Jazz Jackrabbit was released in 1994 for the PC. An extended version was released later that year. This game saw Jazz Jackrabbit, a hybrid of Bugs Bunny and Rambo, visiting a number of worlds in order to rescue Eva Earlong and save Carrotus from the villainous Devan Shell, a megalomaniac turtle. It plays on the tortoise/hare enmity introduced in Aesop's The Tortoise and the Hare, but is set 3000 years later.

Inspired by classic console games such as Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mega Man, the game was the brainchild of Cliff Bleszinski and Arjan Brussee. At the time, the game's vibrant graphics and speedy gameplay were something of a novelty on the PC. Jazz Jackrabbit was very popular and was named Arcade Game of the Year by PC Format magazine.

Jazz Jackrabbit features six episodes, each comprising three worlds and one boss level. Each world consisted of two levels and an extra 3D bonus level. Originally, the game was sold on floppy disk versions, where one could purchase the first three episodes, the final three episodes, or all six. Later, a CD version was released containing all six episodes, plus three complete new episodes, and the 1994 Christmas episode, which featured three Christmas-themed levels.