PC Games have been entertaining us for over half a century now. Since then, gaming graphics have come a long way, but several classic pc games can keep you entertained for hours on end.
From strategic Warfare to the horror genre, RPGs to First Person Shooter (FPS) pc games, there are still many classics to suit every modern-day gamers' taste. These classic gems of the gaming world come with a nostalgic element of a good ol' gaming experience. You can still play games from the 90s, such a Chrono Trigger, Doom, and Quake. Then came Y2K and brought some advancement to the graphics making Far Cry 2, Deus Ex, and Fear some of the best classic games you can still enjoy in 2021.
While Nimrod was the first-ever computer designed to play games in 1951, the revolution in PC gaming finally took the world by storm in the 90s. It was every gamer's dream to spend hours on their PC playing classic games such as Myst, Star Wars – TIE Fighter, Monkey Island 2, Final Fantasy, and many more. If you are an avid gamer looking gaming experience with a blast from the past, this article will give you information on some of the best pc games to keep you entertained.
Did you know the Spacewar was the first-ever PC game that came out in 1962? IT ran on a PDP-1, a computer that was a size of a big car. While modern-day PC gaming is a $37 billion industry, classic games still in demand, and PC gaming aficionados are always on the lookout to grab one.
Here are 19 classic pc games that are available to date. You are going to love playing these groundbreaking games that paved the way to pc gaming as you witness it today.
BioWare, A well-known game developing company from the 90s, released Baldur's Gate in 1998. This one is an iconic RPG that raised the bar for any other game to ever come out in this genre since its release. So, if you are looking for one of the best in the classic pc games category, Baldur's Gate should definitely be in the top choices.
This isometric RPG splits the gameplay into chapters allowing taking your character on a journey. You build a character through combat, the main storyline, and side quests as you progress. Baldur's Gate got an overhaul in 2012, including an expansion known as "Tales of the Sword Coast."
While additional mods are available, you will never go wrong if you opt to play the original gameplay for an authentic nostalgic pc gaming experience.
We all remember the early 2000s movie attempt at the franchise starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. However, the Doom pc game first came out in 1993, and Id Software was the company behind its inception. You can say the Doom is the mother of every first-person shooter on this planet.
The landscape of the sci-fi and horror pc gaming genre would not have been the same without this gun-toting legendary franchise. Doom is about a nameless space marine fighting against the hordes of vile hellspawn creatures who have escaped from the base on Mars.
The game was rich in 3D graphics considering the technology 30 years ago. Plus, it was one of the best networked multiplayer pc games of all time. However, we have good news that it got a reboot in 2016, and you can try the original before trying the remake with a shootier and veritably armed version in modern times.
The game from Y2K - Ion Storm released a cyberpunk action-based RPG Deus Ex in 2000. The gameplay allows you to explore themes of technological advancement, societal inequality, and human beings' augmentation.
JC Denton is the protagonist of Deus Ex, who is an entry-level Cyborg. The first assignment you get is playing an anti-terrorist agent. You must root out all the culprits involved in stealing a shipment of vaccines for a lethal pandemic.
However, there is a nefarious organization like Triads and Illuminati, which puts you in extreme danger. Thanks to gaming advancement in 2021, you can enjoy Deus Ex with improved AI and visual overhaul. Try it out, and you can thank us later for this thrilling classic.
Another classic pg game by Blizzard Entertainment came out in June 2000. Diablo 2 belongs to one of the most popular pc gaming series ever. However, this installment is the best of all its predecessors and successors.
The second installment builds on the genre-defining gameplay of Diablo with a strong plot. Later, the game developer released an entirely new act known as "Lord of Destruction." This expansion and two additional classes of druid and assassins took the entire game to the next level.
Whether you are a fan of the Diablo franchise or never heard of it before, you owe it to the gaming devil inside you to try Diablo 2 in 2021.
In January 1996, 3D Realms released Duke Nukem 3D. While it may not be graphically appealing, as you may know, in 2021, the game has solid and fun gameplay for sure.
