🎲 The 12 best Master System games
This is our pick of the Master System essentials: the games that have aged best and are worth coming back to the console for. For each one we explain what makes it special, with a couple of tips, and every one of them plays right now in your browser — no downloads, with keyboard, gamepad or touch controls.
#1Phantasy Star
1988 · RPG
Phantasy Star follows Alis, a young woman out for revenge after the tyrant Lassic's soldiers kill her brother. Her journey crosses three planets of the Algol system: green Palma, desert Motavia and icy Dezoris. Along the way she is joined by Myau, a talking animal, the warrior Odin and the magician Noah. The game mixes turn-based battles with first-person dungeons rendered as 3D corridors, which was unusual on an 8-bit console, and every monster is animated in combat. It is demanding, asking for patience and a good sense of direction, and it is remembered as an early console sci-fi RPG with a female lead.
Tip: Sketch a map of each dungeon on paper as you explore; the first-person corridors look alike and getting lost is easy.
▶ Play Phantasy Star
#2Alex Kidd in Miracle World
1986 · Platformer
Alex Kidd punches his way across the kingdom of Radaxian, smashing rock blocks, grabbing bags of money and spending them in shops on items such as a motorbike, a pedal-powered mini helicopter and a bracelet that fires shockwaves. Levels mix running, swimming and riding vehicles, and many bosses are beaten not by fighting but by playing rock-paper-scissors. Slippery controls and booby-trapped boxes make it demanding, yet nearly every stage brings a fresh idea. As Sega's mascot on the Master System, it was built into many consoles, so for plenty of players it was the very first game they owned.
Tip: Be wary of skull boxes: breaking one can freeze you briefly or release a ghost that chases you down.
▶ Play Alex Kidd in Miracle World
#3Castle of Illusion
1990 · Platformer
The witch Mizrabel has kidnapped Minnie, and Mickey has to cross a castle full of enchanted worlds to bring her back. This Master System take on Castle of Illusion is its own game, separate from the Mega Drive version: you work through forests, toy rooms and candy-themed stages, bouncing on enemies bottom-first or throwing objects you pick up along the way. Each world ends with a boss guarding a magic gem. It is remembered for its varied level design, bright graphics and tight controls that demand careful jumping without feeling unfair, making it one of the console's best-loved platformers.
Tip: Chain bounces off enemies to cross gaps and reach high ledges without touching the ground.
▶ Play Castle of Illusion
#4Shinobi
1987 · Action
Shinobi casts you as Joe Musashi, a ninja working through city streets, docks and fortresses to free children kidnapped by a criminal organisation. You move sideways throwing stars, striking up close and leaping between two levels of the stage as enemies come at you from every angle. This Master System version gives you a life bar instead of one-hit deaths, and some rescued hostages upgrade your weapon. Between missions there is a bonus stage where you knock down ninjas leaping toward you, and each section ends with a boss that rewards patience. It is demanding but fair, and remembered for its tight, deliberate pacing.
Tip: Rescue every hostage you can; some upgrade your attack and make the following sections much easier.
▶ Play Shinobi
#5Sonic the Hedgehog 2
1992 · Platformer
This 8-bit version is not a port of the Mega Drive game but a separate adventure. Robotnik has kidnapped Tails, and Sonic works through zones split into acts, with a boss waiting at the end of each one. Stages are shorter and more deliberate than the 16-bit release, leaning on platforming over blind speed. You ride mine carts, float in underwater bubbles and steer a hang glider through the clouds. The bosses are known for being demanding, and the Chaos Emeralds, tucked into out-of-the-way corners, decide whether you see the good ending. It is remembered as one of the most distinctive Sonic games on the console.
Tip: Search the second act of each zone carefully; that is usually where the Chaos Emeralds are hidden.
▶ Play Sonic the Hedgehog 2
#8R-Type
1988 · Shoot'em up
R-Type is a horizontally scrolling shoot'em up in which you fly the R-9 fighter against the Bydo Empire, a biomechanical menace of organic corridors and huge bosses. Its central idea is the Force, a pod that attaches to the front or back of your ship, or can be launched to fire on its own and soak up bullets. Add a charge shot that pierces lines of enemies and you have a game built on positioning and timing. It is demanding, and each stage is learned by replaying it. This file looks like a later work-in-progress build, so it may differ from the original release.
Tip: Keep your charge shot ready most of the time and release it on tough enemies or tightly packed groups.
▶ Play R-Type
#9Sonic Chaos
1993 · Platformer
Sonic Chaos was Sonic's third 8-bit outing and the first on the Master System where Tails is playable. Robotnik has stolen a Chaos Emerald, so you race through six zones such as Turquoise Hill and Gigalopolis, tearing across ramps, loops and springs on the way to each zone's boss. Sonic can rev up a Spin Dash to launch himself forward, while Tails can fly for short stretches and makes for a gentler run. It moves faster and more smoothly than the console's earlier Sonic games, which is why it's remembered as one of the system's nimblest platformers.
Tip: Reach 100 rings during an act to warp into a special stage, where a Chaos Emerald is up for grabs.
▶ Play Sonic Chaos
#10Sonic the Hedgehog
1991 · Platformer
This 8-bit take on Sonic is not a straight port of the Mega Drive game but its own adventure built for the Master System, with different zones and a different pace. You run and jump through stages full of springs, slopes and traps, gather rings that shield you from a hit, and hunt for Chaos Emeralds tucked away in out-of-the-way spots. Each zone ends with a showdown against one of Dr. Robotnik's machines. Exploration and careful jumping matter more than raw speed here, and many players remember it for its catchy music and charming stages.
Tip: Try to always carry at least one ring; it is what keeps a single hit from costing you a life.
▶ Play Sonic the Hedgehog
#11Wonder Boy
1987 · Platformer
Wonder Boy came to the Master System from Sega's arcades and casts you as a caveboy running across islands, forests and caves to rescue his girlfriend. Its defining idea is a vitality bar that never stops draining, so you keep moving and grab fruit along the way to stay alive. Eggs hide a stone hatchet, a skateboard and other surprises, and a single stumble over a rock or a careless jump into an enemy can break your rhythm. It was made by Escape, the studio later known as Westone, and its formula inspired Hudson's Adventure Island series.
Tip: Keep moving rather than lingering: vitality drains on its own, and the fruit you collect is what keeps you going.
▶ Play Wonder Boy
#12Wonder Boy III - The Dragon's Trap
1989 · Platformer
Wonder Boy III - The Dragon's Trap picks up right where the previous adventure ended: after beating the Meka Dragon, the hero is cursed into a fire-breathing Lizard-Man. To become human again he roams an interconnected world centred on a town, defeating dragons that turn him into a mouse, piranha, lion or hawk. Each form opens new routes, letting him climb certain blocks, swim, fly or swing a sword with wider reach. Gold dropped by enemies buys weapons, shields and armour in hidden shops. It is remembered for blending platforming with exploration that rewards backtracking with new abilities, and for a carefully made 2017 remake.
Tip: Write down the password whenever you get one in town; it is the only way to resume without losing progress.
▶ Play Wonder Boy III - The Dragon's Trap
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