Well, we now know that the Dreamcast could handle GTA 3, no doubt a flagship title for the PlayStation 2, which many at the time said would've been "impossible" for Sega's humble machine to cope with.
But what about Sony's own Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec? The gorgeous racing simulator could surely not run well on a Dreamcast and look as good as it did on Playstation 2, right?
Well, prominent Dreamcast developer, Jnmartin84, is at it again in an attempt to prove any doubters wrong with a Dreamcast port of Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec firmly in the works.
I won't bother talking too much about it -you know what they say, seeing is believing and all that- so, here is what it looks like running on a Dreamcast console:
Still screenshots don't really do it justice, so I'd also recommend watching Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec being played on real hardware. You can do so over at Jnmartin84's YouTube channel. You'll quickly see just how smooth everything runs.
It should be noted that this is very much work in progress at the moment and Jnmartin84 is well-known for ensuring that everything runs as perfectly as it possibly can be before releasing his ports; which in the current climate is certainly no bad thing. Jnmartin84 has previously disclosed his use of AI tools to speed up certain development tasks, but he does have an extensive knowledge when it comes to Dreamcast development.
We'll keep a close eye on this one and bring you more news as we get it.
StiffPeaks has also previewed this ambitious port, which you can watch below.
We're at a point now where new ports are coming to Dreamcast every other day, if not every day. If you hang around in Discord servers or forums where fans of Sega's final console gather, you'll undoubtedly see posts declaring that X game is "now on Dreamcast", accompanied by a screenshot of a nostalgic childhood video game mascot looking like the Flood, standing in a world not too dissimilar to those seen in LSD: Dream Emulator. We definitely appreciate that everything has to start somewhere, and look forward to seeing what comes further down the line, but I'm sure you can understand why we don't always rush to cover these things.
But someone has got Halo: Combat Evolved running on the Sega Dreamcast —and well, too— so I thought it was necessary I type something out.
Halo running on Dreamcast. Credit: JiltedValkyrie
I remember my cousin getting an Xbox for Christmas the year it launched, and she told us it "blows the PlayStation 2 away". I eventually got to play Halo: Combat Evolved on that very same Xbox, and I had to agree with her: yes, it was pretty epic. As we all know, Microsoft would eventually take Sega's place in the console pecking order, but rumours have circulated online for years that Halo was originally in development for Dreamcast. As far as I'm aware, though, these rumours are baseless and stem from some incredibly optimistic speculation printed in a contemporary gaming magazine.
Anyway, I'd previously heard through the social media grapevine that a Halo port was being worked on for the Dreamcast. An individual who goes by the online alias "JiltedValkyrie" had shared a few screenshots here and there, but on Saturday finally released some gameplay footage —a whole 24 minutes worth— and it's looking impressive. I've embedded it below, so take a look.
Here is 24 Minutes of Gameplay of Halo: Dreamcast Evolved on the Pillar of Autumn mission and a bit of Halo level exploration after showing the detail mapping in real-time. pic.twitter.com/XUWRMBwbth
I'm sure you can see it with your own eyes, but the footage shows off gameplay from the Pillar of Autumn mission. There's plenty of walking around and cutscenes early on, before the action finally ramps up and combat showcases multiple weapons and enemy types, and performance seems manageable enough during those sections. It also has some moments where it needs to pause to load everything in, à la Half-Life DC. Graphically, it's fair to say it doesn’t quite measure up to the Xbox version, but let's not forget that this is A. a work in progress, and B. it's Halo running on a Dreamcast.
Developers from the scene have been praising this current build in the replies, while also suggesting ways to give the port some extra "GAINZ". I'm not a developer, so I'm not sure if it will ever come close to matching the Xbox version visually, but there’s something undeniably charming about seeing Halo running in this slightly lower-poly way, as long as it performs well.
Yes, really. Credit: JiltedValkyrie
Anyway, this port, which the developer has dubbed "Halo: Dreamcast Evolved", is still a work in progress. In fact, the screenshots featured in this article showing off the Warthog in action were actually posted today. But yeah, when we hear word about some kind of release, we'll be sure to update you...