Think of this classic pg game as watching an old action movie with choppy action backgrounds and scenes. The protagonist we know by the name Duke is an ass-kicking, bubblegum chewing hunk who goes around saving buxom beauties from an alien attack during his impromptu holiday in L.A. (how more 80's can it get?)
Yes, the graphics and the storyline may not have aged well. However, if you wish to relive the glory days of the franchise, you are golden with Duke Nukem 3D.
Fallout series enjoys the status of the cult isometric RPG franchise by Interplay. However, Fall 3 came out in 2008 and reignited the once-forgotten pc gameplay. This installment puts you in a first-person perspective with a shooter element incorporated to make the entire action-based gameplay intuitive and accessible.
With the deep characters with customization options, the enormous world, and a gripping narrative, Fallout 3 will offer you all the hallmarks of a solid FPS game.
While Far Cry 6 is about to release in 2021 and fans of the franchise the drooling over it, Far Cry 2 is still one of the best classic pc games of all time. However, if you are pc gamers looking for a classic franchise, Far Cry 2 is the best game to start.
The gameplay handles the balance between politically charged storyline and chaos of open-world gameplay. You take control as a mercenary in a fictional country in central Africa and fight out Nietzschean arms dealing antagonist called the Jackal.
The game belongs to the FPS genre with some of the most realistic settings. So, play this classic and explore the complicated legacy of colonialism in Africa.
Are you a fan of horror movies or the gaming genre? Oh-boy, are you in for a treat and scares of your life. The gamers never experienced the first-person shooting combined with a horror setup like this before. The game was highly improbably for a simple reason; it would scare the bejesus out of the players!
You are a sharpshooter and an operative of an elite squad called "First Encounter Assault Recon." Along with the entire team, you have to take on Paxton Fettel. He is a madman who has taken over an entire complex with super-soldiers watching over the hapless occupants of the building.
As you delve deeper into the building, you realize some paranormal entity lurking by (getting the goosebumps yet?). She is Alma, a psychic little girl who may be the cause of the whole mess, and she can play with how you perceive reality. This can be what kills you in those dark shadows of the building.
You will literally not want to move and look around as you hear those whispers, sighs, sulking, and a sense that some entity is right behind you. Dare to try?!
The game developing company Square Enix released this game around the end of the last century in 1999. While initially released for the PlayStation gaming console exclusively, the game saw a PC version in 2000.
The storyline involves a heart-wrenching plot of lost love with traditional brutality of political intrigue. The game is full of magic, breathtaking full-motion graphical sequences, and memorable characters. If you are looking for a classic pc game, then try this one.
The best part is that it had a re-release in 2013 on Steam. So, if you are looking for a sweet fix of nostalgia, Final Fantasy 8 is your poison.
LucasArts released a heartwarming and fun tale in 1998 that takes you on an adventure. Grim Fandango revolved around Manny Calavera, an underworld travel agent. His job is to usher the recently deceased soles on their new journey through the realm of the dead.
There is a devilish puzzle involved with a gripping storyline and plot. Grim Fandango upped the stakes and created the first-ever adventure game with 3D renditions. You will love how the pc gaming technology of the late 90s brought art deco graphics inspired by the Aztec era to life.
The best part is the game developed blew a new breath of life into the franchise by re-mastering Grim Fandango in 2014. Moreover, an iOS and Android version followed a year later; there is no reason for you to miss this one out.
You cannot call yourself a pc gaming expert unless you know Half-life 2 by Valve. This one is undoubtedly the most beloved pc gaming franchise of all time. The storyline of this classic pc game picks up a couple of years after the original installment of Half-Life.
With a new resistance, a bunch of advanced and cool-looking guns, and robotic dogs, the game took the entire FPS gaming experience to the next level. Although it has been almost two decades since the game came out in 2004, it still feels on par with any modern-day game. There are new additional mods for the contemporary players.
So what are you waiting for? Get online and download this classic game that paved the way for future games in the same genre.
