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The best Sega AM2 games

The 11 best games from Sega AM2, ranked from 692 critic and player ratings.

The best Sega AM2 game is Shenmue, with a critic score of 90/100. Updated October 2026.

  • Ranked releases span 1985 to 2012.
  • Average critic score across the 11 ranked games: 71/100.
  • 692 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
  • 11 games are listed on this page, carrying 692 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 11

01 Shenmue Shenmue 1999 · 148 ratings "He shall appear from a far Eastern land across the sea. A young man who has yet to know his potential. This potential is a power that can either destroy him, or realize his will. His courage shall determine his fate. The path he must traverse, fraught with adversity, I await whilst praying. For this destiny predetermined since ancient times... A pitch, black night unfolds with the morning star as its only light. And thus the saga, begins..." This first chapter of Shenmue kicks off Yu Suzuki's cinematic Dreamcast tour-de-force, an exploration-heavy adventure that has players immerse themselves in Yokosuka, Japan. Players slip into the role of a young martial artist named Ryo Hazuki, who is on the trail of his father's killer. On the way, players must talk with hundreds of characters, engage in martial arts battles, and marvel at the realistic depiction of the Japanese coastal town. 90 /100
02 Daytona USA Daytona USA 1993 · 32 ratings The player is put behind the wheel of a stock car (known as the Hornet), with the choice of three tracks as well as an automatic or manual transmission. The player's objectives are to outrun the competing cars, and complete the race before time runs out. 80 /100
03 Virtua Fighter 2 Virtua Fighter 2 1994 · 60 ratings Virtua Fighter 2 is a fighting video game developed by Sega. It is the sequel to Virtua Fighter (1993) and the second game in the Virtua Fighter series. It was created by Sega's Yu Suzuki-headed AM2 and was released for arcades in 1994. Ports were later released for various platforms. 77 /100
04 Super Hang-On (1988) Super Hang-On (1988) 1987 · 50 ratings Super Hang-On is a 1987 motorcycle racing arcade game by Sega, and the sequel to the acclaimed Hang-On. A version of this game, in the full simulated-motorcycle cabinet used by the original Hang-On, was released in 1991 as Limited Edition Hang-On. It was also released for the Sega Mega Drive, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 in 1989. Super Hang-On was also released for the Sharp X68000 computer in Japan. The game also appeared on several Mega Drive compilations, namely Mega Games I (bundled with the console as Mega Drive Magnum Set), and Sega Genesis Six Pack. The arcade version was released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on September 14, 2010 and later for the other regions on May 3, 2012. A stereoscopic 3D version was released for the Nintendo 3DS eShop in Japan on March 27, 2013 and in North America and Europe on November 28, 2013. 75 /100
05 Virtua Cop 2 Virtua Cop 2 1995 · 55 ratings During the events of the first, the original Virtua Cops, Michael "Rage" Hardy and James "Smarty" Cools shut down the E.V.I.L Inc. criminal empire. Three of its leaders, King, Boss, and Kong are all in the maximum security federal pen. And the final, fourth member of the E.V.I.L Inc. gang, international terrorist Joe Fang is believed to have been killed in a helicopter crash, though his body was never found. After the downfall of E.V.I.L Inc., a comprehensive investigation of their black market and gun-running activities was launched in the Virtua City bank. Last year it looked as though the Virtua Squad had finally put an end to the E.V.I.L Syndicate’s reign of crime over Virtua City. The gangleaders were all either behind bars, in intensive care, or under 6 feet of dirt. And the Virtua City Police Special Investigations Unit got a new member in the shape of Janet Marshall, an expert in criminal psychology profiling. Then trouble started brewing in unlikely places.... The vice-president of the Virtua City Bank was killed in shady circumstances that were only officially termed "accidental". And the swollen accounts of the now-defunct E.V.I.L Syndicate, which he had been suspected of laundering, were emptied overnight. The missing funds amounted to more than the GNP of most small countries. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, alarms break the quiet and calm of the Virtua City air. A daring daylight raid on the biggest jeweler’s in the state! And at the site of the new subway construction, there’s been an unusual amount of unexplained activity involving some very suspicious-looking materiel. Looks like the E.V.I.L is reborn. 72 /100
06 Out Run Out Run 1986 · 97 ratings OutRun is a racing game originating in the arcades. The player can race across varied terrain in a readily available Ferrari, complete with a female passenger, over a series of short tracks. Gameplay is viewed form just above and behind the car. The roads are full of sharp bends and hazards, contact with which can cause the car to roll and lose the player's time. On each section of track there is a fork in the road, allowing the player to choose which direction he or she wishes to go in. The player has to to complete five track sections in total, out of the fifteen in the game. 71 /100
07 Virtua Cop Virtua Cop 1994 · 51 ratings Players assume the role of police officers in a first-person perspective and use a light gun to shoot criminals and advance through the game, with penalties for shooting civilians. The players could also shoot powerups that grants him a weapon or a life. The weapon is lost if the player is hit, but not if he shoots a civilian. Virtua Cop was notable for its use of polygonal graphics, which were subsequently used in both House of the Dead and Time Crisis, instead of the two dimensional sprites that were popular for previous games in the same genre. It is also notable for being one of the first games to allow the player to shoot through glass. Its name derived from this graphical style, which was previously used in Virtua Fighter, Virtua Striker and Virtua Racing. 71 /100
08 Space Harrier (1986) Space Harrier (1986) 1985 · 36 ratings Run… fly… dodge those obstacles, but return fire on wave after wave of attacking aliens. Armed with a really big gun, you have to defend yourself against the alien hordes using your wits to navigate around the screen. But watch out for those end of level bosses! Originating in the arcades, Space Harrier is a third-person rail shooter with pseudo-3D graphics, set in the same world as Fantasy Zone. The lone titular hero fights aliens with a fireball-launching cannon, which can also be used to transform the hero into a flying rocket. The protagonist is constantly in motion, but the speed of his movement can be regulated by the player. 70 /100
09 Shenmue II Shenmue II 2001 · 91 ratings Yu Suzuki's cinematic masterpiece returns with more spellbinding adventure and an even more immersive world. The epic continues as Ryo Hazuki arrives in Hong Kong on his quest to avenge his father's murder by the warlord Lan Di and unravel the mystery of the Phoenix mirror. Set in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Guilin, you'll travel through breathtaking scenery, rich with mountainous wilderness, traditional Taoist temples, and stunning tropical landscapes. As you move through massive, highly-detailed 3D worlds, you'll interact with almost every facet of your environment as well as a whole new cast of characters. Originally released on Dreamcast in Europe and Japan, this Xbox edition marks the sequel's debut in the US and includes the Shenmue Movie chronicling the first episode in the series. 70 /100
10 Virtua Fighter Virtua Fighter 1993 · 39 ratings A classic fighting game by Sega, considered one of the first 3D fighting games. 56 /100
11 Sonic the Fighters Sonic the Fighters 2012 · 33 ratings 46 /100
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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Sega AM2 game?

Shenmue currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 148 ratings. Ranking updated October 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.