That clip up top is the real Virtua Fighter 3tb — the actual 1996 Sega Model 3 game from its publisher. Grab the free RetroPlayers.Club Player and it runs full-speed on your PC, no cartridge required.
The RetroPlayers.Club Player is a Premium perk. Go Premium or sign in to play Virtua Fighter 3tb at full speed on your own PC.
Virtua Fighter 3tb can be relived on your own PC through the free RetroPlayers.Club Player app — full speed, with a controller and saves just like your hardware. You confirm you own the game from your library, and no need to connect your console.
🎮 Bluetooth Controller? Click Here
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| B (bottom) | X | Bottom face |
| A (right) | Z | Right face |
| Y (left) | S | Left face |
| X (top) | A | Top face |
| L | Q | Left shoulder |
| R | E | Right shoulder |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Select | V | Select |
These are the keys the RetroPlayers.Club Player app uses for Sega Arcade, shown for reference. Your controller still lights up below so you can confirm it is detected — Premium members can remap here (keyboard or USB controller) and the app applies the map at the next launch.
No controller detected yet — plug one in and press any button.
Press buttons — your controller lights up here so you can see it is detected. Go Premium to save a custom map.
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Up | W | Stick up |
| Down | S | Stick down |
| Left | A | Stick left |
| Right | D | Stick right |
| Punch | J | Arcade button 1 |
| Kick | K | Arcade button 2 |
| Guard | L | Arcade button 3 |
| Escape | U | Arcade button 4 |
| Start | F | Start |
| Coin | Shift | Arcade coin |
First registered run claims the top spot. It won't stay easy for long.
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Released originally in arcades, Virtua Fighter 3 was the first arcade game to run on the Sega Model 3 system board. The use of this new hardware gave the game revolutionary graphics for its time.
How to Play Virtua Fighter 3tb
Here is the default control layout for Virtua Fighter 3tb in the RetroPlayers.Club Player. Open Controller Mapping in the app to reassign anything to your own keys or gamepad.
The Story Behind Virtua Fighter 3tb
The game also introduced the ability to move in three dimensions to the series with the dodge move, a feature that was apparently added fairly late in development, as Suzuki said in an interview held during the third quarter of 1995: "The fact that the game is 2D from the player's perspective probably won't change in VF3. According to insiders, this cartridge was being designed by Lockheed Martin Corporation and based on the same Real3D chipset used in their upcoming 3D accelerator card for PCs that was being done in collaboration with Silicon Graphics and Intel (and based on years of experience on the docking simulations of the Apollo CSM with NASA). By this time the development was focused on fine-tuning the timing of the moves and sensitivity of the buttons.
Developed by Yu Suzuki's Sega AM2, it was a revolutionary game from a technical standpoint, with its detailed graphics earning widespread praise. Sega displayed non-playable demos of Lau Chan, Dural, and new character Aoi Umenokoji, who was unveiled for the first time at the show. The game was unveiled at Tokyo's AOU show in February 1996.
What You'll Play
In Japan, it was the fourth highest-grossing arcade game of 1996 and the overall highest-grossing arcade game of 1997. VFs alternative, with buttons for punch, kick, defend and dodge, while perhaps not offering the same scope for multiple attack movements, allows you to control the characters with unrivalled grace." GameSpots James Mielke praised the Dreamcast version, awarding it 8.2/10, saying "Virtua Fighter fans will find all they need neatly wrapped in this package". Jeff Lundrigan reviewed the Dreamcast version of Virtua Fighter 3tb for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated: "A peek beneath the exterior shows that it's still got all the right moves – the question is, will you look?" In a 2019 retrospective, German magazine MAN!AC ranked Virtua Fighter 3tb 12th among its 25 best Dreamcast games.
The fighters all enter to achieve their personal goals. It was more successful than Namco's rival Tekken 3 (1997) in Japan, although Tekken 3 was more successful worldwide. In North America, Virtua Fighter 3 had a successful launch in September 1996, drawing large crowds at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show, where it was the most anticipated game.
Why It Still Hits
It hit the top of the arcade charts in Japan upon release, despite initially appearing almost solely in arcades owned by Sega itself, due to the cabinet's high price. Judgement 6, an organization seeking global domination, are hosting a third fighting tournament. In the arcades, the game was very successful, to the point where the profits from this game and Virtua Fighter 4 helped recoup the losses Sega received from the commercial failure of Shenmue.
Worldwide, the game sold 30,000 arcade cabinets by 1997, including 18,000 in Japan and 12,000 overseas. Allgame's Cal Nguyen, however, compared the Dreamcast version unfavorably with Soul Calibur. In North America, Virtua Fighter 3 had a successful launch in September 1996, drawing large crowds at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show, where it was the most anticipated game.
Virtua Fighter 3tb — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to download anything to play Virtua Fighter 3tb?
Yes — Sega Model 3 games run in the RetroPlayers.Club Player desktop app, a quick free download. The video on this page is real Virtua Fighter 3tb gameplay so you know exactly what you are getting before you install.
Can I remap the controls in Virtua Fighter 3tb?
Absolutely. Inside the app, Controller Mapping lets you change every Virtua Fighter 3tb binding to whatever keyboard keys or pad buttons you prefer.
Who developed Virtua Fighter 3tb?
Virtua Fighter 3tb was developed by its developer and published by its publisher.
How do I play Virtua Fighter 3tb?
Grab the free RetroPlayers.Club Player linked on this page and launch Virtua Fighter 3tb in it. It plays the genuine Sega Model 3 game natively on your computer; the clip above is a live preview.