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Three Player Arcade Games

Typical arcade cabinets allow two players to play side by side either cooperatively or against each other. In some rare instances, however, special arcade cabinets have been created that allow three or more players to play simultaneously. Although arcades are no longer as popular as they were in the 1990s when they could outperform home consoles, you will still find some of these machines in working condition. They are usually prized by collectors, so if you want to buy one of your own, be prepared to spend the money and make sure you have enough space for it.

Licensed Games
- Games based on movie licenses have a reputation for being subpar. Usually these games don't live up to expectations because they were rushed out to coincide with the movie release. The movie "Michael Jackson: Moonwalker" is a 1988 film about the pop star but was more like a series of clips and music videos than a cohesive story. The arcade game by the same name allowed up to three players to battle their way through a city using dance moves to thwart enemies. The game featured music by Michael Jackson and even allowed the players' characters to transform into giant robots when they came into contact with "Bubbles," the pet chimpanzee owned by Jackson.
Racing Games
- Three-player arcade games are mostly cooperative to avoid the unfairness of two players ganging up on the remaining one, but this isn't a problem in racing games. "Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off Road" allows up to three players to race against each other. There are four cars on the track at the same time, with the arcade machine being in control of Ivan Stewart. You can choose your nationality at the start of the game, and there is a total of 16 different track combinations on which to challenge competitors. The game was released in 1989.
Fighting Games
- Taking on hordes of enemies with a friend is already fun, but some arcade fighting games took this even further with three-player support. These games are the cooperative kind and not the one-on-one fighting games such as "Street Fighter 2." One of the best examples is the 1994 title "Alien Vs Predator," which allows you to team up with two friends and battle aliens. There are four characters to choose from, two human and two Predators, each with their own special abilities. Weapons are also scattered throughout the stages to help you in the fight against the aliens. The game is made by Capcom and runs on the CPS-2 arcade hardware.
Shooter Games
- Shooter games were popular in the '90s, but there were not many available that supported three players simultaneously. "Mercs" came out in 1990 and placed you in control of one of the members of a mercenary team called "Wolf Force." You are given a gun with unlimited ammunition, but you can also pick up new weapons such as flamethrowers along the way. Some levels even give you the ability to drive vehicles such as tanks and jeeps.

Classic Console Games