Red Zone
Red Zone — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Red Zone on?
- Red Zone was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
- When did Red Zone release?
- Red Zone was first released on November 1, 1994.
About Red Zone
Red Zone, known as Hardwired during development and Commando Raid when demonstrated at Summer CES 1994, is a Sega Mega Drive game released in 1994 by Zyrinx. It is noteworthy for achieving sprite rotations, 3D vectors and full motion video; things that were often considered impossible to do on Mega Drive hardware. No additional hardware (such as an extra chip in Virtua Racing is used. The game proudly announces this technical achievement before the title screen. Zyrinx were previously responsible for Sub-Terrania, and the two games share similar graphics and logos. The soundtrack was again composed by Jesper Kyd.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Zyrinx
- Publisher
- Time Warner Interactive
- Themes
- Warfare
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1994 | $26 | $62 | — | Low |
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $13 | $49 | $57 |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a month
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $2.79 in Oct 2007, $31 five years ago, and $26 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $2.67 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $1.82 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $1.44 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $1.25 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $2.68 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $5.00 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $5.00 | $14.98 |
| Jan 2015 | $9.99 | $11.72 |
| Jan 2016 | $11.50 | $40 |
| Jan 2017 | $14.43 | $36 |
| Jan 2018 | $14.63 | $18.86 |
| Jan 2019 | $16.15 | $31 |
| Jan 2020 | $17.99 | $35 |
| Jan 2021 | $22 | $46 |
| Jan 2022 | $35 | $70 |
| Jan 2023 | $32 | $72 |
| Jan 2024 | $25 | $75 |
| Jan 2025 | $25 | $70 |
| Jan 2026 | $25 | $64 |
| Oct 2026 | $26 | $62 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America | November 1994 | 031763079507 |
| Europe / PAL | November 1994 | — |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1994
- Authenticity
- Low
A showy Zyrinx helicopter shooter with big technical tricks, priced above the middle among US carts.
Red Zone is a scrolling shooter developed by Zyrinx and published by Time Warner Interactive in North America and Europe in November 1994. You switch between flying a helicopter and fighting on foot, both from a top-down and a first-person view. It is notable for using full-screen rotation, 3D vectors, real-time zoom and full-motion video, which were uncommon on the Genesis.
Next Generation gave it three stars out of five. It said the plot and gameplay were blatant rip-offs of Urban Strike, but that the surface sequences, large graphics and gory battles made it a viable alternative to the Strike series.
What the press said at the time
“Red Zone is a topping excursion into Blastsville which I highly recommend.”
“Red Zone is an adequate game in this style andis a definite workout for skilled players looking for a challenge.”
“Those pesky Commies are at it again and it’s up to you to save the world. But it’s not as easy as it appears, since flying your attack helicopter is hampered by an overhead game view and poor game graphics.”
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits above the middle. The European cart usually costs noticeably less than the US one, especially loose.
Red Zone screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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