It Came from the Desert
It Came from the Desert remains one of the finest action experiences on the Sega Genesis. Its innovative design and addictive gameplay have earned it a permanent place in gaming history.
- Developer
- Cinemaware
- Released
- 1989
- Platform
- Mega Drive
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 1P
- Rating
- 4.6 / 5 (511)
- Last updated
It Came from the Desert Controls — Mega Drive Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for It Came from the Desert 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.
It Came from the Desert Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of It Came from the Desert 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
"It Came from the Desert" Mega Drive longplay 1989
It Came from the Desert Cheat Codes
13 community-curated cheats for It Came from the Desert. Tick any to activate them automatically when you click "Play with cheats" — or copy a code into your own emulator.
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Infinite Time
FFC245:63AA4T-NACWFFC244:0063 -
Infinite Health P1
FFC267:3FFFC266:003F -
Infinite Lives
AT5A-NA8CFF000A:0002 -
Infinite Energy
AXZA-LA54FFC266:0050 -
Freeze Time
A24T-NA4TFFC244:0028 -
Infinite Green Grenades
FF0014:0063 -
Infinite Red Grenades
FF0016:0063 -
Invincible
FFC1CE:00FF -
Protection From Ants
ATAT-NA5C -
Protection From Ant Queen
AABT-NAA4 -
Protection From Granades
AD9T-LADG -
Protection From Sand Creatures
AXZA-LA54
Show 1 more cheats Show fewer
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Infinite Energy Extra
ATAT-NA5C+AX9T-LA5E
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was It Came from the Desert released?
It Came from the Desert was released in 1989 for the Mega Drive.
Who developed It Came from the Desert?
It Came from the Desert was developed by Cinemaware, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does It Came from the Desert support?
It Came from the Desert is a single-player Action game for the Mega Drive.
What type of game is It Came from the Desert?
It Came from the Desert is a Action game for the Mega Drive, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play It Came from the Desert for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — It Came from the Desert runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play It Came from the Desert in the browser?
No. It Came from the Desert streams from a public archive into a browser-side Mega Drive emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in It Came from the Desert?
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 It Came from the Desert 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 It Came from the Desert this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of It Came from the Desert. 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.
