[2][3] It constitutes the third release in the arcade Out Run series, after Turbo OutRun (1989), and was ported to the Sega Genesis home console in 1994.

After Turbo Outrun's departure from Out Run's laid-back, charming atmosphere, fans wanted a game that captured the spirit of the original.

OutRunners succeeded in doing this; it brought back the ability to take different paths through forks in the road, returned to a lighthearted atmosphere, and distanced itself well from the "serious" Turbo OutRun.

OutRunners was also known for having some of the best looking graphics seen at the time, thanks to creative sprite design and a skillful use of parallax scrolling, similar to that found in Power Drift, released four years earlier.

In the Mega Drive version, both Sonic and Tails may fly by in a pair of Tornados and sprinkle the Sega logo onto the screen.

Each car has its own set of characters, consisting of a driver and a passenger, complete with their own unique ending vignette if the player makes it to a goal.

[13] It ended the year as one of America's top seven best-selling arcade games of 1993, for which it received a Gold award in sales achievement from the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA).