This list of game recommendations started in about 2018. It’s an attempt to make sense out of game history, to hold on to those things I consider valuable, to understand them on a deeper level than just “fun retro nostalgia that reminds you of being a kid in the 1990s.” (Not particularly helpful if you weren’t a typical kid in the 1990s, after all.) As I continued to develop the list, I found its format was useful for more contemporary games, too. If you want to understand my taste in games, see what’s out there, or just find a new old favorite, this is the place to be.
About
So here are the rules you need to know:
- This is a tour through classic video games from all eras of the industry, split into chunks that are about a decade long. To limit the scope, each chunk is limited to about 1,000 hours in length, based on the time you’d need to invest to experience what the game has to offer. This means the list tends to put a bigger emphasis on short, excellent games when it can, rather than games that meander or are stuffed with filler content.
- “Time to complete” is an approximation taken from the “Main+Extra” time reported by the users of HowLongToBeat.
- If you spend 10 hours a week playing video games, then 1,000 hours would take you about two years to finish.
- Role-playing games are separated from the rest of the chunk because they are usually longer but you can play them more passively. See what this list considers an RPG
- I focus on games that are still fun or exciting if you play them today. I don’t mean that you can start up Faxanadu and get something as thrilling as Elden Ring, but that if you approach the game on its own terms you can have a fun time with it. I also focus on the experience of playing the game on today’s technology, in a modern source port or emulator. Games that have some interesting aspects but aren’t quite as easy to pick up and enjoy are listed in a separate table.
- For example, Lemmings plays much better in NeoLemmix, which adds features such as an undo button to the puzzler.
- You should always play according to your own preferences, but I recommend that you use save states/rewind sparingly on games you play for their challenge, and fast-forward through the repetitive parts of RPGs.
- Play today. Whenever possible, I’ve included links with the most convenient ways to play the game today, short of tracking down the original media or searching abandonware archives. In some cases, emulation will give you a better experience than the official re-release. I still encourage you to support re-releases (within reason) to let companies know that people really do care about older games that can stand the test of time.
- Exclusion criteria. Text adventures and most visual novels are outside the scope of this site. Games that are no longer playable in any form are excluded. Game must be playable reasonably well on a “standard controller”, meaning a dual analog gamepad, a mouse and keyboard combo, or a keyboard and simple flight stick combo. No “collectible” games focused on buying real-world plastic toys or digital trading cards. No games designed for real-world gambling. No games designed primarily for erotic appeal. (See note.) Any games that use buyable loot boxes, gacha, daily quests, or related monetization methods will include a warning—I generally won’t recommend them unless there’s something of real value within them.
What this list considers “current hardware”:
- PCs running Windows 10 or newer (“win”)
- PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 (“ps4”)
- Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S (“xb1”)
- Nintendo Switch
- games that run within a web browser
It doesn’t consider streaming services like PlayStation Now and generally can’t keep up with game releases on mobile platforms like Android and iOS.
See Game Emulator Notes for a few practical tips on running old games.
Confused about the tags? See the Game Review Tags explanation.
Lists by Generation
This era breakdown switches from following hardware leaps to periods of the calendar around the turn of the millenium. Platforms that I don’t have any notable recommendations for are omitted.
- Greatest Hits
- Hidden Gems
- Multiplayer Gold
- By era/release date
- Vintage - everything before the NES’s release in July 1983
- The 8-bit era - July ‘83 to Sep ‘87
- The 16-bit era - Oct ‘88 to Sep ‘93
- The Polygon era - Oct ‘93 to Sep ‘99
- Early 00s - Oct ‘99 to Sep ‘04
- Late 00s - Oct ‘04 to Sep ‘09
- Early 10s - Oct ‘09 to Sep ‘14
- Late 10s - Oct ‘14 to Sep ‘19
- Early 20s - Oct ‘19 to present
- By platform
- 8-bit era
- NES / Famicom
- Sega Master System
- 16-bit era
- TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine
- Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
- Super Nintendo / Super Famicom
- Game Boy
- Game Gear
- Sega CD / Mega-CD
- Polygon era
- 3DO
- Jaguar
- Saturn
- PlayStation / PS1
- Nintendo 64
- Game Boy Color
- Dreamcast
- NeoGeo Pocket Color
- Early 00s
- PS2
- GameCube
- Xbox
- Game Boy Advance
- Classic Computers
- Apple II
- Atari 8-bit
- Atari ST
- BBC Micro
- NEC PC-88
- ZX Spectrum
- Commodore 64
- MS-DOS
- Macintosh
- Commodore Amiga
- Late 00s
- DS
- PSP
- Xbox 360
- PS3
- Wii
- Early 10s
- 3DS
- PS Vita
- Wii U
- PS4
- Xbox One
- Late 10s
- Switch
- 8-bit era
- Best RPGs
- The 8-bit era
- The 16-bit era
- The Polygon era
- Early 00s
- Late 00s
- Early 10s
- Late 10s
- Early 20s
- More RPGs
- The 8-bit era
- The 16-bit era
- The Polygon era
- Early 00s
- Late 00s
- Early 10s
- Late 10s
- Early 20s
- By gameplay
- Action
- Shooter Games
- Shmup Games
- Platformer Games
- Fighting Games
- Brawler Games
- Racing Games
- Pure Adventure Games
- Puzzle Games
- Management Sim Games
- Vehicle Sim Games
- Strategy and Tactics Games
- 4X Games
- Roguelike Games (Trad and Modern)
- Cardboard Games
- Action
- By gamer profile
- Games for the Acrobat
- Games for the Gardener
- Games for the Slayer
- Games for the Sightseer
- Games for the Skirmisher
- Games for the Gladiator
- Games for the Ninja
- Games for the Bounty Hunter
- Games for the Architect
- Games for the Bard
- By theme
- Horror Games
- Fantasy Games
- Crime/Mystery Games
- Historical Games
- By setting
- Ancient History
- Post-Classical
- Modern History
- Contemporary
- Futuristic
- Space