9 Best Abandonware Games You Can Play

Snatcher

Snatcher, Hideo Kojima’s cult classic visual novel, has had an unusual afterlife. Despite garnering numerous mentions in the Metal Gear games, the game was never officially re-released beyond the PS1 period. Even before Kojima’s abrupt departure from Konami, it was deemed abandonware. The game did make an appearance on the Turbografx-16 Mini, however without an English translation.

The Sega CD was the game’s only English release. It would have been great for the Sega Genesis Mini 2, except that it was already licenced for the aforementioned Turbografx-16 Mini. If players want to see how Junker agent Gillian Seed and his robot companion Metal Gear solve the riddle of the identity-stealing cyborg Snatchers, Sega CD emulation does what the Turbografx-16 Mini does not.

Prince Of Persia

This obviously does not correspond to the famous PS2 trilogy. Those games are still available for reasonable costs, both digitally and physically, and are a blessing for fans eagerly awaiting the POP: Sands of Time reboot. This is Jordan Mechner’s original cinematic platformer, which stunned developers with its silky, rotoscoped animations and was ported to practically every games-playing machine in the 1990s.

As a result, there are numerous variations of the game to play with. To prevent being taken down, MyAbandonware does not provide Nintendo ports or Nintendo games in general. It does, however, include all Sega ports, as well as Mac, Amiga, Atari ST, and the original Apple II game. They’re all very good releases, with the Mac and DOS versions being the best of the group.

Sid Meier’s Civilization 1 & 2

Surprisingly, some classics can end up as freeware while other obscure titles are properly priced. The first two Civilization games are publicly available via their Windows 3.X ports, with the first Civ also available on Amiga, Mac, Atari ST, and in-browser.Sid Meier’s Railroad Tycoon (original and deluxe), SimGolf, and Gettysburg are also available for free download.

Covert Action and Colonisation, on the other hand, were featured on GOG.com and Steam. Despite this, the free choices earned far more praise, particularly Civ II, which improved on the original game by leaps and bounds with its compelling gameplay. Conflicts in Civilization, its expansion, is also available for free download.

Lemmings

As Prince of Persia demonstrated, even the most commonplace games can be abandoned outside like the digital equivalent of an old sofa. Lemmings was a puzzle game created by the same people who created Grand Theft Auto (yes, really). The player had to navigate enough little blue shirt-clad animals from the start to the end without dying. The game was so popular that it was ported to over 30 other systems.

However, the series has all but vanished from view, as it is currently sat on after leaving DMA Design/Rockstar North’s view for quite some time. Fortunately, MyAbandonware has the entire series available for download, including its sequel, Oh No! More Lemmings and Xmas/Holiday Lemmings expansions, 3D adaptations, and The Adventures of Lomax platformer spin-off.

Oregon Trail Deluxe

The Oregon Trail video game, which began as a text adventure in 1971, quickly gained popularity as both a solid management game and for its memes. Playing it seriously might safely transport the player’s family from Missouri to Oregon, but it also entailed shooting an entire forest’s worth of animals for a few pounds of meat, dying of dysentery, and putting “peperony and chease” on the headstone.

MyAbandonware has a number of games in the series, including The Oregon Trail: 5th Edition from 2001. However, the most popular entry is the 1992 Oregon Trail Deluxe for DOS. It has a lot of colour and better, higher-resolution visuals. There are also more gaming options to choose from, such as more vocations for people and improved shooting parts. The Apple II classic, as well as the clumsy sequel and FMV-filled 3rd and 5th editions, are also available, but Deluxe offers the most fun with the fewest frills.

Need For Speed 2: SE

However, why drive a waggon when players can race cars? There are numerous abandonware racers available, including Sega Rally Championship, Road Rash, and the original Need for Speed. In truth, the majority of Need for Speed games can be found online as freeware. MyAbandonware and other ROM archive sites have the first two Hot Pursuit and Underground games, as well as High Stakes, Most Wanted, Carbon, and Porsche Unleashed.

Granted, this is primarily due to their subpar PC ports. The PC release of Need for Speed II: SE, on the other hand, was fairly fantastic, bringing over the game’s extra cars and track with spruced-up graphics (for 1997). The controls have aged nicely as well, meeting the stated criterion of 60FPS acceleration. If the vanilla edition is still a little dated. There is a patch available online that upgrades the graphics and adds widescreen support.

The House Of The Dead 1 & 2

With all of the advances in technology over the last few decades, some genres have unfortunately fallen by the wayside. There have been attempts to revive the light gun game genre. But current controls simply do not have the same attraction as firing a gun at the screen. However, until someone comes up with a means to manufacture one that works with modern TVs. These shooting games are likely to languish in arcades.

However, if gamers can find a control scheme that works for them, they can experiment with the PC adaptations of Sega’s famous zombie shoot ’em up. The first House of the Dead features the most customizable settings, although the sequel has more diverse gameplay. Typing of the Dead replaces House of the Dead 2’s guns with keyboards. And blasting bullets with typing rapidly and precisely if players can’t get a decent shooting arrangement going.

Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams

Regardless of the PS3 store’s fate, it still provides a simple way to play the original Silent Hill. Its sequels are an entirely different story. The PS3/360 HD Collection was a shambles. And while the PC copies are considered abandonware, they’re a pain to get functioning. When it came to Silent Hill 2, it was up to the fans to modernise Snake Game, which they did.

Their work, dubbed the Enhanced Edition, restores the game’s aesthetics, adds widescreen support. And a mechanism to bypass the DRM on the vanilla ROMs available online. It is based on the Restless Dreams/Director’s Cut edition, which includes “Born from a Wish,” a sidestory in which fans can play as Maria that was not included in the HD Collection. As such, until Bloober Team’s remake, it’s the greatest method to play the original Silent Hill 2.

The Simpsons: Hit & Run

Another reason games disappear is because they are no longer licenced. The HD edition of Capcom’s Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure game was delisted since Bandai-Namco now owns the series’ game-making rights. Similarly, due to how horribly Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite flopped, everything from X-Men: Children of the Atom to Marvel Vs Capcom 2 is unlikely to get official re-releases in the near future.

Other properties, such as The Simpsons: Hit & Run, remain hopeful. There have been rumours about a possible remake. But as Simpsons producer Matt Selman put it, “it’s a complicated corporate octopus.” Still, the original PC edition from 2003 may be downloaded for free and modded in a variety of ways. El Gato del Tejado’s Remastered version, which replaces the 3D graphics with more show-accurate cel-shaded graphics, is the most anticipated mod.