Thunderhawk
Sega CD · 1992
About this game
Thunderhawk (AH-3 Thunderstrike in North America) is a combat flight simulator video game developed by Core Design and released for the Amiga and DOS in 1992, for the Sega CD in 1993 and for Microsoft Windows in 1996.
In the game the player flies a fictional AH-73M attack helicopter.
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The game consists of several campaigns for each one of ten world areas.
The campaigns are themed around real events or activities in these areas (e.g. escorting a UN humanitarian convoy during the Bosnian War, fighting pirates in the South China Sea, etc.)
A typical campaign consists of four or five missions.
Each mission has a primary objective that must be completed to successfully complete the mission, there are other targets in each missions such as tanks and SAM launchers but these are only used to help the player boost their score.
The primary target is usually a major structure like an enemy base or a bridge.
Usually the player is equipped with a standard set of weapons - 16 missiles, 76 rockets, and a machine gun with unlimited ammunition.
On some special missions the rockets are replaced by a weapon that is critical to the success of that particular mission, such as a runway cratering system when the primary objective is to destroy an airbase or a bomb when destruction of a bridge is the primary objective.
The control system for Thunderhawk was fairly unique for the platforms supporting a mouse.
It used the mouse for basic control, plus some keyboard input for rarely used commands.
Moving the mouse would tilt the helicopter in the specified direction, and make it start moving in that direction.
Pressing the left mouse button fires weapons.
When the right mouse button was held, moving the mouse up and down changed altitude, while side to side yawed the helicopter side to side.
About Sega CD
Known as the Mega-CD outside North America, the Sega CD (1991/1992) was Sega's CD-ROM add-on for the Genesis, offering full-motion video games that felt cutting-edge at the time but haven't all aged gracefully. Bulky, fragile packaging and a relatively short commercial life make complete Sega CD sets — case, manual, and the disc itself — a meaningful step up in difficulty from Genesis cartridge collecting.
Gamevaro tracks Thunderhawk for Sega CD with separate market values for loose, complete-in-box (CIB) and factory-sealed copies, sourced from real eBay sales. Prices also vary by region — PAL, NTSC-U and NTSC-J releases of the same game often sell for different amounts due to print run sizes and regional collector demand.
Adding Thunderhawk to a Gamevaro collection takes seconds — search by title or scan the box barcode, and the app fills in cover art, release details and current pricing automatically. This SCD release dates back to 1992.
Market values by condition
NTSC-U
Recent sales
| Date | Type | Region | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-17 | Loose / Item only | NTSC-U | €26.15 |
Rarity & condition
Only a handful of market sales have been tracked for Thunderhawk, suggesting it doesn't trade hands very often — a sign of relative scarcity compared to more common Sega CD titles.
Complete-in-box (CIB) copies typically command a premium over loose cartridges/discs because the original box and manual are more fragile and get discarded or damaged over time — fewer complete sets survive.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Thunderhawk worth?
Thunderhawk for Sega CD is currently worth €26.15 loose. Prices are based on real sales and update regularly on Gamevaro.
Is Thunderhawk rare?
Thunderhawk has only a handful of tracked market sales, suggesting relative scarcity compared to more common Sega CD titles.
What's the difference between loose, CIB and sealed for Thunderhawk?
Loose means cartridge or disc only, CIB (complete in box) includes the original box and manual, and sealed means factory-sealed and never opened. These are tracked as separate market values because the price gap between them can be significant, especially for older releases.
Ratings & Reviews
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