Best Arcade Games on the Dreamcast

Arcade Games are one of the things the Sega Dreamcast is genuinely for. The ones worth playing start with Jet Set Radio, SoulCalibur, Crazy Taxi.

The Dreamcast and Arcade Games

Two years of a console that was a generation ahead and then stopped. Small library, almost no filler, and a house style you can recognise instantly.

This is one of its strengths. Arcade ports and stylish one-idea games — Jet Set Radio, Rez, Power Stone, Crazy Taxi. Fighting games too: this is where the genre lived at the turn of the century.

Filtering to arcade means you want short runs and a score, not a campaign. It is the right filter when what you liked was the one-more-go feeling.

The Arcade Games Worth Playing

  1. 1. Jet Set Radio

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  2. 2. SoulCalibur

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  3. 3. Crazy Taxi

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  4. 4. Power Stone

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  5. 5. Marvel vs Capcom 2

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  6. 6. Ikaruga

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  7. 7. Rez

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  8. 8. Space Channel 5

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  9. 9. House of the Dead 2

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  10. 10. Dynamite Cop

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  11. 11. Bangai-O

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

What Makes a Good Arcade Game

A complete experience in twenty minutes, and a skill you keep. Arcade design is measured in the moment after you lose.

Story and progression. Arcade games repeat on purpose, and if you want to be pulled somewhere they will not do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best arcade game on the Dreamcast?

Jet Set Radio is the usual first answer, and there are 11 in the library we cover.

Was the Dreamcast good at arcade games?

Yes — it is one of the things the machine is known for, and there are 11 in the library we cover.

Why are arcade games so hard?

They were designed to end. A machine that let you play for an hour on one coin did not earn its floor space, so difficulty was the business model.

Do arcade games still get made?

Constantly, mostly by small teams. Several of the best beat-em-ups and run-and-guns of the last decade are new games built on forty-year-old design rules.

How is this list put together?

From the games this site covers on the Sega Dreamcast, matched against hand-mapped gameplay categories rather than a storefront's genre tag. A page only exists where there are at least four, which is why some console and genre combinations have no page at all.

Arcade Games on Other Consoles

More From the Dreamcast

Or browse the whole Sega Dreamcast library.