Road Rash II

Race dirty, fight dirtier. Road Rash II is Electronic Arts' 1992 Genesis classic that fused motorcycle racing with all-out brawling — punch, club, and chain your rivals off their bikes while flying down open highways. You can ride all five U.S. courses right here in your browser, free and with nothing to install. Hit the Play button, twist the throttle, and start rashing. Here's everything you need to know.

What Is Road Rash II?

Road Rash II is a combat motorcycle-racing game released by Electronic Arts in 1992 for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive. The sequel to the original Road Rash, it builds on the same fast, scaling-road engine while adding weapons, faster bikes, and new modes — and it became one of the most fondly remembered titles in the series.

The concept is gloriously unserious: you're a biker competing in a string of illegal street races across the United States. There's no pretense of simulation — this is arcade racing where winning often means beating your opponents senseless as much as out-riding them.

Gameplay

You start at the back of the pack and have to finish in the top three across five tracks to advance. You climb the standings two ways: ride brilliantly, or play dirty — swinging fists, clubs, crowbars, and the new chain to knock rival bikers down. The other racers fight back just as hard, so every race is part time trial, part road brawl.

The roads are alive with hazards: two-way traffic, police cruisers, oil slicks, and even stray cows. Crash or get knocked off and you'll have to sprint back to your bike, losing precious time and damaging your machine. Wreck near the cops and you can get busted, forcing you to forfeit the race.

Win races and you earn cash and promotion to tougher divisions, where you can buy faster, sturdier bikes to keep pace with stronger rivals.

What's New in Road Rash II

The sequel introduced features that became series staples:

• Weapons — the new chain joins the club, giving you more ways to knock riders down, with each weapon dealing set damage.
• Nitrous oxide bikes — certain bikes pack a nitro boost for bursts of speed beyond their top end.
• New game modes — including a true split-screen two-player race and a one-on-one "Mano a Mano" duel where you pick bike, weapon, and track length.
• Five U.S. settings — race across Alaska, Hawaii, Tennessee, Arizona, and Vermont on progressively longer roads.
• A streamlined menu and shorter passwords for easier saving and navigation.

How to Play

Press the Play button on this page and give Road Rash II a moment to reach its menu — a Genesis cartridge holds far more data than an 8-bit one, so the first load takes a little longer. Then:

1. Twist the throttle to accelerate and weave through traffic.
2. Attack rivals with punches and weapons to knock them down.
3. Grab weapons from opponents when you can — the chain hits hardest.
4. Use nitro (on equipped bikes) for a burst of speed to overtake.
5. Finish top-three to earn cash, buy better bikes, and climb the divisions.

Road Rash II asks your hands to do two things at once — hold the throttle down while swinging at the rider alongside you — so input matters more here than in most Genesis games. The keyboard mapping below covers it, and a controller connected over USB or Bluetooth is picked up on its own with the three face buttons already in sensible places. Phones and tablets get the on-screen Genesis pad, where the trick is keeping the throttle held while your other thumb goes for the attack button.

Controls

Press the attack button toward a rider to hit them; grab their weapon by attacking when they drop it. A connected gamepad puts throttle, brake, and attack on its three face buttons, which helps when you're swinging and steering at the same time.

Tips for New Players

• Don't just race — fight. Knocking rivals down costs them far more time than a clean overtake. Attack whenever you're alongside someone.
• Steal the chain. It out-damages fists and the club, so take it off an opponent the moment you can.
• Watch for traffic and cops. Oncoming cars and police are your biggest threats — a single head-on wreck can end your race.
• Save your nitro. Use the boost to close a gap or break away on the final stretch, not early when traffic can waste it.
• Reinvest your winnings. Buy a faster, sturdier bike as soon as you can afford one — later divisions punish slow machines.

Why Play It in Your Browser?

Road Rash II is arcade combat-racing at its most addictive, and nothing sits between you and it: no cartridge to source secondhand, no Genesis to find a spare television for, no adapter to make either work with a modern screen. What loads is the 16-bit cartridge rather than a remake, so Alaska still looks like Alaska, the chain still hurts more than the club, and the police still ruin your best race at the worst possible moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Road Rash II free to play here? Yes. Press Play and the complete Genesis cartridge — split-screen and Mano a Mano modes included — runs in your browser at no cost.

When did Road Rash II come out? Electronic Arts released it in 1992 for the Genesis — the Mega Drive outside North America — and that 16-bit original is the build running on this page.

What's new compared to the first Road Rash? Road Rash II adds the chain weapon, nitro-boosted bikes, a true split-screen two-player mode, a one-on-one duel mode, and five new U.S. race locations.

Can I play it on my phone? Absolutely. On a phone the on-screen Genesis controller puts the throttle and the attack button under your thumbs, which is what the combat racing needs, and the keyboard or a connected pad does the same on desktop.

Can I play two-player? Yes — Road Rash II includes a true split-screen race and a one-on-one "Mano a Mano" duel mode.

Twist the throttle and start rashing — press Play to begin.