Fans of Midway’s 90s racer, Cruis’n USA, rejoice - because there are ports of both the arcade original and the Nintendo 64 version in the works for the Sega Dreamcast.
The arcade port is the work of “HombreImaginario” of Xenocider fame, and the N64 version is being handled by “MoneyShift64” - two completely separate projects.
Before we talk about each project, I must admit that I’m a huge fan of the Cruis’n series (Cruis’n World will always be in my favourite game list) and I remember as a teenager I always wished for a Cruis’n game to appear on my beloved Dreamcast. Indeed, there was a rumour that Cruis’n Exotica was in the works for Sega’s console; noted in the official UK Dreamcast Magazine (Issue 9, Page 30), which I remember reading with delight during the summer of 2000.
Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and a Dreamcast version was never spoken of again, which is why I’m so excited we’re finally getting some Cruis’n games on the system all these years later! I’ve been fortunate enough to play work in progress builds of both versions on Dreamcast, so here is how they are shaping up.
To kick things off, let’s take a look at the arcade port.
[Arcade Port] Who doesn't want to visit the White House hot tub?
[Arcade Port] Flames from my exhaust are a good thing, right?!
The latest version runs really well and is a great example of using the Dreamcast to learn more about coding, as HombreImaginario explains.
"I'm part of the team who developed Xenocider, but I know very very little code. I've always wanted to contribute to the scene and the community, so I made a list of games before 1999 that had their source codes available and among them was Cruis'n USA (arcade).
So, the source code is a starting guide, but the arcade hardware is vastly different from the Dreamcast, so the game still needs lots of translating and adapting.
My goal here is to be as faithful to the arcade as technically possible, then fix details here and there that make sense to me, like a custom boot screen, or the logo in the VMU, or trying to reduce or hide the popping in the horizon. We'll get there, hopefully. But the whole project is just a learning experience, really!"
Excellent stuff, and it will be a welcome non-NAOMI Arcade port to the Dreamcast’s growing post-life library. HombreImaginario has also confirmed he's working on a Dreamcast port of 1997 boomer shooter Shadow Warrior, so keep an eye out for that as well.
As for the Cruis’n 64 port, it seems to be very well optimised from the version I played, despite being told that this Dreamcast demo is still not anywhere near the final release, it is running at a very smooth frame rate with little slowdown. The demo features just one track, but you can see my run in the video below.
I also spoke to MoneyShift64 to find out a bit more about this version and they shared some exciting details for the future of the project.
"This won’t just be a straight port of the N64 version. The Dreamcast version will include a locked 30fps frame rate (something the N64 game struggled with) and a whole load of Dreamcast easter eggs scattered around for people to find. I'm also hoping to include rumble support and there will be VMU screen functionality.
The most exciting inclusion will be online leaderboards! It’ll be great to see the community trading fastest times on each track! We'll talk a lot more about this soon.
Eventually, I'd like to make a "Cruis'n Everywhere" version, which includes select cars and tracks from USA, World and Exotica all rolled into one game."
Seeing ports getting Dreamcast-exclusive features is one way to make them stand out from the crowd of ports we've seen recently. Online leaderboards are certainly quite a mouthwatering prospect. Especially for those amongst us who just can’t get enough of taking their Dreamcast’s online! Personally, I can’t wait!
[N64 Port] Cruis'n Dreamcast!
[N64 Port] Controls optimised for the Dreamcast controller.
We’ll bring you more news of each port as they progress. Exciting times.
Update 06/11/26: the full game has now been recreated and released. It is available to download here.
I love Star Wars, me, mate. In fact, my wife said I was a Star Wars nerd because I knew what a Jawa was, which I guess makes me an expert. Anyway, a developer who goes by the - frankly excellent - online pseudonym of "ToastedGreedo" has been working on a conversion of the Sega model 3 arcade rail shooter Star Wars Trilogy Arcade for the Dreamcast, and the current results are looking spectacular.
The project started as an experiment to try and get assets from the arcade title running on the Dreamcast, but as Yoda said, "do or do not, there is no try", so now ToastedGreedo is attempting to port the whole thing to the console instead. Back in the day, a port of Trilogy Arcade was rumoured to have been in development for the Dreamcast but ultimately never saw the light of day (on any home system for that matter), so this will serve as yet another attempt from the Dreamcast fan community to rewrite the wrongs of gaming history.
