Propeller Arena is finally playable Online

25 years ago, a game developed by SEGA AM2 was about to be released on Dreamcast. Sadly, a tragic event ended the project just days before its launch. The September 11, 2001 attacks condemned this future SEGA Hit with the unique name Propeller Arena.

SEGA then decided to cancel the project because one of the levels takes place in a fictional city that could recreate the World Trade Center attacks. It was too late for the blue hedgehog company to simply remove the problematic map and release a version of Propeller Arena without that level. The launch preparations were already too far along, with some rumors even suggesting that copies of the game had already been produced and were ready for distribution.

This Arcade-style double-A game, initially known as Propeller Head Online or Propeller Arena Battle 2045, puts the player in control of customized World War II planes such as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, North American P-51 Mustang, Supermarine Spitfire, and Messerschmitt Bf 109. In total, eight caricatured pilots—each paired with their distinctive aircraft—are playable.

The goal—simple yet addictive—is to pilot your plane through a variety of wacky arenas, such as the summit of an erupting volcano, and defeat opponents using Power-Ups scattered throughout the levels. Dreamcast fans were especially looking forward to Propeller Arena for its Online multiplayer, which promised far more excitement than its relatively standard solo campaign.

Today, after more than two decades of waiting, this game is finally playable online thanks to Flyinghead and Shuouma. Their recent Reverse Engineering work on Outtrigger and Bomberman for the Dreamcast to bring them back online made it possible to unlock Propeller Arena’s online multiplayer, which had remained inaccessible since the leak of its first prototype in the early 2000s.

Although the servers are still in their infancy and currently very unstable, their performance should improve over the coming months—especially if as many people as possible start playing.

Whether you’re using the Flycast emulator or a real Dreamcast equipped with the Broadband Adapter (recommended), join the SEGA Online community on their Discord to find fellow players, download the Propeller Arena build dated September 11, 2001, from the page [Seven new Propeller Arena Dreamcast prototypes on the horizon], and launch the game with no additional setup required.

Enjoy Propeller Arena’s Online mode to the fullest and think to yourself: this is exactly what we should have been experiencing back in 2001, if only…