Out Run

アウトランArcade, Master System, Commodore 64, TurboGrafx-16 +121986

  1. JP1986
  2. NA1986
  3. EU1986
  4. RU—

Out Run, also spelled OutRun, is called アウトラン in Japan. Its many home versions differ a lot: the Mega Drive adds a new song, the Saturn adds a 60 fps mode, and M2's later 3DS and Switch releases add new options.

Out Run is an arcade driving game that Sega released in Japan in September 1986. Yu Suzuki directed it, and Hiroshi Kawaguchi wrote the music. The player drives a Ferrari Testarossa, a car Suzuki picked while scouting Europe in a BMW 520. The road keeps branching, leading to five final destinations, each with its own ending.

Sega built four cabinet designs, all with a steering wheel, stick shift and pedals, including two sit-down motion simulator cabinets. The game was the highest-grossing arcade game of 1987 in both Japan and the United States.

Home versions followed on the Master System, PC Engine, Mega Drive, Game Gear and Saturn, while U.S. Gold published the European home computer versions in December 1987. Japan had two arcade revisions with different stage layouts, and the rest of the world got only the later one. The name later became a label for a subgenre of synthwave music.1

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Out Run Arcade November 1986 Sega 1
NA Out RunAlso Europe in October 1987. Master System October 1987 Sega 1
JP アウトラン Arcade September 1986 Sega 1
EU Out Run Arcade December 1986 Sega 1
JP アウトランSega Mark III / Master System. Master System Jun 30, 1987 Sega 1
EU Out RunAmstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum versions the same day. Commodore 64 Dec 10, 1987 U.S. Gold 1
JP アウトランDate marked as needing a citation on English Wikipedia. TurboGrafx-16 Dec 21, 1990 — 1
JP アウトランPort by Hertz; North America and Europe later in 1991. Genesis Aug 9, 1991 Sega 1
JP アウトラン Game Gear Aug 9, 1991 Sega 1
JP アウトランSega Ages release. Saturn Sep 20, 1996 Sega 1
JP 3D アウトラン3D Out Run by M2. Nintendo 3DS Dec 18, 2014 Sega 2

Also known as: OutRun WW1アウトラン JP2

Box art by region

  • アウトラン box art, Japan release
    JP アウトラン

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.

Version differences

  • ContentArcade (JP)

    Japan had an earlier and a later arcade version with different stage layouts; releases outside Japan used only the later one.2

  • AudioMega Drive/Genesis

    The Mega Drive version adds a new music track, 'Step On Beat'.2

  • GameplaySaturn

    The Saturn version adds version selection, an easier mode, automatic transmission and a hidden 60 fps 'Smooth Mode'.2

All differences (6)

Reception

Out Run was the highest-grossing arcade game of 1987 in both Japan and the United States. Sega sold 18,000 cabinets by early 1987 and 30,000 by 1994, and the arcade game earned over $100 million by late 1987. It won Game of the Year and Arcade Game of the Year at the 1987 Golden Joystick Awards.1

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2ja.wikipedia.org

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

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