Time to get revenge for that shit Boba Fett TV show.
So far, two stages have been recreated and are running on real hardware: the Yavin Death Star stage, which has players blasting at TIE Fighters (typical Star Wars fare, then), and the Boba Fett Duel, where you deflect Mr. Fett's blaster fire with Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. Footage of both can be seen below, with the most recent video of the two also providing a peek at the intro/attract sequence as well as the stage select menu. It's all looking very slick and professional, and offers a taste of what the official port that never released might have been like.
These two stages will be released soon for free as a "demo disc", and I'll be looking forward to seeing the entire game reproduced somewhere down the line. I'm also curious to see what other Model 3 arcade games fans might be able to bring to the Dreamcast in the future.
Regarding the development of this port, ToastedGreedo goes into further detail in the description of their YouTube video:
"The Boba Fett Duel was the first stage I recreated for the project and has served as the foundation for bringing the original Model 3 arcade experience to Dreamcast hardware. It's been especially exciting to see the project progress from an early technical experiment into something that increasingly feels like a complete Dreamcast game. I plan on releasing this Demo Disc for free soon, which will contain the full Yavin stage alongside the Boba Fett. I am continuing to work on bug fixes and ensuring the game is stable on real hardware. Reminder that this is a non-commercial passion project created for the Sega Dreamcast community, and I am not selling this game in any way."
To stay up to date on this project, go subscribe to ToastedGreedo's YouTube channel, and if you're feeling extra generous, they also have a Ko-fi page for donations.
Are you excited for this one? Which do you think is worse: the prequel or sequel trilogy? Let us know in the comments below or via our social media.
What's this? News has reached us that not one, but two complete ports of beloved retro titles have finally landed on the Sega Dreamcast. We've covered both of these here at the Junkyard in the recent past (here and here), but as of right now you can download the means to sample complete ports of both Sonic R and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the hallowed Dreamcast.
Captured on Dreamcast hardware.
Both ports come courtesy of Dreamcast porting genius jnmartin84, the same magician behind the Dreamcast ports of DOOM 64, Star Fox 64, Mario Kart 64 and Super Mario 64. Sonic R has been cooking for quite some time, and jnmartin84 has been steadily releasing previews of the work in progress over the last few months, but now the final build is here...and it looks - quite frankly - stunning. I was never a huge fan of Sonic R back when it released on the Saturn, but having sampled this new PC-derived Dreamcast conversion I'm happy to report that it really pops visually on the Dreamcast. Here's some gameplay footage:
As described over on the Sonic R GitHub, you'll need to provide your own game files in order to play this on a Dreamcast, but it is very much worth your time and effort to get it up and running.
As a bonus to what is already an impressive port, an online multiplayer mode is also available, although at the moment, only Dreamcasts rocking the pricey broadband adapter are supported for online play.
I'd get a headache if I lived here.
Hey, listen!
Hot on the heels of Sonic R (no pun intended) also comes the news that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has now been completed and is similarly ready to rock and roll on a Dreamcast near you. This is quite timely, considering all the hype around the recently revealed Switch 2 remake that should be hitting Nintendo's swanky handheld in the coming months (at the time of writing).
Knocking about in downtown Kokiri Forest.
Ocarina of Time absolutely dominated my life when it came out on the Nintendo 64 back in 1998, and to see it on the Dreamcast, running as well as it does is quite a sight to behold. The version here is the Master Quest iteration, meaning that if you're an old hand at Ocarina, there will be some new challenges lying in wait if you decide to once again pull Link's boots on and set out from the comfort of Kokiri Forest to avenge your father's death at the hands of Lan Di...or however the story goes. Here's some footage of the game running on a GDEMU-equipped Dreamcast console:
I'm aware that the use of AI tools in these sorts of ports is a hot topic currently, and I'm certainly no fan of the slop being pumped across the internet like a tidal wave of liquid excrement, so it's probably worth mentioning at this point that it appears as though Claude was used to assist in some small way in both of these ports; however unlike the recent Sonic CD port (which was pretty much completely done with AI tools as far as I'm aware) there was also a hell of a lot of human talent and effort involved too. If however you are in the market for some pure, uncut slop generated by AI, then go and read GenerationAmiga. Because GenerationAmiga is the epitome of AI slop.
