HardBall!
A landmark action game for the Sega Genesis, HardBall! combines tight controls with engaging gameplay. Its enduring appeal lies in the perfect balance of challenge and reward.
- Developer
- Ballistic
- Released
- 1991
- Platform
- Mega Drive
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 2P
- Rating
- 4.8 / 5 (895)
- Last updated
HardBall! Controls — Mega Drive Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for HardBall! on our in-browser Mega Drive emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
| Keyboard | Console button | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | D-Pad Up | Move up |
| ↓ | D-Pad Down | Move down |
| ← | D-Pad Left | Move left |
| → | D-Pad Right | Move right |
| X | A | Primary action (jump / confirm) |
| Z | B | Secondary action (attack / cancel) |
| S | C | Tertiary action |
| A | X | Quaternary action |
| Q | Y | Fifth button |
| W | Z | Sixth button |
| Enter | Start | Start / Pause |
These bindings cover the 6-button Mega Drive controller. Most older titles only use buttons A/B/C; the extra X/Y/Z buttons matter for Street Fighter II and other 6-button fighters.
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
HardBall! Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of HardBall! on Mega Drive before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"HardBall!" Mega Drive longplay 1991
HardBall! Cheat Codes
18 community-curated cheats for HardBall!. Tick any to activate them automatically when you click "Play with cheats" — or copy a code into your own emulator.
-
Balls Modifier
FFFF25:XXFFFF24:0000 -
Strikes Modifier
FFFF27:XXFFFF26:0000 -
Outs Modifier
FFFF29:XXFFFF28:0000 -
Batter Stance Modifier
FFFF21:XXFFFF20:0000 -
Pitchers don't get tired
RF0T-A60J -
Infinite innings
AKSA-AA3E -
Infinite outs
AL5A-AA6A+AK5T-AA9AAL5T-AA9E+AL6A-AA7R -
Infinite strikes
AK5T-AA7RAK5T-AA7W -
Infinite balls
AK5T-AA6AAK5T-AA6E -
Only need 1 strike for a strikeout
AF5T-AAF8+AF2T-AADJAF2T-AADN+AF5T-AAGC+AGGA-AAG8 -
Only need 2 strikes for a strikeout
AK5T-AAF8+AK2T-AADJAK2T-AADN+AK5T-AAGC+ALGA-AAG8 -
Must get 4 strikes for a strikeout
AV5T-AAF8+AV2T-AADJAV2T-AADN+AV5T-AAGC+AWGA-AAG8
Show 6 more cheats Show fewer
-
Must get 5 strikes for a strikeout
AZ5T-AAF8+AZ2T-AADJAZ2T-AADN+AZ5T-AAGC+A0GA-AAG8 -
Only need 1 ball for a walk
AF5T-AAE2+AF2T-AAEA+AGHT-AABC+AGNA-AAAW+AGSA-AAHAAF2T-AAEE+AF5T-AAE6+AGHT-AADJ+AGNA-AAC2+AGST-AACY -
Only need 2 balls for a walk
AK5T-AAE2+AK2T-AAEA+ALHT-AABC+ALNA-AAAW+ALSA-AAHAAK2T-AAEE+AK5T-AAE6+ALHT-AADJ+ALNA-AAC2+ALST-AACY -
Only need 3 balls for a walk
AP5T-AAE2+AP2T-AAEA+ARHT-AABC+ARNA-AAAW+ARSA-AAHAAP2T-AAEE+AP5T-AAE6+ARHT-AADJ+ARNA-AAC2+ARST-AACY -
Need 5 balls for a walk
AZ5T-AAE2+AZ2T-AAEA+A0HT-AABC+A0NA-AAAW+A0SA-AAHAAZ2T-AAEE+AZ5T-AAE6+A0HT-AADJ+A0NA-AAC2+A0ST-AACY -
Need 6 balls for a walk
A35T-AAE2+A32T-AAEA+A4HT-AABC+A4NA-AAAW+A4SA-AAHAA32T-AAEE+A35T-AAE6+A4HT-AADJ+A4NA-AAC2+A4ST-AACY
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was HardBall! released?
HardBall! was released in 1991 for the Mega Drive.
Who developed HardBall!?
HardBall! was developed by Ballistic, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does HardBall! support?
HardBall! supports up to 2 players, ideal for couch co-op or competitive sessions on the Mega Drive.
What type of game is HardBall!?
HardBall! is a Action game for the Mega Drive, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play HardBall! for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — HardBall! runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play HardBall! in the browser?
No. HardBall! streams from a public archive into a browser-side Mega Drive emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in HardBall!?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original Mega Drive cartridge supported.
Does HardBall! work on mobile devices?
Yes — the Mega Drive emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play HardBall! this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of HardBall!. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
