PC Games For 5 Year Olds Archives

PCs have been around for decades, but changes in Windows versions and CPU architectures mean today's PCs can't easily run games made for '80s and '90s machines. Sure, it's simple to install and run games now thanks to widespread and fairly universal graphics accelerators, extensive multimedia support, and automatic driver setup, but those benefits only apply to games that can take advantage of them. Back when mice and keyboards used PS2 and serial connectors, and sound cards and optical drives were considered high-end gaming hardware, you had to wrestle to get games running. Now, with hardware so advanced those games might as well be cavemen staring at UFOs, it's even harder to get them running.

Fortunately, you have several choices for playing older PC games. Some have been remade or remastered and can simply be installed easily on your modern PC. Some require a bit of a workaround. Some require an extensive workaround. Here are your options for playing classic PC games. And if you want to play classic console games, we have a guide for that, too.

Where to Find Classic Games

The Internet Archive

The Internet Archive remains one of the greatest collections of digital media on the internet, and that extends to software. The site catalogs and stores thousands upon thousands of classic games for DOS, early Windows, and even older computers like the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. Many of these games can be played right on the web, thanks to browser-based emulation. Best of all, everything's free as part of the vital effort to archive software as part of our cultural and digital heritage.

You can also also download disc images, full versions of games, and even demos (though you'll need to know how to get them to work on your modern PC by fiddling with compatibility settings or using an emulator like DOSBOX). The Internet Archive has tens of thousands of CD-ROM images from decades past, if you don't mind putting the work in to get them to run on your computer.

Outside of the Internet Archive, various "abandonware" sites also provide older software for free under the assumption that the developer and publisher no longer support it. This tends to be a legally gray area, though, and files downloaded from these sites might be less safe than Internet Archive downloads.

Modern Remasters/Ports

Plenty of classic PC games have been remastered or otherwise ported to modern PCs, and are readily available on Steam and other digital distribution services. These games have been overhauled to run easily on your Windows 10 PC without any processing layer or emulation. Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition, Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, Grim Fandango Remastered, and Resident Evil HD Remaster take 15-plus-year-old games and make them work on your modern computer, with modern monitor resolutions.

Some of these games are straight ports with higher resolution settings, but some overhaul graphics and interface elements to look and play better. Some even have iOS versions, so you can play your favorite classic RPG or adventure game on your iPad. Remastered games are usually very affordable, too, with prices typically between $10 and $20.

GOG.com

If the original publisher doesn't feel like remaking or remastering a classic PC game but you can't easily find it for free from a legitimate site, there's a good chance GOG.com will be able to get the original to work. This digital distribution service takes DOS and early Windows games and performs all the front-end work necessary to make them play on a Windows 10 PC with DOSBOX, a DOS PC emulator. DOSBOX is incredibly powerful and flexible, but getting each game to run requires PC knowledge and a willingness to experiment with different settings and commands, often coming up against runtime errors, audio glitches, and unresponsive controls until it works properly.

GOG.com does all that work for you. Every classic PC game that's old enough to need DOSBOX is preconfigured with all of the commands and settings needed to run properly, so all you have to do is unzip the file and double-click on the game. GOG.com also often throws in lots of extras with each title, like digital versions of its print manual, wallpapers, and even soundtracks. Not bad for $6 to $10 for most classic games, including Fallout 2, Crusader: No Remorse, and SimCity 2000.

How to Run Old PC Games

Windows Compatibility Mode

If your game is from an early version of Windows, you might be able to run it natively in the right compatibility mode. Find the executable file for the game, right click on it, and click Properties. The Compatibility tab will offer several options that will adjust how Windows 10 tries to run the program, by simulating an older Windows environment. You might have to wrestle with the different modes and compatibility isn't always certain, but it's a good start for pre-Windows 7/10 games.

DOSBOX and Other PC Emulators

If you can't find the PC game you want to play preconfigured and ready for you, you can still play it. You just need to find the game yourself and set up DOSBOX to run it. I wasn't kidding when I said DOSBOX is a powerful emulator. GOG.com offers hundreds of titles that work through DOSBOX, but that's just a fraction of the thousands of DOS games confirmed to be playable through the emulator.

You need to be able to work with command lines, because DOSBOX doesn't have much of a graphical interface. A DOS emulator requires a DOS mentality, and that requires typing things like "MOUNT D D:\ -t cdrom." The PC Gaming Wiki is a very useful resource for this, and it can let you know if the game you want to play is available on GOG or has any sort of patch that makes it easier to run.

Besides DOSBOX, there are a variety of emulators for other types of older computers. You can find Commodore 64 emulators, Atari ST emulators, Apple II emulators, and more. The Internet Archive's The Old School Emulation Center (TOSEC) is a great place to start.

Build/Refurbish an Old Computer

This one is a little extreme, and requires even more technical know-how than DOSBOX. Just find an old computer, ideally Pentium or earlier. Install Windows 95 or 98 on it. Wrestle with the driver conflicts, IRQ errors, serial connections, and all the little frustrations you completely forgot about in the last two decades. Wonder how you ever managed without USB peripherals. Spend hours getting everything to work, then game like it's 1998. You can play anything this way, but compared with using modern PCs, it's a slog.