A scene from the cool intro dream sequence.
Anyway, if you'd like to sample The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on your Dreamcast, you can find out more over at the project's GitHub and you can also find some lovely cover art mockups for your GDEMU over at Dreamcast-Talk.
When the Dreamcast was unleashed upon the masses, Sega seemed determined to create brand-new, never-before-seen experiences for adopters of the console. As a result, the system spawned a wealth of new franchises, with far fewer sequels to the staple titles of Sega's previous console - the Saturn - than you might expect. You could find NiGHTS in a capsule toy in Shenmue, but you couldn't actually play a game starring the genderless purple harlequin on the Dreamcast itself. Another example of this was Team Andromeda's dragon-riding rail shooter Panzer Dragoon. Akihiko Mukaiyama was quoted in an interview with Famitsu that the eventual sixth-generation return of the franchise - Panzer Dragoon Orta on the original Xbox - was originally slated for release on the Dreamcast, but the console "didn't meet [...] technical specifications". Oof.
Perhaps this is why Frogbull, the King of proving things once thought impossible possible, has been reverse-engineering the original Panzer Dragoon and porting it to Dreamcast. He's previously showcased proof-of-concepts demonstrating that Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertycould have run on the Dreamcast, as well as Crash Bandicoot and Final Fantasy VII on the Saturn, and that's just a small selection of his work. While those projects were primarily created as proof-of-concepts, Frogbull does hope to port Panzer Dragoon to the Dreamcast in its entirety one day.
He showed off footage of Panzer Dragoon's first level (or "episode 1", as the game calls it) running on Dreamcast via his YouTube channel on Tuesday, and it's looking great. A far cry from the original Saturn visuals, Frogbull's port looks closer graphically to the 2006 Japanese-exclusive Sega Ages 2500 PlayStation 2 version of the game. There is some quite obvious slowdown in busier sections of the level, but I'm sure this is something Frogbull will be working to improve as this project continues.
Frogbull has also made a cool video that compares his port to the original Saturn version, so check that out below.
At the moment, only the first level is ported and playable, with limited access to the version 0.1 build available through Frogbull's Patreon for those wanting to play it for themselves. This build is expected to be made publicly available at some point in the near future. Frogbull's long-term plan is to release more levels gradually, as and when he reverse-engineers them.
Are you excited for this port? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media pages.
What a crazy time we're living in. I woke up this morning to a message telling me that we've officially entered the era of NAOMI games being ported to the Dreamcast by fans, with Cleopatra Fortune Plus being the very first.
For those unfamiliar, the NAOMI was Sega's arcade platform first introduced in 1998, built on architecture very similar to that of the Dreamcast. That technical similarity was what made the Dreamcast the first reasonably affordable home console to deliver an experience that looked and played genuinely close to the arcade. During its commercial lifespan, a number of NAOMI titles were ported to Dreamcast, including classics such as Crazy Taxi, The House of the Dead 2, Dead or Alive 2, and Power Stone. Others, such as Jambo! Safari and Virtua Golf, were announced for the console but were ultimately cancelled.
What with the constant influx of ports we're seeing now on a near-monthly basis, the logical thought from those who inhabit the Dreamcast fan community has been "could the fans just port those missing NAOMI games to Dreamcast?" They were able to do it with Atomiswave arcade titles back in 2020, so why not NAOMI? Well, the Atomiswave arcade system, which launched in 2004, was essentially a repackaged Dreamcast for the arcade, with virtually identical hardware specifications. The NAOMI, on the other hand, packed far more RAM than the Dreamcast, leading many in the homebrew community to dismiss the possibility of fan-developed NAOMI ports as "impossible".
