Players increase their high score by collecting coins of different values and by winning bonus stages placed between different levels. Button combinations on the joystick help characters complete a variety of moves like jump, duck, slide, and shoot to avoid being shot or killed in a stampede. In a two-player game, players can work together to protect each other and thwart enemies that sneak up from the back.
This is one of the Genesis games that uses the slide technique to help players dodge the bullets. Players can snatch dynamite sticks from the female bandits to throw back at enemies before the dynamite explodes. Sunset Riders uses power ups like rapid fire and duel weapons, where game play involves one character with two weapons, to help gamers defeat the levels. Game play on the Sega takes place on trains, in old western towns, and in old west deserts against gunslingers, knife throwers, bulls, female bandits, and Indians. The Genesis version includes running and shooting at enemies which change based on the setting of the level. Sunset riders will also save a few girls along the way, fitting the stereotype of the old west action film. The general idea of the game is to locate the bad guys, who all have large bounties on their heads, and kill them before they kill you. A player can choose to play independently, team up with a friend for a co-op game, or play in versus mode with two or more friends.
These characters have individual strengths and weaknesses, including the use of different weapons such as pistols and shot guns. Sunset Riders lets players choose between bounty hunters Steve, Billy, Bob, and Cormano, each of themout to hunt outlaws. After years as an arcade game, Konami released Sunset Riders for the Sega Genesis.