Golden Axe II

ゴールデンアックスII (Gōruden Akkusu Tsū)Genesis, Wii, Windows, PlayStation 4 +51991

  1. JP1991
  2. NA1992
  3. EU1992
  4. RU—

Golden Axe II kept its name in every region; in Japan it is ゴールデンアックスII. Today the Mega Drive version is playable through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, where it was added in December 2022.

Golden Axe II is a side-scrolling beat 'em up for the Mega Drive, released in Japan on 27 December 1991, in North America in January 1992 and in Europe later in 1992. It was developed and published by Sega, designed by Kazuma Fujii, with music by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata.

Ax Battler, Tyris Flare and Gilius Thunderhead return to defeat Dark Guld, who has seized the Golden Axe. The biggest change from the first game is the magic system: players now hold the magic button and release it at a chosen level instead of always spending every magic pot. Ax Battler's magic became wind magic and Gilius's lightning became rock magic, while Tyris kept fire.

Normal mode has seven stages, and The Duel mode has 15 rounds. The game was later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console, on Steam, in Sega Genesis Classics and on Nintendo Switch Online.1

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Golden Axe II Genesis January 1992 Sega 1
JP ゴールデンアックスII Genesis Dec 27, 1991 Sega 1
EU Golden Axe II Genesis 1992 Sega 1
WW Golden Axe IIVirtual Console Wii Jun 11, 2007 Sega 1
WW Golden Axe IISteam, Sega Mega Drive and Genesis Classics Windows Jun 1, 2010 Sega 1
WW Sega Genesis ClassicsCompilation; also on Xbox One and PC PlayStation 4 Jun 29, 2018 Sega 1
WW Sega Genesis ClassicsCompilation Switch December 2018 Sega 1
WW Golden Axe IINintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Switch Dec 15, 2022 Sega 1

Also known as: ゴールデンアックスII JP1Gōruden Akkusu Tsū JP1

Box art by region

  • Golden Axe II box art, North America release
    NA Golden Axe II
  • Golden Axe II box art, Europe release
    EU Golden Axe II

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Where to play legally today

  • Nintendo Switch Online Subscription

    Golden Axe II (SEGA Mega Drive - Nintendo Switch Online)

    Mega Drive/Genesis version

    Checked: 2026-10-131nintendo.com

Reception

Reviews were generally favorable, but many critics saw it as more of the same: Mega Action called it bigger and better with little new, and AllGame noted almost identical graphics, sound and options. Mega later ranked it 14th among the best Mega Drive games.1

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.