The gaming scene is incredibly exciting at the moment. There are great titles being released regularly and many quality games continue to receive updates, making them fresh and enjoyable years after they first went on sale.
However, these new releases aren’t the only great games that are available to play. Plenty of classic and retro titles are still available to play on your PC and they’re just as fun as they were decades ago.
If you’re looking to get some nostalgic gaming vibes, then here are some of the best retro games available to play on your PC right now.
Doom
Doom was revolutionary when it was first created in 1993. Today, its graphics look pretty dated, but it remains popular. It has spawned several sequels and remakes, including some unofficial fan-made remasters that upgrade the graphics of the original game.
Doom helped to define the first-person shooter genre, which is now one of the biggest and most popular video game categories on the market. Even with nearly 30 years passing, it remains one of the best first-person shooters ever made.
It was also an early example of how games could be distributed for free and still make a profit for the developers. Doom was published as shareware, with the first level available to anyone so that they could try it and decide whether they wanted to pay for the rest of the game.
People were actively encouraged to copy and share the game with their friends and they did, helping it to become a cult favourite.
Today, Doom can be played through a number of different platforms including Steam and the Bethesda Launcher. If you have the original shareware files, you can also use DOSBox to make it run on modern hardware.
Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the most popular card games played today thanks to its near-ubiquity in casinos. It has been around for hundreds of years, with similar games like Trentre-un and Bone Ace existing in Europe in the 17th century. The blackjack we know today evolved from a French game called vingt-un that was then adapted by American casinos, introducing rules that allow players to see one of the dealer’s cards.
Modern online casinos offer dozens of variants of blackjack to their customers, catering to different types of players. For example, Classic Blackjack is great for beginners who are just getting to grips with the rules, while High Roller Blackjack and Three-Seat Blackjack, which have higher limits and additional side bets, are more suited to experienced players.
All of these variants of blackjack and more can be enjoyed via your computer. Most online casinos now allow their games to be played through your web browser, though if not, you just need to install their special software first.
RollerCoaster Tycoon
RollerCoaster Tycoon is one of the most successful business simulation games of all time. It was released on PC in 1999 and became an overnight hit as people spent hours designing the craziest rollercoasters they could while trying to keep their guests happy.
The simple isometric graphics meant that RollerCoaster Tycoon could be run on almost any computer at the time. This helped the game’s success as it meant it was more accessible to players.
A series of expansion packs and sequels were released, including RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 in 2002 and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 in 2004.
The second game introduced new features like a scenario editor, allowing players to create their own park maps from scratch and design coasters in a sandbox mode that can be saved for later use in scenario play.
There have been around a dozen RollerCoaster Tycoon titles released since, but none have been as popular as the first two games. In recognition of this, Atari released RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic in 2016, combining the first two games together in one single package. It is available for smartphones, tablets and PC and can be bought for around the price of a fancy Starbucks coffee.
