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After Burner II
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About After Burner II
Piloting an F-14 Tomcat allows players to engage enemy fighters using an infinite-ammunition machine gun and a limited supply of homing missiles. Navigating through 21 fast-moving stages requires dodging incoming fire while using 3D sprite-scaling technology to track targets. Success depends on maneuvering the jet to aim the gun and surviving waves of aerial combat.
Player layout in our catalog: 1P.
If you are exploring by feel rather than by title, jump from the tags above into the matching genre rooms, or return to the Arcade hall for the full wall.
Open Play on this page to start After Burner II. Keyboard, USB/Bluetooth pads, and the on-screen touch gamepad all work inside the emulator bar. Save states and fullscreen live on that same bar so you can pause mid-session and resume later.
After Burner II — play guide
What After Burner II is actually scoring
After Burner II (Sega) drops you into an F-14 across sprite-scaled stages with an always-on Vulcan and a finite missile rack. The cabinet is not a pure dodge toy: you must put the nose on targets, spend missiles on locks that matter, and survive stage transitions that refill pressure faster than they refill racks. Empty the missiles on the first formation and late stages become a gun-only survival exam. Treat After Burner II as throttle-and-aim discipline dressed as an afterburner fantasy.
First minutes in the F-14
Learn to steer the reticle through the jet, not the other way around—small stick corrections beat dramatic rolls that fly you into a stream. Guns are infinite; practice finishing damaged fighters with the Vulcan so missiles stay for locked clusters and bosses. When a lock tone is honest, fire; when it is not, keep flying and shooting. Stage 1 is for building that habit before the game starts stacking incoming from multiple depths.
Guns, missiles, and scaled stages
After Burner II’s stages scale enemies from distance into your face. The stick aims and dodges at once, so panic rolls steal aim time. Missile count is the real resource meter; some refills appear between stages, but they never excuse dumping the whole rack on popcorn. Ground and air threats share the path—tunnel vision on one fighter while a missile comes from off-axis is a common death. Continues buy practice on later stage layouts; they do not teach nose discipline by themselves.
Missile rationing and continues
Score climbs with destroyed craft and stage clears, but missile rationing decides whether a credit reaches the hard stages. Use continues while you learn which formations deserve a lock. Cut continues once you stop emptying the rack before the first real pressure spike. Extends, when the ruleset awards them, follow score—play clean rather than farming the opening loop forever.
Mistakes that end After Burner II credits
Dumping every missile in the first two minutes, ignoring Vulcan DPS, and over-rolling into bullets are the classic sinks. Another trap is chasing a single damaged fighter across the screen while a fresh wave locks onto you. Per credit, pick one focus: finish with guns, then only missile confirmed locks, then survive one late stage without a dry rack.
After After Burner II
Galaxy Force II and Thunder Blade keep Sega’s into-the-screen language with different cameras. Horizontal and vertical shmups such as Air Buster or Raiden teach bullet lace without the F-14 fantasy. Hang-On and OutRun are Sega sit-down cousins if you want roads instead of dogfights. Keep playing until panic-boost empties stop ending sessions mid-chase on later boards. Clear one full careful stage before you chase vanity loops again on later Sega boards.
Sources cited below under Further reading.
Cabinet dossier
After Burner II is filed in our catalog as a 1987 release.
Player layout on this cabinet: 1P.
Genre tags on Classic Arcade Games: Shooter.
Credit line lists Sega as developer.
Screenshots
Next cabinets
Nearby cabinets you may also open from this hall (each on its own play page):G-LOC Air Battle (World), Strike Fighter (World), Action Fighter, Bullet, Choplifter (8751 315-5151), Fantasy Zone II - The Tears of Opa-Opa (MC-8123, 317-0057), Fantasy Zone (Rev A, unprotected), Galaxy Force 2, Gain Ground (World, 3 Players, Floppy Based, FD1094 317-0058-03d Rev A), Heavy Metal (315-5135), SDI - Strategic Defense Initiative (Japan, newer, System 16A, FD1089B 317-0027), Sega Ninja (315-5102)
Explore more on this site
Same series
Same genre
G-LOC Air Battle (World) · Strike Fighter (World) · Action Fighter · Bullet · Choplifter (8751 315-5151) · Fantasy Zone II - The Tears of Opa-Opa (MC-8123, 317-0057) · Fantasy Zone (Rev A, unprotected) · Galaxy Force 2 · Gain Ground (World, 3 Players, Floppy Based, FD1094 317-0058-03d Rev A) · Heavy Metal (315-5135) · SDI - Strategic Defense Initiative (Japan, newer, System 16A, FD1089B 317-0027) · Sega Ninja (315-5102)
Same studio
G-LOC Air Battle (World) · Strike Fighter (World) · Action Fighter · Bullet · Choplifter (8751 315-5151) · Fantasy Zone II - The Tears of Opa-Opa (MC-8123, 317-0057) · Fantasy Zone (Rev A, unprotected) · Galaxy Force 2 · Gain Ground (World, 3 Players, Floppy Based, FD1094 317-0058-03d Rev A) · Heavy Metal (315-5135) · SDI - Strategic Defense Initiative (Japan, newer, System 16A, FD1089B 317-0027) · Sega Ninja (315-5102)
How to play After Burner II online
- Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start.
- USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
- On phones, open the on-screen pad from the emulator bar; rotate sits next to fullscreen.
- Save states, load, volume, and fullscreen stay on the emulator bar between credits.
Studio notes — Sega
Sega appears on this cabinet’s credit line. Browse more titles from the same studio on the developer shelf, or stay on this page and try the next cabinets in the same hall.
G-LOC Air Battle (World) · Strike Fighter (World) · Action Fighter · Bullet · Choplifter (8751 315-5151) · Fantasy Zone II - The Tears of Opa-Opa (MC-8123, 317-0057) · Fantasy Zone (Rev A, unprotected) · Galaxy Force 2
Questions about After Burner II
Can I play After Burner II free in a browser?
Yes. Classic Arcade Games hosts After Burner II as a Arcade cabinet you can start on this page. The emulator loads in the browser; you do not need to install a separate app.
What controls does After Burner II support?
Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start. USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
Are there other games in the same series as After Burner II?
Yes — related series cabinets on this site include G-LOC Air Battle (World), Strike Fighter (World). Each has its own play page with the same browser emulator path.
Further reading
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