10 Best Sega Game Gear Games, Ranked

The early 1990s saw a brief yet fierce console war on the newly emerged handheld gaming market. While Atari floundered with the Lynx and Nintendo dominated with the Game Boy, Sega was pushing innovations with the Game Gear. Bigger, bolder, and boasting a full-color backlit screen, the Game Gear was premium and futuristic, which also proved to be its undoing due to its weight and higher cost over the Game Boy.

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While Nintendo would win out overall and dominate the handheld market for years to come, the Game Gear would make a solid impact during its time in the limelight, releasing a number of excellent ports and original titles that do justice to their franchises. Here are the top 10 games to ever grace this legendary handheld console.

10
Robocop Vs. Terminator

An inevitable 90s crossover, Robocop vs. Terminator was released in some form on most major consoles of the era, with the same simple format of Robocop facing off waves of thugs and time-displaced Terminators. The gore is surprising and entertaining for a handheld port, with most enemies going up in walls of red mist when killed as players cross dark alleys and shady rooftops. A portable action game that pits two of Hollywood’s finest automatons against each other, Robocop vs. Terminator sure is an adventurous firefight to remember.

9
Space Harrier

One of Sega’s best arcade-style shooters saw release on a variety of consoles, including the Game Gear. Space Harrier was the simplistic, artistic perspective shooter that was in abundance at the time, delivering addictive gameplay and catchy music to keep players coming back.

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This older arcade beauty is given new life on the Game Gear, standing as a comparable version to the Sega Master System release while bringing a last-generation console quality game to the palms of people’s hands. Space Harrier is an excellent time-killer for someone trapped on a long car ride or flight.

8
Streets Of Rage 2

Who could say no to an arcade beat ’em up game on the go? A down-scale of the Sega Genesis series, Streets of Rage 2 on Game Gear simplifies levels and controls to fit the handheld setting, keeping the pacing and music fast, and the action flowing freely. Players will find themselves traveling from the cityscape to dockyards and jungles with plenty of foes to beat down with their fists — or the closest available blunt instrument. For a bite-sized taste of an arcade-style juggernaut, Streets of Rage 2 is a solid experience that can satiate players yearning for the real deal.

7
Shinobi 2

No one could say no to playing a game where ninjas throw cartoon bombs at skeletons in industrial warehouses. Shinobi 2 is a faithful version of Sega’s hit ninja side-scrolling series with all the camp, beautiful sights and sounds, and enemy hordes that series veterans are familiar with.

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With an array of Mega-Man-style superpowers to carry players across a wide variety of settings, there’s no lack of creative scenarios and replayable situations for players to try out again and again. Ninja action on the go was the goal, and Shinobi 2 brings home the gold.

6
Tails Adventure

It didn’t take too long for Sonic’s little pal to get his own solo experience, fittingly found on Sega’s handheld. Tails Adventure emphasizes his small stature and incredible genius to navigate tunnels, caves, and tree lines using bombs and gadgets to ward off enemies and remove obstacles in his way.

In addition, the sprite work and sound design are incredibly impressive, nearly matching the work of the full-scale 16-bit Genesis titles. Whether a player is a Sonic die-hard or a newcomer, Tails Adventure is an experience worth having under their belt.

5
Sonic The Hedgehog 2

The Blue Blur knows no bounds, not even technological ones. The 16-bit superstar made the jump backward onto the Master System and side-stepped onto the Game Gear, bringing the energetic platforming on the go.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 condenses most of the original game to fit this tinier frame, focusing on raw platforming and boss battles to keep the pace fast and action hectic. It’s not the Genesis version that’s become a cult classic, but it’s a mighty fine piece of high-speed thrills.

4
Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck

Disney platformers were all the rage in the 1990s, and Donald Duck was at the forefront. Deep Duck Trouble has Donald on an island-touring adventure, stomping on enemies, kicking blocks, and dodging pitfalls across a tropical paradise. The sound design and graphics are smooth, defined, and beautiful, translating the animated mallard into pixel form in a fantastical style, making the game feel like a cartoon.

The tone and difficulty are downplayed and relaxing, offering a fair but fun challenge that prioritizes the adventure over the hardships of completion. For a laid-back trip across a beautiful vacation island and its many secrets, Deep Duck Trouble stands tall as a soothing joyride for a beloved handheld.

3
Shining Force: The Sword Of Hajya

RPGs were taking off, but it wouldn’t be until the latter half of the 90s that Pokemon would make them a staple of the handheld market. Shining Force is a full-fledged, old-school RPG video game with all the trimmings, including an over-world map, inventory management, an engaging fantasy story, and turn-based party mechanic combat.

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It’s a full, hours-long RPG that takes the player by the hand and buries them in a world of fantasy and high concepts; a marvelous achievement for the hardware of the era. Shining Force’s sheer wealth of content is a testament to the genre’s ability to thrive in a mobile setting, and it’s an amazing precursor to the modern age of Fire Emblem games dominating the handheld RPG market.

2
Ninja Gaiden

The hole-punching, hair-tearing, object-throwing levels of difficult ninja action platformer found their way onto the Game Gear, and Ninja Gaiden is no easier while playing on the go. Every enemy is placed strategically and behaves with the exact intention to induce rage and chew away at the player’s health bar. Every boss is a test of human endurance, and every level completed feels like the weight of Atlas being lifted off someone’s shoulders.

Ninja Gaiden is the ultimate test of reflexes and grit, not meant for the faint of heart or the uninitiated. If players want to beat a game that will fight them for every pixel of space, Ninja Gaiden is the series that will win out more often than it loses.

1
Gunstar Heroes

A handheld console will lean toward certain games and ideas more than a television-plugged home console, and ease of use is one of these ideas that Gunstar Heroes excels at. A beautiful, smooth, and easy-to-play run-and-gun sci-fi shooter, Gunstar Heroes is the ultimate pick-up-and-play video game that uses the backlit color screen of the Game Gear to deliver the best gameplay possible for the system it’s running on.

The action is easy to follow and addicting to master, the sound effects and music are catchy and identifiable, and the experience keeps players hooked on the idea of coming back repeatedly to master the game’s mechanics. Gunstar Heroes is the epitome of a good mobile game, and the Game Gear thrived as a result of titles like it keeping players hooked on Sega’s high-end beauty.

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