It was originally a theme park attraction designed for the International Garden and Greenery Exposition (Expo '90) in Japan, and was later released as an arcade game in 1992.

An entry in the Galaxian series, Galaxian3 was conceived following Namco's success with motion-based arcade games in the late-1980s, such as Final Lap and Metal Hawk.

The attraction version, housed in a massive circular room and supporting 28 players, was designed by company engineer Shigeki Toyama.

Galaxian3's demonstration at Expo '90 was received favorably, with showgoers showing interest and enthusiasm in the game's 3D flat-shaded graphics and technology.

The arcade release was also praised for its technological features and impressiveness, while the PlayStation version saw mixed responses for its outdated gameplay and the appeal of the original having been lost.

Executives wanted the game finished in time for the 1990 International Garden and Greenery Exposition, also known as Expo '90, in Osaka, giving Toyama and the production staff a tight deadline.

[2] The soundtrack was composed jointly by Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Saso, being among their first projects for Namco and both of whom also provided minor assistance on the game itself.

[1] Galaxian3: Project Dragoon was exhibited at the International Garden and Greenery Exposition in Osaka, also known as Expo '90, on April 1, 1990, and remained in operation until the event's conclusion in September.

[6][7][8] It was shown off alongside an attraction based on another Namco game, The Tower of Druaga, being the only two video game-related machines presented.

Namco chose to show it at Expo '90 as a way to present the game to an international audience, billing it as an "active simulator" and "hyper entertainment machine" in various pieces of promotional material.

Dubbed the "GM-16", it was produced in extremely scarce numbers, and was created specifically to target arcades that wouldn't have room for a normal 28-player machine.

[3] In early 1992, the original Galaxian3 shown at Expo '90 was moved to the Namco Wonder Eggs theme park, located in the Futakotamagawa Time Spark amusement spot in Setagaya, Tokyo.

[9] It marked the game's first appearance in English-speaking territories, being test-marketed in England and shown at various amusement expos in the United States.

According to Hajime Nakatani, a designer for the game and the creator of Starblade, Galaxian3 was also a media sensation, regularly appearing as a featured topic in newspapers and television.

Retrospectively in 1998, Allgame was impressed with the game's scenery, presentation and immersive experience, writing that it is "just the ticket" for fans of the genre.

[15][14] Galaxian3: Project Dragoon is considered influential and important for being an early instance of turning video games into amusement rides, and for its usage of 3D polygonal graphics.

It has achieved a small but dedicated following in more recent times, with preservation efforts being made to salvage anything related from the game to prevent it from being lost.

Zolgear has players taking on the monster of the same name, which awakens after a 1,000-year sleep to destroy a nearby space colony and soon the entire human race.

[10] It has also spawned collection circles and restoration projects to fix and preserve older Theater 6 machines, with some appearing in video game museums and expositions worldwide.