been a bad idea.

This isn’t to say RBI Baseball 95 isn’t a good baseball game, because compared to other baseball games around the same time it competes very well.

The problem is it doesn’t stand out enough.

If this game ended up on the Mega Drive or Genesis as a 16-bit title I wouldn’t have been surprised.

Nothing screams 32-bit technology or power here.

RBI Baseball 95 allows you to customise your team, players and what type of competition or series to play.

Batting and pitching are relatively simple, and the developers decided on a POV camera angle rather than an 3D isometric pitch view.

Controls are easy. No special magic required.

It’s an incredibly easy game to pick up, play a few games, and put down again.

Due to its simplicity it’s a delight to play, but the repetitive nature without much pizzazz will limit a person’s playtime.

As baseball games go, it is a decent title but I do feel the developers could have spent more time showing off the 32-bit capabilities the 32X could deliver to gamers.

Slam City

Slam City is a title that used the video sequence capabilities of the Sega 32X to the absolute maximum.

The entire game is one long video sequence pitting your skills as a basketball player against the legendary basketballer of the 1990’s Scottie Pippin.

There is trash talk galore.

The CGI sequencing is very dated when compared with anything today, and of course rightly so.

Back in the 1990s though this was revolutionary.

Real hustles, crowd interaction for good shots and bad and an immersive basketball experience in the home really took sports gaming to another level.

Unfortunately for many such interactive video based games the novelty wore off fast, and hence why these type of games are only found in the 1990s.

A true retro relic.

Gameplay relies on carefully timed button presses for both shooting and scoring against Pippen, as well as defending against him.

I managed to score a few and also steal a few from Pippen when playing for the first time in years. It’s an easy game to pick up and play, but repetitive gameplay is needed to truly master.

Get the sequence right and you’ll steal and slam dunk, get it wrong and Pippen and the crowd are in your face.

Slam City is a novelty game, but for those of you who didn’t get to experience these types of games in the 1990s or stuck with consoles not delivering such experiences, you surely missed out.

It was never going to win any awards, but for pure gaming nostalgia of a time we will not see again, please grab a copy of Slam City if you ever get the chance.

Darxide

Darxide is a play on words between ‘Dark’ and ‘Side’ – for those who hadn’t already worked that out.

The opening sequence to Darxide feels like stumbling on to Cartoon Network when flicking through TV channels.

Launched in 1995 by Frontier Developments, this sci-fi based space game managed to turn a few heads back in the 1990s.

You start by taking your spacecraft out in to the galaxy with a quite creative mission assignment of destroying all asteroids and spacecraft.

It’s easier said than done with each asteroid looks the size of a Borg ship!

Although splitting the asteroid with firepower into smaller pieces again and again can be very satisfying.

It’s easy to see that a lot of time and creative energy went in to making Darxide, and the developers especially pushed the envelope on the 32-bit capabilities.

A game such as this wouldn’t have been possible on a 16-bit machine.

Star Wing on the SNES was considered ground-breaking for 16-bit technology, but the animation and gameplay of Darxide are a noticeable step up (not that it is a better game than the classic Star Wing).

Graphics are very good although the controls can be a little tough to manage at times, especially when trying to swing around large asteroids in the field of view.

Darxide certainly is one of the better games in the small 32X catalogue.

NBA Jam

The cartoon quirkiness of NBA Jam became an instant hit on the 16-bit consoles Mega Drive / Genesis and SNES / Famicom (why couldn’t these manufacturers just stick to one global name for their consoles!).

Could the developers really push the 32-bit capabilities of the 32X and take NBA Jam to a whole new level?

Well, yes and no.

NBA Jam is a game I could play for hours. Its fast, fun, and furious.

Unfortunately Acclaim Entertainment didn’t really push the boundaries here.

The graphics of the players may have improved a little, and facial patterns are more real, but the gameplay seems a little slower than the 16-bit equivalent.

Acclaim would have done better to leave out the graphical polishes and focus on pushing the gameplay.

This isn’t to say NBA Jam on the 32X isn’t a great game, it’s just when comparing it to other 32-bit games it falls short a little.

If I had NBA Jam on a 16-bit I wouldn’t have rushed out to by a 32-bit version.

That being said it is a decent port and fans on NBA Jam will certainly appreciate it.

Graphics are good enough, gameplay could be smoother and certainly faster, and controls do their job adequately.

Primal Rage

Fighting and prehistoric monsters – what’s not to love!

Primal Rage for the 32X is like Street Fighter 2 for SNES, only not as good, and with added gore.

Unfortunately the developers had a chance to take a fighting game to the next level in terms of power, speed, combos etc.. but they instead used all available bandwidth of a 32-bit console and use it to create more life-like animated characters.

It’s a shame as Primal Rage on the 32X could have been so much better.

The gameplay is slow and sluggish unfortunately.

Controls are ok, but attacks and defence are sporadically available at best.

So, why would Primal Rage feature in such a best Sega 32X games list?

It isn’t without it’s positives.

Primal Rage is taken from the arcade classic, and really this 32-bit version could have delivered the same power punch.

On the other hand, this was one of the more realistic character fighting games out at the time, allowing players to move from cartoon animated characters and in to video quality (at the time) gameplay.

It is a game that can easily be picked up and put down.

My attention span did ween away after a few fights I must admit.

It was surely a classic back in the day, but it has aged over the past 30 or so years.

Haven’t we all!

Suggested Reading: We have more Sega Mega Drive games featured at Best Mega Drive Games, tried and tested, with some real retro gems!

Space Harrier

After getting a copy of Space Harrier on the Atari ST one Christmas as part of the Power Pack collection in the 1990s, I have been hooked on the Space Harrier franchise ever since.

I was really interested to see how Space Harrier looked and felt on a 32-bit console, especially as the gameplay of the Atari ST was somewhat incredible, it lacked in certainly graphic quality.

I love what the developers have done here.

They didn’t try and go down video animation, or real motion graphical improvements that slowed many 32-bit game down, they instead polished an already great game and created something truly amazing.

The graphical quality issues of previous conversions have been cleaned up for the 32X, and what is left closely resembles arcade quality perfection.

As a player armed with a super cannon and the ability to fly through the air at will your dexterity skills are tested immensely against an army of flying creatures, ground obstacles and of course dragons.

It’s a shame the music score of the Atari ST port isn’t replicated here, otherwise this game would be unquestionably perfect.

The gameplay is fast and fun, and the controls are a dream.

This has entered by top ten games now of any console, and possibly better than my beloved Atari ST port (albeit without the music).

Graphics here are top notch too.

This is one of the best games on the 32X I came across during all manner of game testing and plays, and worth of being included in anyone’s collection.

Surgical Strike

Surgical Strike call itself a touch based video game, meaning full video sequencing with point to click gameplay.

The introduction video sequence looks more like a movie than a game, and certainly adds to the excitement.

Back in the day this was one of the most revolutionary things to hit home video gameplay.

Personally, I love games like these.

The video quality has aged, the acting cheesy and gameplay nothing more than hitting the right button at the right time, but these were truly magical in the 1990s.

Armed with a tank in a war torn part of the world, the video sequence comes straight from a movie studio.

You are in a tank, and navigating bomb hit buildings, and dealing with all manner of other tanks and enemies in buildings.

The aim is to destroy all the enemies and ensure the tank succeeds in its mission.

All whilst having an unempathetic army major to answer to when things don’t go according to plan.

Timing is everything, and reaction speeds are a must.

The graphics are great, although dated. The controls are also a joy. I could have played for hours.