11 Best Saturn Games That You Should Know Update 03/2024

Best Saturn Games

While Sega’s 32-bit console didn’t do as well as Sony’s PlayStation, it should still not be written off. This list of the best Saturn games proves it, too. If you live in one part of the world, the Sega Saturn is an incredibly weird thing. Its library is very different from where you live. The machine didn’t do well in the West because of the popularity of PlayStation and a general desire for 3D games. Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Alien Trilogy, and WipEout XL are all examples of games that did well on Sony’s console.

Over in Japan, things were very different. Many arcade versions of fighting games and shoot-’em-ups were made for Sega’s console, many of which never made it to the West. This showed how powerful Sega’s console was in 2D. Grandia and Suikoden are both great RPGs in Japan, but many of them didn’t make it to the West. Langrisser and Magic Knight Rayearth are also great, but many of them didn’t make it. It’s taking a while for people to realize how many different things there were on Sega’s machine. As a result, it’s become a niche system with a high price to get into. As long as you can afford to buy these great games, they should be in your library.

1. House of The Dead

House of The Dead

However, while Sega’s Saturn version of the game looks like a bunch of zombies, there’s still nothing that can stop you from having fun with it! Many zombies need more than one shot to fall down, and there’s a franticness to the game that makes it stand out from other on-rail Saturn games. When you play on Saturn, you can choose from a variety of characters with different health and bullet amounts. There is also a Boss Rush option and a special Saturn mode that lets you choose from a variety of characters with different health and bullet amounts. Add in the many ways you can go through each stage, and Sega’s game will keep you busy for a long time.

2. Die Hard Arcade

The cover of Die Hard Arcade shows a skyscraper full of terrorists and a guy who looks like Bruce Willis. Die Hard Arcade isn’t a Die Hard game at all. Dynamite Detective was released in Japanese arcades as Dynamite Deka (Dynamite Detective). It was cleverly renamed for a western market. The brawler from Sega no matter what you call it is still a great time thanks to its solid fighting mechanics, wide range of weapons, and fast-paced action, which makes sense because its creator also made Golden Axe and Alien Storm.

3. Mass Destruction

Mass Destruction

This cool action game lets you destroy most of the buildings and other things in your way with a tank that is very well-armed. Structure-wise, Desert Strike is very similar to this game, with missions like destroying enemy strongholds, rescuing prisoners of war, and getting to your extraction point. But the sheer amount of wanton carnage you can do makes it even better. Everything in the game can be hit by your three tanks, and cleverly hidden power-ups make you want to explore the large maps as much as possible. Our only real complaint about this game is that it doesn’t work with other people.

4. Burning Rangers 

Sonic Team made a lot of games for the Saturn. They made five games in three years. In the end, Burning Rangers would be its last game for the console. It would also be its most ambitious game. Those who are called rangers are a group of futuristic firefighters. In the game, you must put out fires while saving people and getting crystals that can help the people who are trapped get to safety. With no in-game map, you’ll have to rely on voice commands to reach your goals, which makes the game even more fun. Even though Sonic Team pushed the Saturn almost to its breaking point with this game, its clever level design and late release have now made it a sought-after and pricey collectible.

5. Duke Nukem 3D

Duke Nukem 3D

In spite of bad Saturn games like Doom, Lobotomy Software was able to make first-person shooters sound great on Sega’s 32-bit hardware thanks to its SlaveDriver engine. While the game’s sexism and depiction of women have aged a lot over the years, its core shooting mechanics are still as good as the engine they were built on. We think the Saturn version is the best of the console versions at the time because it has a lot of extras, like a secret level called Urea 51 and a multiplayer game called Death Tank Zwei that’s one of the best Saturn games since Saturn Bomberman.

6. Tomb Raider

In spite of the fact that Lara Croft had a lot of success on the PlayStation, she actually made her console debut on Sega’s Saturn first. As clunky as it might be today, Core Design’s game has a huge scope and great ideas. The tombs you get to go into are huge and can be almost like puzzles as you figure out how to get past hazards or get items that seem out of reach. Having a strong female character was another feather in the game’s overloaded cap, and Lara has become as well-known as Mario or Sonic in the world of video games.

