Steel Empire
Steel Empire — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Steel Empire on?
- Steel Empire was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
- When did Steel Empire release?
- Steel Empire was first released on March 13, 1992.
About Steel Empire
A steampunk style horizontal shoot 'em up developed by HOT・B.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- HOT-B
- Publisher
- HOT-B
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Fantasy
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1992 | $25 | $64 | $146 | 4 reviews | Medium |
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 | $18 | $64 | — |
| Japanese release (The Steel Empire) | $81 | $324 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a week
- 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 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $2.68 in Oct 2008, $25 five years ago, and $25 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $2.99 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $2.86 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $2.25 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $3.96 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $3.51 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $8.00 | $16.00 |
| Jan 2015 | $10.98 | $23 |
| Jan 2016 | $11.47 | $30 |
| Jan 2017 | $20 | $50 |
| Jan 2018 | $21 | $50 |
| Jan 2019 | $23 | $50 |
| Jan 2020 | $29 | $59 |
| Jan 2021 | $28 | $67 |
| Jan 2022 | $31 | $85 |
| Jan 2023 | $34 | $74 |
| Jan 2024 | $21 | $72 |
| Jan 2025 | $25 | $70 |
| Jan 2026 | $24 | $49 |
| Oct 2026 | $25 | $64 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 1992 | T-81046 | 741062111043 | — |
| Europe / PAL | 12 November 1992 | T-80146 | — | 171-5978BA |
| Japan | 13 March 1992 | T-28033 | 4967948000461 | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1992
- Authenticity
- Med
A beautiful steampunk shooter held back by its difficulty, and a pricier US cart.
Steel Empire is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Hot-B. It reached Japan on 13 March 1992 as The Steel Empire, North America in 1992 and Europe on 12 November 1992 as Empire of Steel. It is set in an alternate late 19th-century world, and its aircraft and enemies have strongly steampunk designs. The Western versions were once planned for Sage's Creation under the title Battlewings.
Mean Machines Sega praised its superb graphics and great blasting action, but felt the absurd difficulty ruined it. Sega Power said that despite different graphics and aliens, the play was exactly like other Mega Drive shooters.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Issue 20 | May 1992 | 70% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 70% |
| Sega Pro Issue 23 | September 1993 | 50% |
| Sega Pro Issue 43 | April 1995 | 40% |
“A potentially brilliant, superb looking game which is let down by its lack of challenge.”
“Steel Empire being an older title, can probably be found at a discount price, so if you're into'shooters or thinking about discovering them, this one comes highly recommended.”
“An excellent horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up boasting superb graphics and great blasting action. Unfortunately, the game is ruined by the absurd dif ficulty level. You should be able to finish the game on your first sitting. The game is also known as Steel Empire as a Japanese grey import.”
“A horizontál shoot-’em-up with huge sprites that seem innovative, but exterminating wave after wave of them becomes monotonous.”
Before you buy
Among US carts it is above the middle, and the risk tier is Medium. The European loose cart usually costs less than the US one, while a complete European copy usually costs about the same. The Japanese cart usually costs much more and has a different cartridge shape. Compare a photo of the board with the board listed on this page.
Steel Empire screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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