18 Best PC Engine CD Games for Handheld Emulation

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The PC Engine CD-ROM² was the first CD add-on for a home console, and it opened the door to voice acting, arranged soundtracks, and animated cutscenes years ahead of the pack. Known as the TurboGrafx-CD in the West, it hosted some of the best shooters and RPGs of its era, and many of them never left Japan. Emulation runs through the Beetle PCE core, which is light enough for almost any handheld. You will need the system's CD BIOS in place, then the whole library opens up.

We frame all of this around games you already own and want to preserve.

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Action and Platformers

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine CD) — Widely regarded as one of the best Castlevania games ever made. Gorgeous art, branching stages, and a killer soundtrack. A must-play.

Ys Book I & II (PC Engine CD) — A landmark action RPG with full voice acting and an all-time-great soundtrack. Smooth, fast, and endlessly charming.

Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (PC Engine CD) — Many fans' favorite classic Ys. Beautiful CD music and tight action. A Japan-only gem now easy to enjoy.

Valis III (PC Engine CD) — A stylish action-platformer with anime cutscenes. A showcase for the CD hardware.

Cotton (PC Engine CD) — A charming cute-em-up with a witch and CD-quality tunes. Fast and delightful.

Shooters

Gate of Thunder (PC Engine CD) — A blistering horizontal shooter with a pounding soundtrack. One of the best shmups on the system.

Lords of Thunder (PC Engine CD) — A fantasy shooter with a legendary rock soundtrack. Loud, heavy, and brilliant.

Star Parodier (PC Engine CD) — A cheerful, colorful shooter and spin-off of Star Soldier. Great fun in short bursts.

Sylphia (PC Engine CD) — A gorgeous vertical shooter with a fantasy theme. A hidden gem.

Spriggan (PC Engine CD) — A polished shooter with a strong upgrade system. A shmup fan favorite.

RPGs and Adventure

Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes (PC Engine CD) — A warm, classic JRPG with lovely CD music. A great long-session game you can save between chapters.

Cosmic Fantasy 2 (PC Engine CD) — One of the few CD RPGs localized for the West. Charming, dramatic, and voiced.

Snatcher (PC Engine CD) — Hideo Kojima's cyberpunk adventure with full voice acting. A cult landmark.

Exile (PC Engine CD) — A dark action RPG with an unusual tone. A cult favorite for adventurous players.

Arcade and Deep Cuts

Splatterhouse (PC Engine CD) — The gory horror beat 'em up in a strong CD version. Loud, tough, and fun.

Fantasy Zone (PC Engine CD) — The cheerful cute-em-up shooter in a lovely port. Perfect pick-up-and-play.

Forgotten Worlds (PC Engine CD) — A Capcom rotating-shooter arcade port. A fun, unusual blaster.

Download 2 (PC Engine CD) — A slick cyberpunk shooter with great music. A stylish deep cut.

A Note on PC Engine CD Emulation

The Beetle PCE core handles both HuCard games and CD titles, and it is light enough for any modern handheld. CD games need the system BIOS file set up first, which is a one-time step. After that, the arranged soundtracks and voice acting play back exactly as they did on the original hardware. This is a library full of games that were expensive and rare, now easy to preserve and enjoy.