7. Shining Force 3

Shining Force 3

This is how it worked: Camelot had big plans for its popular tactical RPG series on Saturn, so they made three separate scenarios with overlapping storylines. As it turned out, only the original scenario made its way from east to west (fortunately fan translations exist for the Japanese-only scenarios). Since it’s in 3D, it looks a little old-fashioned now. But it still has the core combat mechanics that have made the series so popular since the Mega Drive. You can play as a range of characters, from agile centaurs to offensive magic users, in this game. While the story is good and the characters are likable, it’s the well-balanced combat scenarios that will keep you interested. Some of them take more than an hour to complete.

8. DecAthlete (Athlete Kings)

DecAthlete (Athlete Kings in Europe) is the best sports game on Sega’s console. It looks and plays like a steroid-injected version of Konami’s Track & Field. Thanks to its beautiful high-resolution graphics, a charming cast of characters from around the world, and a wide range of balanced races, it works so well. These races include the High Jump and Pole Vault, as well as the Javelin Throw and the 1500 meters. This game has a lot of fun characters, fast-paced action, and great presentation, even though its mechanics are only as deep as a puddle. As a bonus, many of the cast from the movie Winter Heat also appear in Winter Heat.

9. Lunar: The Silver Star Story (1996)

Lunar The Silver Star Story (1996)

Lunar: The Silver Star Story is on this list of the best Sega Saturn games of all time. It comes in at No. 29 on the list. A lot of people want to make a Lunar 3 game.

Fans still love this game after 25 years. It’s one of the best games ever made. Players work through an epic story to become “Dragonmasters.”

Yeah, that’s right!

Simple, right? But the 32-bit processor on the Saturn made this game so much more interesting than the original Sega CD version.

There are some people who like random fights, but I’m not a big fan of them at all. I like to know who my enemies are and be able to avoid them if I need to.

So, this version of Lunar: The Silver Star Story is better because all the enemies show up on the screen, and a lot of the other features, like the magic system, have been improved and work much better as well.

Not even if you’ve already played the original game a million times, this one is still worth a try! Heck, it looks better and runs smoother, but the same great story is still there!

10. Dragon Force (1996)

There might be a lot of people who like dragons now, but back in the 90s, they were huge, as Dragonforce shows.

Fans of Game of Thrones, pay attention now. This is important. This isn’t the first time a kingdom has been in turmoil. This time, an evil demon is trying to become the king of the ashes.

There are a lot of weird-looking people who don’t have many friends. We’ve seen this before.

How do we fight off this person? There are two ways to do this: fight in real time and think strategically.

Make no mistake: If you love RPG games but hate turn-based combat, don’t be alarmed: You’re not alone. People play this game all the time and fight with their armies in real time.

Following a war against Goldark and Madruk’s resurrection, the story is about these two things: It sounds like they came from a Power Ranger movie.

Control monarchs as they organize the factions of their armies as they move around the kingdom, punish prisoners, and eventually get rid of their foes!

It sounds pretty bad, doesn’t it?

People need to keep their generals safe in games like Risk or Langrisser III, which are both great board games and video games that are very long. Fight to the death or play smart to avoid getting caught in the fight.

Only the clever people stay alive in Dragonforce!

11. Sonic R (1997)

Sonic R (1997)

Many people who play Sonic R don’t even drive cars. This makes it a little different from other racing games.

If you’re an animal that runs a lot, three laps around a track to show Robotnik who’s boss should be fine with you!

This is the first 3D Sonic racing game made and the only Sonic game made by Sega. Can you believe that this came from a Sega game console?

When I play Sonic R, it feels more like Diddy Kong Racing than Mario Kart. If you want to be in first place, you still need to find collectibles while you’re racing. They make getting “the perfect lap” even more desirable.

Items can be found to unlock new characters, so keep an eye out for things in the scenery.

Even the game score by Richard Jacques was good. A simple racing game had an epic, almost legendary feel to it because of this. It made me want to play the game even more than I already did.

You want to play a real Saturn Sonic game. This is your best chance.