What platforms is After Burner III on?

After Burner III was released on Arcade, FM Towns, Sega CD.

When did After Burner III release?

After Burner III was first released on December 31, 1991.

After Burner III

Dec 31, 1991ShooterArcadeArcadeFM TownsSega CD

After Burner III — frequently asked questions

What platforms is After Burner III on?: After Burner III was released on Arcade, FM Towns, Sega CD.
When did After Burner III release?: After Burner III was first released on December 31, 1991.

About After Burner III

You're strapped into the Navy's fiercest jet fighter-the F-14 Tomcat. Kick in the afterburner to outrun deadly cannon fire "hot on your six." Pull up hard...lock and launch! Roll 360 degrees to blow desert tank patrols, radio towers, and missile sites into oblivion.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, FM Towns, Sega CD
Developer: CRI Middleware
Publisher: CSK Research Institute
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action

Details via IGDB.

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Fake risk
Sega CD	1993	$16	$42	$108	4 reviews	Low

Also released on: Arcade · FM Towns. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega CD · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-11-02

Loose

$16

Complete

$42

Sealed

$108

few sales

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
European (PAL) release	$39	$96	—
Japanese release	$15	$38	$58

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about once a month
Sealed: about once a year

Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-11-02.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $0.99 in Oct 2008, $22 five years ago, and $15.57 as of Nov 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2009	$3.99	—
Jan 2010	$2.45	—
Jan 2011	$1.99	—
Jan 2012	$4.01	—
Jan 2013	$4.97	—
Jan 2014	$3.25	$18.00
Jan 2015	$6.99	$23
Jan 2016	$9.50	$15.95
Jan 2017	$13.99	$1.25
Jan 2018	$9.37	$29
Jan 2019	$9.30	$35
Jan 2020	$11.00	$26
Jan 2021	$17.07	$75
Jan 2022	$19.95	$50
Jan 2023	$15.26	$69
Jan 2024	$13.88	$54
Jan 2025	$14.94	$35
Jan 2026	$15.67	$40
Nov 2026	$15.57	$42

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Nov 2026.

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number	Barcode	MSRP
North America	1993	4415	010086044157	—
Europe / PAL	August 1993	4415	4974365644154	—
Japan	18 December 1992	T-68014	—	¥8,400

Source: Japanese product numbers, dates and prices: Sega Japan's Mega-CD software lists, each number checked against MAME's Mega-CD software list. North American and European numbers: the number printed on the disc as recorded by Redump, shown where MAME's list agrees or has no number

Region: NA+EU+JP
Released: 1993
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases of these games are not tracked hereLow counterfeit risk

Sega CD prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A Sega CD flight shooter with good sound that critics found disappointing.

CRI developed the Sega CD version of After Burner III, which came out in Japan on 18 December 1992, in North America in 1993 and in Europe in August 1993. It is a port of Sega's arcade flight game and leans on the Mega-CD's sprite scaling and rotation.

The magazines of the time were unimpressed. GamePro said the sound was good and the music some of the coolest around but the graphics were disappointing. Game Players called it a good shooter that was more disappointment than standout, with cinematic screens and CD sound. MegaTech, reviewing the import, was blunter still.

How it was made

CRI developed the Sega CD version from Sega's arcade game.

What the press said at the time

Sega Force Issue 15	March 1993	60%
MegaTech Issue 19	July 1993	22%
Sega Pro Issue 23	September 1993	45%
Sega Pro Issue 42	March 1995	5%

“Considering that this game could easily have been the best thing on the Mega-CD, the resultant tosh is far from acceptable.”
— MegaTech, March 1993

“If you’re expecting a stunning game, be warned: the original beats it hands down and MD AfterBurner lls miles better.The Mega-CD’s capabilities aren’t used well here.”
— Sega Force, March 1993

“Ghastly music, hopeless graphics, hardly any action at all and the fact that the guns fire automatically means that even a concussed iguana could play it on a cold day when it was feeling lethargic.”
— MegaTech, July 1993

“This all-action arcade flight sim isn’t very good. Poor graphics and a ridiculous. increasing difficulty level make this nothing more than an average game.”
— Sega Pro, September 1993

Also on other platforms

Arcade · FM Towns

Before you buy

The US disc sits below the middle for North American Sega CD prices. The European disc usually costs more than twice as much as the US one, loose and complete, while a Japanese copy usually costs about the same as a US one. The Japanese disc needs a Japanese Mega-CD and the European disc a European one. Make sure the case and disc name this game.