That was until today, when a Dreamcast-Talk forum user who goes by CaptainKoffski posted that they've ported Cleopatra Fortune Plus to Dreamcast. Cleopatra Fortune Plus was the NAOMI arcade-exclusive sequel to Taito's puzzle game Cleopatra Fortune, which itself received a Japan-only port to the Dreamcast. CaptainKoffski was transparent from the off that the project had been created using what has been referred to as "vibe coding", the practise of using AI models to assist anywhere from a little bit to entirely with software development. In CaptainKoffski's case, they admitted "the entire port was done with AI, with minimal effort on my part."
AI is a huge topic of conversation at the moment, with a number of ethical and environmental concerns being raised surrounding its use. Just last month, Sega drew criticism from fans for revealing that AI was used in the development of the upcoming Crazy Taxi: World Tour. AI has also begun to seep into hobbyist circles, where it has received a mixed reception. What really is puzzling (excuse the pun) about this NAOMIport, though, is that despite its lack of human touch, it actually runs well, with seemingly no issues.
While we can't ignore the fact that this port's very existence is a huge breakthrough, we can only hope those who live and breathe Dreamcast development can unpick some of the information CaptainKoffski provided in their accompanying GitHub repo to find out how the heck the AI pulled this off, with the hopes it may aid future porting efforts. That said, I am aware that a very human effort to bring a major NAOMI title to the Dreamcast has been confirmed as being very close to completion, so I doubt this will be the last we see of NAOMI ports to the console in 2026.
Monkey Ball was one of a number of Sega titles that should've been released for the Dreamcast. Given the game's origins as a Sega NAOMI arcade title, it was a completely natural fit for their home console which shared the same architecture. As we all know though, the Dreamcast's commercial failure would bring its life to an untimely end in 2001 (in theory), and so the game would instead show up in an enhanced form as a launch title for Nintendo's GameCube under the name Super Monkey Ball. The GameCube was cool and all, but us diehard Sega heads knew where the game really belonged...
In 2026, Memorix101 is looking to make what should've been a reality. Using assets from the decompiled GameCube release, they have managed to get the beginner courses (and extra levels) running buttery smooth on Dreamcast, as demonstrated below in this footage from The Sega Guru. Sometimes you just have to pinch yourself, and with all these amazing ports constantly coming to Dreamcast, my arm is beginning to get pretty damn sore.
At the moment, this port isn't available publicly, so fellow dreamers will have to wait a while before they can roll pantsless primate AiAi around in pursuit of his beloved Dole bananas (other brands of banana are available). Memorix101 did provide the Junkyard with a playable version though, and I can confirm that it plays great!
In the meantime, we've gotten word that a beta of the Sonic R port that was in the works from Jnmartin84 has finally been released publicly, so go grab that!
Since 2024, there's been a continuous stream of new ports to the Sega Dreamcast. While homebrew ports to the Dreamcast have been happening for decades, it definitely seemed like the appearance of Doom 64 and Grand Theft Auto IIIon the console firmly opened the floodgates to this current wave we're enjoying. With new releases appearing so frequently, I've come to realise that I'm eventually going to run out of fresh ways to introduce each article. There's only so many ways I can say "the Dreamcast didn't actually die in 2002, here's proof!" So let's just get straight to the good stuff: there's two cult indie hits coming to the 'Cast.
I'm pretty good at unintentionally avoiding the zeitgeist. I mean, I write for a Dreamcast blog, for God's sake (so perhaps it is more intentional than I realise?) But this is why I'm still yet to play the poker-themed phenomenon that is Balatro. It's on every modern platform, so I'm not sure why I've never gotten round to giving it a try. Well, it's now also confirmed to be working on the Dreamcast too, thanks to the work of a dev known as Espouaisso.
Espouaisso has already managed to get a substantial portion of the game running at a smooth 60 FPS on real hardware, as demonstrated in this video from The Sega Guru. There is still plenty of work to be done, however, including implementing missing features and ironing out a number of graphical glitches.
Work porting Balatro to Dreamcast appears to have started around 16 days ago (at least, this is when Espouaisso first posted about it, anyway), so to see it in the working state it's in already is impressive indeed. If they continue at that same pace, Dreamcast owners may not have to wait much longer before they're able to download and play it for themselves.
Friday Night Funkin'
Screenshot: itsthedis
Friday Night Funkin' is a stylish-as-heck rhythm game heavily influenced by titles such as Dance Dance Revolution and PaRappa the Rapper, which sees players going head-to-head against a range of quirky opponents in sing-offs with the goal of impressing the main character's girlfriend. This is another one I've managed to miss (mainly because I suck at rhythm games), but I've always liked its visual style. I was not surprised whatsoever to learn that Friday Night Funkin' first debuted as a demo on Newgrounds, considering its art direction is very much reminiscent of Flash game classics like Alien Hominid, but with more of a hip-hop flare.
Due to the game being open-source, it has enjoyed a thriving modding scene over the years, and is also the reason we will soon be seeing a port come to our beloved Dreamcast. The game is currently being recreated in the Raylib engine by developer itsthedis and has already been confirmed to boot and run on real Dreamcast hardware in a playable state. The animations are noticeably blurry at the moment (as shown above), though this is something that itsthedis is working to improve.
If you'd like to try this early build for yourself, head over to the Simulant Discord. A quick search there will lead you to a working CDI image that you can run on your Dreamcast.
***
Are you excited to see Balatro and Friday Night Funkin' come to the Dreamcast? Let us know in the comments below! I personally feel like the console is the perfect home for unique indie titles like these.
"Why make new games or port old ones to the Sega Dreamcast?" some contrarian Twitter user sneers. To which we reply, "why not?" Case closed, innit. Anyway, here's four games you can hopefully expect to be playing on your Dreamcast sometime soon...
A few years ago, a guy launched a Kickstarter to make a game that would be available on every gaming system ever conceived by mortal hands. People were understandably skeptical about whether that was even possible, and, unsurprisingly, the campaign didn’t succeed. However, it turns out that someone has genuinely been attempting to pull off something similar. That person is developer Walfrido Abejón, who has spent several years plugging away at his game Noah & the Poohloudies, a charming robot-themed platformer which is not only in development for our beloved Sega Dreamcast, but also the 3DO, original PlayStation, Nokia N-Gage, Nintendo 64, and the Saturn.
Walfrido has kindly sent over a prototype build of the Dreamcast version of the game, which we’ll definitely be taking a closer look at soon. In the meantime, you can check out the video below from our pal The Sega Guru, which showcases footage of all the different versions in development. Even at this stage, what’s been shown looks genuinely fantastic, and we really hope it will eventually be developed into a full release. Be sure to subscribe to Walfrido's YouTube channel to be the first to see future development vlogs.
The ports just keep on a-coming, and this one is an exciting one for those who were hoping to maybe see a bit more Sega amid the recent flood of (excellent) Nintendo 64 ports to Dreamcast. Absolute madlad Jnmartin84 is back again, and he has decompiled the PC version of Traveller's Tales Sonic-themed racer Sonic R and got it running on Mac. This game also came out on the Sega Saturn, and other than delivering a jukebox of banging tunes, it also provided an early taste of what could be for a fully 3D Sonic adventure.
But why do we care about a Mac version of Sonic R? Well, because it means the game can also now be ported to other systems, including the Dreamcast, and that is exactly what Jnmartin84 has promised. Plus, he's also teased the possibility of network play? Now that would certainly be epic to see. Watch this space!
SuperSolar
Developer Ninja Dynamics is currently working on an Afterburner-ish flight combat game for both mobile and Dreamcast, and it's looking "sleek af", as the kids would say. To get a taste of what you will eventually play on your Dreamcast, there is a version currently available for you to play in your web browser.
Check out footage below of the Dreamcast version, and follow the dev on Twitter to see new updates as they come out. It is shaping up to be an absolute stunner, though.
Here's the latest Dreamcast build of SuperSolar with a brand new water splash effect! I swear it's not a DBZ game! 😆 pic.twitter.com/WeRNmiioiX
Finally, we come to OverServed, an upcoming Neo Geo multiplayer arena battler that looks to channel the chaotic fun of Bomberman. It'll support up to eight players duking it out at once, and what's more is it'll also support online play. But this is not just online play, this is cross-platform online play. That's right, we've got another game that's coming to a whole heap of platforms! We've already mentioned Neo Geo, but OverServed will also be released for —and cross-play over the net with— Saturn, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Apple TV and Android. The game is due to be released in November this year.
