So you’ve come here to find the best Sega CD emulators have ya? Well… you’ve come to the right place.
As discussed in our article about All Sega Consoles & Handhelds In Order, the Sega CD is a pretty interesting milestone in the history of Sega’s video game consoles.
In its short lived time on the market, Sega delivered over 200 game titles for the Sega CD / Mega CD peripheral.
Games like Sonic CD, The Secret of Monkey Island, Star Wars Rebel Assault, Night Trap, and more.
You may not have known that you can play some of the Best SEGA CD Games on a lot of the Best Handheld Games Consoles Of 2022.
But, perhaps you are someone looking to play some of those classic game titles directly on your home computer. Or maybe you have yet to take the leap into the wonderful world of portable emulation.
Whatever the reason, we have a handful of amazing options for you to emulate your favorite Sega CD game titles.
So let’s get right into it… here’s our list of the best Sega CD emulators of 2022!
Table of Contents
4. Gens+ REWiND!
Gens+ REWiND! is an emulation solution that covers all things Sega from the 16bit through 64bit eras.
So that means Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis 32X, AND Sega SegaCD/MegaCD… all on your Windows PC.
It is an evolution from the original Gens and Gens Plus! apps, which were also popular Windows emulators, but as the name suggests we also get a new important feature…
The feature that makes Gens+ REWiND! stand out is its real-time rewinding functionality.
This is a function present in many all-in-one emulation solutions, including many emulation handhelds.
But the function is not something that was so common a long time ago in the emulation scene, and it’s even more difficult to achieve in CD-ROM based gaming.
So if you’re looking to emulate golden era Sega consoles, and you like the ability to rewind time and undo your mistakes, Gens+ REWiND! is gonna be a great solution for you.
3. Kega Fusion
Kega Fusion is one of the most popular Sega emulators out there.
The developers behind the comprehensive app really covered all bases when it comes to retro Sega:
Sega SG1000, SC3000, SF7000, Master System, Game Gear, Genesis/Megadrive, Pico, SegaCD/MegaCD and Sega 32X. Did they miss anything!?
Whether you’re on Windows, Mac or Linux, Kega Fusion is absolutely one of the best all-Sega-in-one emulators you can use.
It was created way back in 2010 and has not seen updates since then, but it didn’t really need any. It still has a pretty high compatibility rate.
And seems to play most Sega CD titles with ease. Exactly what we need.
2. Genesis Plus GX
Genesis Plus GX is widely considered the absolute best Sega emulator and is the core used for RetroArch.
Genesis Plus GX focuses on Sega Mega Drive, Sega CD, Master System, Game Gear, and SG-1000 games.
And they also claim 100% compatibility, so that’s a pretty big claim.
The original app was developed to use on a hacked Nintendo GameCube or Nintendo Wii, and it has been ported to also work on Windows.
So if you are in the market for a standalone emulator to play your favorite Sega games, Genesis Plus GX is probably the number one solution.
But, if you prefer a more all encompassing solution for emulation, then get a load of this.
1. RetroArch
We almost want to avoid repeating ourselves and just skip on RetroArch when compiling lists of best emulators.
But the reality is… it’s just that much of an obvious answer to all of your emulation needs.
As an all-in-one emulator that has nearly every game console you can imagine contained within one app… it’s hard to go wrong here.
RetroArch can also manage your Sega CD emulation using the Genesis Plus GX core.
So whether you’re on Windows, Mac, Linux, whatever; there’s a port of RetroArch, and it can play all of your Sega CD games plus a ton more.
It is the reason why most emulators feature RetroArch at the core of their operation, and it is the reason RetroArch just keeps taking the number one spot on almost every emulation list we have.
Nobody has knocked the king off their throne yet, and it’s unlikely anybody will anytime soon.
RetroArch, you did it again.
