Third World War
Third World War — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Third World War on?
- Third World War was released on Sega CD.
- When did Third World War release?
- Third World War was first released on February 1, 1994.
About Third World War
Third World War is a "hypothetical/what if" wargame with a twist. Set sometime in the late 20th century, when conflicts all over the world have erupted, and world peace is but a thing of the past. As the leader of one of 16 nations, your ultimate goal is none other than world domination. To accomplish this you have a multitude of options ranging from raw military might, diplomacy, foreign or domestic investment policy, aiding terrorists or revolutionaries, to media manipulation. In other words, it's just like the real world.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Sega CD
Details via IGDB.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega CD · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-11-02
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese release (The IIIrd World War) | $21 | $47 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- 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 2026-11-02.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $19.29 in Oct 2008, $18.04 five years ago, and $21 as of Nov 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $12.50 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $10.61 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $9.00 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $10.00 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $11.49 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $12.95 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $13.95 | $17.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $10.86 | $15.50 |
| Jan 2017 | $12.50 | $23 |
| Jan 2018 | $9.91 | $23 |
| Jan 2019 | $10.66 | $16.25 |
| Jan 2020 | $10.18 | $26 |
| Jan 2021 | $22 | $29 |
| Jan 2022 | $15.29 | $40 |
| Jan 2023 | $22 | $33 |
| Jan 2024 | $12.19 | $30 |
| Jan 2025 | $17.92 | $46 |
| Jan 2026 | $19.24 | $34 |
| Nov 2026 | $21 | $35 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Nov 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 1994 | T-22025 | 027479900020 | — |
| Japan | 26 November 1993 | T-22034 | 4957227700229 | ¥7,800 |
- Region
- JP+NA
- Released
- 1994
- Authenticity
- Low
A turn-based world-conflict strategy game for patient players, and one that fills the Sega CD's saves.
This is the Sega CD version of The Third World War, called The IIIrd World War in Japan and developed by Micronet. It came out in Japan on 26 November 1993 and in North America in 1994, published there by Extreme Entertainment Group. You command one of 16 nations across five scenarios, among them the Third World War, the Cold War and the Economic Struggle.
MegaTech thought it a good strategy game mixing politics, industrial espionage and economy management, with the option of playing the United States and starting a large battle. In a head-to-head test of strategy games it called it a solid, involved game that would appeal only to strategy purists. A saved game takes up all of the Sega CD's back-up memory.
How it was made
Micronet developed it.
What the press said at the time
| MegaTech Issue 30 | June 1994 | 83% |
| MegaTech Issue 31 | July 1994 | 14/20 |
| VideoGames: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine Issue 65 | June 1994 | 6 (editors 5, 7, 6, 5) |
“Third World War is one of the best presented I've seen, but it could do with a shot in the arm in the lasting appeal department”
“A combination of politics, industrial espionage and economy management is called for, or alternatively you can simply opt to play the United States and start the largest battle since Kursk.”
“A solid game, but just not interesting enough to cut it in the mainstream market.”
“The detailed gameplay and total absence of action scenes make Third World War an excellent choice for war and strategy gamers, but there isn’t enough audiovisual pizazz (especially for a CD) to hold most players’ attention.”
Before you buy
The US disc sits about at the middle for North American Sega CD prices. A Japanese loose disc costs about the same, while a complete Japanese copy usually costs somewhat more. Buy the disc that matches your console: a Japanese Mega-CD for the Japanese disc, a North American Sega CD for the US one. Since saves fill the internal memory, a Backup RAM cartridge helps. Check the title on disc and case.
Watch on YouTube
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