But what about our beloved Dreamcast? Well, good news: a version is in the works from developer FULLSET, but it is most likely to release after the other versions. However, they have said that if 1,000 people go to the Dreamcast version's Sumthings page and add it to their “wanted” list, they’ll fast-track it to meet that same November release. Now, getting 1,000 people to sign up to Sumthings and click "wanted", may be a tall feat, but I'm sure we could get the community to at least retweet and like the heck out of this Twitter post.
I can’t wait to face off on OverServed on my yellowed, scuffed-up Dreamcast against some dude rocking a console worth a grand. Nothing like a bit of class warfare to go with my retro games. Anyway, here's some gameplay footage.
Prototyping some exploding cakes in Overserved tonight. That lava cake situation needs some fixing for sure :) Many level specific elements and tons of other stuff still to be implemented. 8-player online play across #neogeo, #saturn & all modern platforms. pic.twitter.com/O5e9jRkHqS
— FULLSET | Neo·Geo Dev (@FULLSET_Collect) March 28, 2026
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Which of these games coming to Dreamcast are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below.
In episode 146 of our podcast, the DreamPod, Lozz and Lewis are joined by freelance video game writer Andrew Fisher to discuss his career and everything Dreamcast homebrew.
With decades of experience in video game journalism, Andrew’s work spans publications such as Wireframe, ZZAP! 64, ZZAP! Amiga, Commodore Force, Commodore Format, Fusion, and of course, Retro Gamer magazine — where he pens his monthly column, “The Homebrewer’s Kit.” With the Sega Dreamcast having become such a prolific console for independent development in recent years, it’s only natural that our scene has crossed Andrew’s radar. In fact, in issue 277 of Retro Gamer, this year’s biggest Dreamcast projects featured prominently in Andrew’s column.
You can listen to this episode of the DreamPod and all of our previous episodes on Buzzsprout, along with all good podcast platforms.
The Dream Disc '24 Game Jam —which ran from December 20th to January 3rd— was a huge success, showcasing a wide range of fantastic new software from the Sega Dreamcast's passionate coding community. It was also an absolute blast to cover here at the Junkyard, and we did so at any opportunity we could — our podcast episode discussing the winners with organisers Ross Kilgariff and Cypress was a particular highlight.
As fabled in the jam’s original press release, the top ten entries —as selected by a panel of judges— were promised a spot on a physical demo disc. Perhaps this is the titular "Dream Disc"? (We’ll have to wait for Ross and Cypress to officially confirm that particular piece of Dream Disc game jam lore.) Well, Ross's publishing outfit Orc Face Games has finally announced that preorders are open for the physical Dream Disc release. The best part about this whole arrangement? The only thing you need to pay is the shipping fee. In my case, it only cost three measly Great British pounds, which is an absolute steal. If you're not based in the UK, though, Orc Face Games also ships internationally.
For those who have consigned their Dreamcast to a digital-only fate, there is also a digital .cdi version of this release which you can download right now, totally for free. Of course, all of the Dream Disc '24 entries were available digitally for free anyway, but this still gives you the chance to experience the glorious landing screen that Ross has put together, which is a loving homage to the magazine demos of old.
Orc Face also announced on their Twitter account that the disc should arrive with them this month, so if you pick up any other games alongside your Dream Disc preorder, they can be shipped out all at once. Perhaps a perfect opportunity to double up with a copy of the upcoming Chew Chew Mimic, which is now imminently due for release following a video update Ross provided towards the end of last month.
The final version of Chew Chew Mimic we will be recieving.
So, with the final echoes of Dream Disc ‘24 fading, the question on everyone’s mind is… will there be a Dream Disc ‘25 this December? The answer is yes! The organisers are still working out the details, but it’s definitely happening. In the meantime, feel free to stare longingly at this sleek new logo that Ross designed for the event.
Will you be preordering one of these Dream Disc '24 compilations? Are you looking forward to Dream Disc '25? Let us know on our socials or leave a comment below.
