Rolling Thunder 3 takes place at the end of the twentieth century, where satellites around the globe are being shot down, disrupting communications. Secret agency Rolling Thunder discovers the organization behind the terror: Geldra. While agents Leila and Albatross are fighting the leader Gimdo, agent Jay is instructed to bring down Dread, the second-in-command.
Rolling Thunder 3 features improved gameplay mechanics. Jay can shoot while jumping and shoot diagonally upwards with certain weapons. At the start of each mission, you can pick a special weapon such as a laser rifle, bazooka, flamethrower or grenades. You have to choose carefully as they cannot be reused in later missions. The mission timer has been replaced by a sniper that targets you with a crosshair when you don't move fast enough. The difficulty level has been toned down: there are more life marks at the start and you now resurrect where you died, rather than returning to the last checkpoint. You can only choose one character to play with.
Rolling Thunder 3 consists of ten levels in total, with a few hidden areas. After completing a mission, a password is provided to continue playing.
Rolling Thunder 3 was released for the Sega Genesis in 1993.