Following in the footsteps of Nintendo’s NES and SNES Classic systems, the PlayStation Classic, and even the Neo Geo Mini, Sega is releasing its own bite-sized plug-and-play system — the Sega Genesis Mini. The system comes loaded with more than three dozen of the most iconic games released for the original Sega Genesis, and it promises a gaming experience you’d expect from the console you spent years playing in the ‘90s. From games and price to the console’s specs and the release date, here is everything we know about the Sega Genesis Mini.
Go to Target or Walmart today, and you are very likely to see plug-and-play Sega systems on the shelves, marketed as “Sega Genesis Flashback.” These consoles come preloaded with more than 80 games and feature several display modes and even wireless controllers, but they’ve been heavily criticized for poor-quality emulation that ruins the experience.
The Sega Genesis Mini isn’t made by a third-party company, but rather Sega itself. On the product’s official website, Sega appears to acknowledge the failure of earlier licensed versions, saying the new console “delivers quality as only a first-party product can.”
The Sega Genesis Mini will be about half the size of the original console, but its look is essentially identical to it. The shape and color are the same, as are the logos and the “High Definition Graphics” label across the top. As with the majority of plug-and-play systems, it will not support the original Genesis’ cartridges.
Depending on where you live, the Sega Genesis Mini’s design will vary slightly. In the West, the console will include two traditional, wired three-button controllers with USB plugs, while the Japanese Mega Drive version will only include one controller that features six buttons.
The use of USB controller inputs means the Sega Genesis Mini won’t be able to use the original system’s controllers, but it will feature more moving parts than we’re used to on traditional mini-style game consoles, including a headphone adjustment dial and the cartridge lock, even though they serve no functional purpose on the mini system.
Also included in the package is an HDMI cable, as well as a power cable and USB power adapter, so you won’t have to purchase one separately or use your phone’s adapter in order to play the system.
The Sega Genesis’ primary competition back in its heyday was the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. When Nintendo released the SNES Classic, it came with 21 preloaded games. Sega nearly doubles that number with the Genesis Mini’s 40 included games. They are:
The Japanese Mega Drive Mini will include a different list of games, though several of the titles are identical. They are:
Interestingly, the quality of games you’re able to play will apparently not be affected by where you happen to live. The Japanese console will include three separate versions of Castlevania: Bloodlines, for instance, letting players choose between the North American, European, or Japanese games. This is a major difference from Sony’s PlayStation Classic, which offered only European versions for some of its included games that are widely considered to be inferior.
We tried our hand at guessing the other games we’ll likely see announced for the Sega Genesis Mini. When those titles get announced, we’ll be sure to update this article with that information.
Just like with the most recent plug-and-play consoles from Nintendo and Sony, the Sega Genesis Mini will include suspend points so you can always jump back into your favorite games. According to the Japanese website, there will be four save points available for each included game, and you will be able to save at any point – Sega emphasized that this could mean you’ll finally see the ending to your favorite ultra-difficult game from back in the day, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to skip anything.
The Sega Genesis Mini will be available for purchase on September 19, 2019, for $80. Pre-orders in the United States are currently available from Buy at Amazon and GameStop.
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”
It’s turning into a pretty good time to be a Monster Hunter fan who plays on a phone. Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Outlanders will launch on Android and iOS on October 29, giving the series a new mobile-first game just as Monster Hunter Rise is also preparing to make the jump to smartphones through Netflix.
Outlanders is being developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group under license and supervision from Capcom. Unlike Rise, which appears to be the full console and PC game adapted for mobile, Outlanders is a free-to-play survival hunting game made specifically for phones.