Well, this was a nice surprise! To mark the 26th anniversary of the Sega Dreamcast’s North American launch (the iconic 9.9.99), two-person indie studio Iced Lizard Games has released a Dreamcast port of their stylish ninja platformer Mute Crimson DX, fittingly renamed Mute Crimson DC. And the best part: it's totally free to play!
Mute Crimson can already be found on all the usual modern platforms (Steam, Xbox, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch) — so to see the Dreamcast being added to a lineup like that is wild. The Dreamcast's weak copy-protection may have been one of many factors that hindered its commercial success, but it's also the reason the console gets to live on more than two decades later, continuing to receive a steady stream of new indie titles and homebrew constantly.
So, what's Mute Crimson DC like? Well, it's a lot of fun! It's a one-hit death kind of platformer (like Super Meat Boy, Celeste, that kind of thing). You know, the kind with instant respawns and no fear of running out of lives, but a focus on timing precise jumps to reach the next platform. Miss a beat and you’ll be spectacularly splatted, but a second later you're back into the action. I’m also happy to report that the controls are tight and responsive as you slash, double jump and wall-climb through the game's various levels. If the challenge does prove to be slightly too much for you though, there's always an easy mode with more checkpoints. Oh, and there's also a save system.
The retro-inspired monochrome graphics, with their accents of crimson, look lovely on the Dreamcast, and the game runs fast, flawlessly, and with surprisingly little compromise. To achieve this level of performance, the developers did have to scale back a few things: particle effects were reduced, audio bitrate was lowered, rumble support was removed, and the modern versions’ rewind system was cut. These are all relatively minor concessions, however, and they do nothing to diminish the gameplay experience — especially if, like me, this Dreamcast version is your first time playing Mute Crimson.
Oh, and the cutscenes are charming and well illustrated, too.
If you want to play Mute Crimson DC, simply head over to the game's itch.io page and download the available .cdi file for play on your ODE (such as GDEMU or MODE), or for burning onto a CD-R.
Hopefully we will see more from Iced Lizard Games on the Dreamcast in the future, but if you do enjoy what you play of Mute Crimson DC, they have other games available on other platforms, including one planned for release in 2026.
Update (Friday 5th December 2025): The Star Fox 64 port for Sega Dreamcast is now available to play! Visit the project’s GitHub page to find a download as well as instructions on how to compile your own version for play on your Dreamcast.
In January, we asked the question: is 2025 the year of the Dreamcast port?
Yes. Yes it is. And undoubtedly the biggest force behind this trend is developer Jnmartin84, who has already brought extra-polished ports of both Doom 64 and Wipeout to the Sega Dreamcast. Now, as the Dreamcast community eagerly awaits the alpha release of his Mario Kart 64 port (which is apparently in its final bug-testing phase), Jnmartin has only gone and got another Nintendo 64 classic running on the system: Star Fox 64. Absolute mad lad.
I'm sure I don't need to explain what Nintendo's fifth-generation classic Star Fox 64 is — unless you're a European who entered a coma at the end of 1997, in which case, Lylat Wars is Star Fox 64. That trademark issue is no longer a thing. Oh yeah, and Sega's next console was called the Dreamcast... but it was a commercial failure, and it had issues with software piracy. But in a way that commercial failure is just one of many factors that still empower the passionate fan community to keep its legacy alive, and that piracy problem was actually what made homebrew development a lot more accessible than on other consoles of its era... Anyway, check out the footage below of Jnmartin84's impressive 48-hour Dreamcast StarFox 64 port.
UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!!!! While I've been working on fixing the last couple of bugs in the Mario Kart 64 DC port, getting us ready for the alpha release, jnmartin has gotten STAR FOX 64 up and running on the Sega Dreamcast in just two freaking days!?!?
So yeah, it's looking like Jnmartin84 has firmly set his sights on StarFox 64. This means that once his Mario Kart 64 port finally releases publicly in the coming weeks (or likely days, at the speed he works), work will then begin on porting Star Fox 64. And just like his previous porting projects, we can expect another top-notch job.
What do you think of all these ports to the Dreamcast? Let us know in the comments below or on our socials!
