Sega has put dozens of its Master System, Genesis, Saturn, and other console titles onto modern game stores over the years. But, like that Dreamcast controller stashed in your childhood garage, they’re about to disappear—and getting them back will cost you a nostalgia tax.
Those who have purchased any of the more than 60 games listed by Sega from Steam, Xbox, Nintendo’s Switch store, and the PlayStation store will still have them after 11:59 pm Pacific time on Dec. 26. But after that, for reasons that Sega does not make explicit, they will be “delisted and unavailable.” Titles specific to the Nintendo Switch Online “Expansion Pack” subscription will remain.
As PC Gamer has suggested, and which makes the most sense, this looks like Sega is getting ready to offer up new “classics” collections on these storefronts. Sega previously rearranged its store shelves to pull Sonic games from online stores and then offer up Sonic Origins. The title underwhelmed Ars at the time and managed to pack in some DLC pitches.
Sega already offers a few bundles and collections in Steam, like the Mega Drive and Genesis Classics and Dreamcast Collection. As with individual titles, buyers will retain access to them, even after Sega comes back around with new bundles.
Shining in the Darkness might be the turn-based retro RPG missing from your collection (for 99 cents).
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Sega
So if you’ve felt like you wanted to reclaim some Sega moments now, piecemeal, while you still can, the Ars writers can suggest a few places to look. These are links to the Steam store, and are mostly Windows-only, though they can often work through Proton on Linux or Steam Deck, and some work with older mac OS versions. Xbox has a smaller list, while PlayStation and Nintendo offer only the Mega Drive Classics at the moment.