Play Ray-Thunder Online
Dodge waves of bullets in a tiny ship, grab power-ups just to lose them seconds later, and hum that stupidly catchy stage music for days. Pure Game Boy chaos.
Ray-Thunder is one of those Game Boy shooters that somehow slipped under the radar—which is a shame, because it’s way more fun than it has any right to be. You’re piloting this little pixelated ship, weaving through enemy fire that starts off manageable before quickly spiraling into "how is this even possible?" territory. The controls are snappy, though, so at least your deaths feel fair.
It’s got that classic Gradius vibe—power-ups drop, your ship gets beefier, and then you immediately lose all your upgrades because some tiny bullet snuck past you. The music’s surprisingly catchy for a Game Boy title, too—I still catch myself humming the first stage theme. And yeah, the graphics are obviously limited, but there’s something charming about how the explosions look like little pixelated fireworks.
If you’ve got a soft spot for punishing retro shooters or just want to see what the Game Boy could really do, this one’s a solid pick. Just don’t blame me when you’re stuck on the third level for an hour.
Download Ray-Thunder ROM
You can download this ROM to play Ray-Thunder offline using an Game Boy emulator (Top Emulators).
*This ROM is provided for backup and educational purposes only.
