Play Thunder Dragon Online

Game Overview

Thunder Dragon is one of those classic arcade shooters where you’re basically a tiny helicopter against an entire army of sci-fi nonsense—mechs, spaceships, tanks, you name it. The first stage throws waves of enemies at you while this intense synth soundtrack kicks in, and honestly, it’s chaos in the best way.

You start with a pea shooter, but grabbing those numbered power-ups changes everything. I always go for the wide shot first—it’s not the strongest, but covering half the screen with bullets feels unfair (in a good way). The bombs are your panic button, wiping the screen clean when things get too messy. And they will.

Eight stages, each with a ridiculous boss at the end. Some of them fill the screen with bullets, others just try to ram you. Either way, it’s the kind of game where you’ll lean into the cabinet by stage 3. Perfect for co-op too, if you’ve got a friend willing to share quarters.