And if all of this seems too cumbersome for you, you can always just pick up a brand-new gaming desktop or laptop and play one of our favorite PC games available now.

Modern gamers have an unrivaled bounty of free games. Many of the most popular online games use the free-to-play model to entice users. There are free games on Steam, in your browser, and on your smartphone.

However, you don't always want the latest AAA title or free battle royale. You want to scratch the nostalgia itch. Luckily, there are a host of websites dedicated to precisely this. Here are the best sites where you can download old PC games for free.

1. Abandonia

Abandonia is an index of abandonware "dedicated to classic DOS games." Abandonware titles are games (or software) with expired copyright, or games which are no longer supported by the publisher. (What is abandonware, anyway?)

Abandonia was founded in 1999 when the concept of abandonware was merely two years old. After a few inactive years, Abandonia blossomed into one of the leading sites where you can download your favorite old games. At the time of writing, Abandonia features over 1,100 downloadable games with over 800,000 members.

Abandonia gives each game a thorough review, screenshots, and an editor and user rating. You can browse and download old PC games by name, year, rating and category. As the site is focused on DOS games, you won't find any of the "newer" abandonware games here, but the vast DOS archive should satisfy most of your old gaming needs.

2. Abandonware Dos

Abandonware Dos is another abandonware site focusing on---you guessed it---DOS games. It also features a reasonable repertoire of Windows titles, though nothing too recent. (It cuts off at 2002, meaning you can grab all-time greats Sid Meier's SimGolf and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds!)

Abandonware Dos is a very active site, too. Each title comes with a site rating, title specification (e.g. abandonware, protected status, freeware), release date, screenshots, as well as a recent(ish) video play-through and snippets of game-related facts.

You'll also find handy articles and lists to aid your search for the best old games to download.

What I like about Abandonware Dos is its open approach to its abandonware site status. The site owner clearly states their compliance with take-down notices. Furthermore, the site features direct links to GOG.com. These are found on the direct game page, as well as featured titles on the site homepage.

Once you start building your abandonware library, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of each title you have. If that sounds like you, check out these video game launchers that let you add the titles you want to play.

3. RGB Classic Games

RGB Classic Games features a wide range of classic DOS games, previously unreleased titles, and even some "modern" DOS titles. The entire site is "dedicated to preserving classic games for defunct PC operating systems" such as DOS, CP/M-86, OS/2, Win16, and Win9x, as well as making them easier to play on modern systems.

You can search for games using genre and operating system, as well as the company name, legal status, year released, and interestingly, video mode. Furthermore, testament to the mission of RGB Classic Games, you can play a significant number of titles on a site-hosted emulator, including Keen Dreams, Hexen, and one of my all-time favorites, Transport Tycoon.

Of course, some of the best old games are not abandonware. Check out the best old games still worth playing for another trip down nostalgia avenue.

4. My Abandonware

My Abandonware is a great place to download old PC games, plus some of the more recent additions to the abandonware list, too.

You'll find listings for over 15,000 titles, including "some very rare titles found in the deep web," as well as "some sent by our awesome visitors." The small team running My Abandonware actively maintains the site, making updates and improvements, plus adding new content.

One of the best My Abandonware features is the range of search options. You can work through the massive catalog of games using names, year of publication, the game platform, genre, the theme of the game, publisher, and even a specific developer. The developer option is great because if you find a game you like, you can also explore other titles from the same development team.

5. Games Nostalgia

Our trip through your childhood ends with Games Nostalgia. Games Nostalgia features hundreds of amazing games that hit the market between 1985 and 1995. The Games Nostalgia site is easy to use, allowing you to peruse games by genres, tags, new arrivals, popularity, and more.

Games Nostalgia also goes the extra mile by packaging each game in its own emulator, available for both Windows (and in many cases, macOS, too). In that, Games Nostalgia removes any additional steps to playing your favorite old games. Just download, unzip, and start playing!

Honorable Mention: The Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving one of the core tenets of the internet: universal access to all knowledge. Old video games certainly require protection, and The Internet Archive agrees.

In 2014, The Internet Archive brought 900 classic arcade games to our browsers, preserving and promoting some of the best. A year later in 2015, The Internet Archive announced it would preserve over 2,300 classic DOS games.

Unfortunately, you cannot actually download the classic titles. However, The Internet Archive has an integrated version of DOSBox, meaning you can play each game within your browser. Found a title you love? Bookmark it! Alternatively, add the page to your desktop where it will be available with a single click.

What Are the Best Old PC Games?

There are a lot of fantastic old PC games. The problem is finding time to play them all. Retro gaming and abandonware titles keep the old gems alive and kicking. Part of the resurgence is the ease with which you can play and download old PC games.

Why not take a look at how you can play classic PC games on your Raspberry Pi using DOSBox or other ways to play retro games on your PC legally.

Gavin Phillips (572 Articles Published)

Gavin is a Senior Writer for MUO. He is also the Editor and SEO Manager for MakeUseOf's crypto-focused sister site, Blocks Decoded. He has a BA (Hons) Contemporary Writing with Digital Art Practices pillaged from the hills of Devon, as well as over a decade of professional writing experience. He enjoys copious amounts of tea.

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