Thunder Force III
A landmark action game for the Sega Genesis, Thunder Force III combines tight controls with engaging gameplay. Its enduring appeal lies in the perfect balance of challenge and reward.
- Developer
- Technosoft
- Platform
- Mega Drive
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 1P
- Rating
- 4.4 / 5 (1.9K)
- Last updated
Thunder Force III Controls — Mega Drive Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Thunder Force III 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.
Thunder Force III Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Thunder Force III 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
"Thunder Force III" Mega Drive longplay
Thunder Force III Cheat Codes
30 community-curated cheats for Thunder Force III. Tick any to activate them automatically when you click "Play with cheats" — or copy a code into your own emulator.
-
MASTER CODE--MUST BE ENTERED
RYBT-A6XY -
Start with 2 fighters
AECA-AAH8 -
Start with 7 fighters
A2CA-AAH8 -
Start with 10 fighters
BECA-AAH8 -
Infinite fighters
A3AT-AA7R -
Start with 2 credits instead of 7
AECA-AAF8 -
Start with 5 credits
ATCA-AAF8 -
Start with 13 credits
BTCA-AAF8 -
Infinite credits
A2FT-AA8C -
Keep special weapon power when you lose a fighter
AKAT-AA8R -
Start with all special weapons available
9TCA-BGSR+D6CA-AAHT+96CA-AAHW -
Never get special weapons ability
AKAA-AA6W
Show 18 more cheats Show fewer
-
Infinite Lives
AVAT-AA7RRZAT-A6Y6 -
Invincibility
RZAT-A6Y0RZAT-A6YG -
Master Code
REBT-A6XY -
Invincibility Shield
RZAT-A6YW -
one hit and your untouchable
RZAT-A6Y2 -
when the game starts push B to go to the next level
AZKT-AACN -
Enemies Die With One Hit
AZBT-AADY -
Infinite Ships P1
FFF2B4:0009FFF2B5:09 -
Shield
FFA802:0001 -
Claws
FFA802:0001 -
Control Pad selector
FFF342:0000 -
no flashing
AAMA-AAPE -
you can still move when you lose a life
AAMA-AA2G+AAMA-AAZT -
Haides music plays at the title screen and Ellis music plays at the stage select screen and Orn Core plays when the game is over
AKKA-AA20 -
no enemies
AF5A-AAAN -
Turbo controller
AVFA-AAZY -
Invincibility (Disable Hit Detection)
RY9T-A6W0+RZAT-A6XA -
Master Code (Improved)
72CA-B76J
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed Thunder Force III?
Thunder Force III was developed by Technosoft, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Thunder Force III support?
Thunder Force III is a single-player Action game for the Mega Drive.
What type of game is Thunder Force III?
Thunder Force III is a Action game for the Mega Drive, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Thunder Force III for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Thunder Force III runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Thunder Force III in the browser?
No. Thunder Force III streams from a public archive into a browser-side Mega Drive emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Thunder Force III?
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 Thunder Force III 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 Thunder Force III this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Thunder Force III. 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.
