Sunset Riders
Sunset Riders — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Sunset Riders on?
- Sunset Riders was released on Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
- When did Sunset Riders release?
- Sunset Riders was first released on September 1, 1991.
About Sunset Riders
Sunset Riders is a side-scrolling run and gun video game developed and released by Konami in 1991. It is set in the American Old West, where the players take control of bounty hunters who are seeking the rewards offered for various criminals. Each bad guy has a big reward on his head, and they're helped by hordes of bandits, gunslingers, and horse thieves, so pack loads of lead.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System
- Developer
- Konami
- Publisher
- Konami
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Themes
- Action, Historical
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 | $56 | $122 | — | 11 reviews | Low |
Also released on: Arcade · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Super Nintendo Entertainment System. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $57 | $145 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about 2 times a week
- Complete: about 2 times 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 $10.90 in Oct 2007, $48 five years ago, and $56 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $12.99 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $12.17 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $12.50 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $18.28 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $18.99 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $22 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $22 | $47 |
| Jan 2015 | $28 | $43 |
| Jan 2016 | $32 | $55 |
| Jan 2017 | $39 | $67 |
| Jan 2018 | $30 | $57 |
| Jan 2019 | $32 | $60 |
| Jan 2020 | $35 | $68 |
| Jan 2021 | $41 | $93 |
| Jan 2022 | $46 | $137 |
| Jan 2023 | $36 | $116 |
| Jan 2024 | $42 | $125 |
| Jan 2025 | $44 | $178 |
| Jan 2026 | $50 | $120 |
| Oct 2026 | $56 | $119 |
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 | December 1992 | — | 083717160007 | — |
| Europe / PAL | April 1993 | T-95026 | — | ?? (Konami) |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1992
- Authenticity
- Low
A fun, funny western run-and-gun that is trimmed from the arcade original, and one of the pricier US carts.
This is the Genesis version of Konami's Sunset Riders, released in North America in December 1992 and Europe in April 1993. Of the home versions, the Genesis one made the most changes to the arcade game. Its two heroes gained the surnames Billy Cool and Cormano Wild, hunter dogs appear in the first part of the final chapter, and a two-player versus mode was added.
GameFan found it totally addicting, especially with two players. Video Games & Computer Entertainment's reviewer was less convinced, noting that the conversion is incomplete, with four levels against six in the coin-op and two bounty hunters against four, which he guessed was down to the cartridge's small size. Mean Machines Sega called the Mega Drive game surprisingly good.
What the press said at the time
| Game Informer Volume II, Number 1 | January/February 1993 | Overall Rating: 7.75 (Rick); Ross: Concept 9, Graphics 8, Sound 6, Playability 8, Entertainment 9; Andy: Concept 8, Graphics 8, Sound 7, Playability 8, Entertainment 8.5 |
| MegaTech Issue 26 | February 1994 | 87% |
| MegaTech Issue 27 | March 1994 | 87% |
| MegaTech Issue 28 | April 1994 | 87% |
| MegaTech Issue 30 | June 1994 | 87% |
| MegaTech Issue 33 | September 1994 | 87% |
| MegaTech Issue 34 | October 1994 | 87% |
| GameFan | 187/200 | |
| GamePro | 16/20 | |
| HobbyConsolas | 78% | |
| Mean Machines Sega | 84% |
“Sunset Riders is like watching a TV western. The bad guys are hiding out behind every railing and window, waiting to blow you away. Don't take it too seriously and it’s a lot of fun.”
“Fun scrolling shoot ’em up for Spaghetti Western lovers, but lacking in the lastability stakes.”
“Sunset Riders is the kinda' game that grows on you. The more you play it the more you'll like К. Nice!”
“The only cowboy shoot 'em up on the Megadrive is similar to Rolling Thunder, with much leaping onto saloon roofs, filling bad guys full o' lead and rescuing wild west women. Two-player co¬ operative mode, shoot-out option and horseback bonus section are added bonuses. Excellent fun, but a bit short, with only four levels.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
In the sales charts
In 2 sales charts, August 1993; highest position #7.
Show all 2 placings
- #9 in the Game Zone Mega Drive chart — Sega Pro, Issue 22, August 1993
- #7 in the HMV Mega Drive chart — Sega Pro, Issue 22, August 1993
Sales charts as printed in the magazines of the time.
How the Sega Genesis version differs
The Genesis version has the most changes of the two home versions: only Billy and Cormano are playable of the four arcade characters, and they gain the surnames Cool and Wild.
Only four of the arcade game's eight bosses appear, each chapter is split into two stages, and boss dialogue is shown in text bubbles rather than voiced.
It has two shoot buttons instead of one: one lets you walk and shoot, the other holds you still so you can change aim only.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · Super NES
| Arcade | Konami |
- Arcade. The arcade game came in two variants, a two-player version and a four-player version.
How the other versions reviewed
| Super NES | Electronic Gaming Monthly | 39/50 |
| Super NES | Sega Power | 87% |
| Super NES | HobbyConsolas | 86% |
| Arcade | Sinclair User | 82% |
| Arcade | Zero | 3/5 |
| Super NES | SNES Force | 89% |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
Among US carts it is one of the pricier ones, well above the middle. The European loose cart usually costs about the same as the US one, and a complete European copy usually costs somewhat more.
Sunset Riders screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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