Play After Burner Online

After Burner came to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989, a port of Sega's arcade hit. It was one of those games that tried to bring a flashy, fast-paced cabinet experience home, even if the hardware couldn't quite match the original's spectacle. You got the sense they were pushing the NES to its limits, aiming for that feeling of being in a cockpit surrounded by chaos.

You pilot an F-14 Tomcat, weaving through enemy formations and ground targets across a forced-scrolling landscape. The main goal is survival; you shoot down enemy jets, avoid their missiles, and try not to crash into the terrain or obstacles. Signature mechanics include a limited supply of special missiles for tougher foes and a speed control that lets you briefly surge forward or slow down to navigate tight spots. The pace is frantic, the difficulty steep, with enemies swarming from all directions. It feels like a constant, tense scramble to keep your bearings and your plane in one piece.