Cyan released Myst in 1993. This is a puzzle-based game from the adventure genre in pc gaming. Myst later became the best-selling game of the decade. The players can jump from one world to another and had a magical book in their arsenal.
Your task is to solve various puzzles and find missing pages of other books to ultimately rescue one of the two blood-brothers trapped in other books. Myst raised the bar for its sounds and graphics; however, some players still argue about its gameplay making it a bittersweet fruit of the pc gaming world.
Anyhow, this did not stop the remakes of the game from coming out in the last two decades. You can even find it on consoles and smartphone apps. So, if you are curious what the fuss is all about, why don't you dive in and check it out for yourself?
The game came out in 1991 by game developers LucasArts. The story revolves around the return of LeChuck and his resurrection as a zombie. The story picks up from the conclusion of the first installment of the game.
It is one of the must-play games from the 90s, and a special edition came out in 2010. Therefore, it is up to you if you wish to try the original or the new modified version. You are going to love them either way.
This classic pc game came out in June 1996 by game developers Id Software. It is the same company that released Doom in 1993. However, they managed to take it up a notch by rendering a 3D environment like never before.
The game has a medieval gothic setting with a cranked-up multiplayer experience. Quake supports up to 8 players, which is quite impressive for a PC game that came out 25 years ago. Plus, it was also the very first FPS game to have maps for multiplayer.
If you are a sucker for FPS and crave some nostalgic gameplay from your childhood, Quake will still keep you entertained for hours.
Before Milla Jovovich turned Resident Evil into one of the most successful movie franchises of the last two decades, Resident Evil 2 by Capcom in 1998 paved the way for this to happen. The game received various critical acclaims for innovative and realistic cinematic camera angles.
Regardless, if you are a fan of the resident evil films franchise, as a pc gamer, you owe it yourself to check this classic pc game out.
Totally Games released one of the best PC games from the Star Wars franchise in July 1994. This game is famous as one of the best in the space-combat and strategy-playing genre. One of the significant features of this game is the dogfights with space as a backdrop.
The game's energy management system will keep you on your toes. You will have to make quick decisions from sinking it into the ship's engine, shields, or weapons in each scenario. The unique part is that you play as an imperial pilot instead of a member of the resistance.
TIE Fighter came out on Steam for purchase in 2014 with improved sound and, most importantly, graphics. So, if you are looking for a chance to get your hands on one of the best games from the world's most famous sci-fi franchise, then Star Wars: TIE fighter is what you need.
Fancy playing a classic game from the real-time strategy gameplay genre? In that case, Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft from March 1998 is a perfect candidate. The gameplay is set in a stretch of the universe, a revolutionary graphic marvel for pc games back in those days.
As a player, you can choose from three races, manage resources and construct bases until you are strong enough. Once you have reached a certain level in the game, you can steal from others. This classic pc game was the best seller of 1998 and is still a cultural phenomenon in South Korea.
The original game place of StarCraft got an extreme makeover in 2017 and is now available for you to play in 2021. So, check it out, and you are never going to regret it.
Systems Shock 2 came out in August 1999 by Irrational Games. Ken Levine, the same guy behind Bio Shock, was the designer of this classic. However, Bioshock did not come out until a decade after System Shock 2.
This game takes you into the vastness of deep space with a task to prevent the spread of an infection that might affect your entire crew on board. However, a remake is in the pipeline, but no official release date has been announced yet. In the meantime, if you are looking for a great pc classic game ever to come out, System Shock 2 is for you.
Are you a fan of stealth games? In that case, you owe it to yourself to try Thief 2 from this genre. This classic came out in November 1998 and paved the way for future stealth games. The game was a successful effort by game developers Looking Glass Studios.
Thief 2 was the first-person shooter that allowed players to avoid confrontation instead of running into action. This game has a Steampunk setting with a whimsy pinch and brings emergent gameplay to life unlike any other.
It is totally up to you if you wish to play the game in pure stealth or break from the shadows to engage in combat. Either way, you are going to love this one.
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