16 Retro Games You Can Play Online
By Distributel
Some tips: you might have to play around with your browser settings. Also, some games that were super fun on a controller are harder or easier on a keyboard. Let the games begin!
Pacman (1980)
We’ve played this game so much that Pacman’s death sound is in our DNA.
Space Invaders (1978)
Fun fact: the reason the aliens get faster as you shoot them is because the original arcade hardware could render the aliens faster as there were fewer of them on the screen.
Commando (1985)
One of the less well-remembered run-and-gun games, Commando influenced an entire generation of games.
Tetris (1989)
This addictive game is a classic of Soviet design and was first bundled with the Game Boy when it launched.
Frogger (1981)
Originally a game for Atari, plenty of kids played this game in the computer lab in the nineties thanks to ports.
Q*bert (1982)
Would you believe that this early puzzle game had ten sequels?
Dig Dug (1982)
A surprisingly competitive game from the early arcade period, Dig Dug still holds up.
Mortal Kombat (1992)
Did you miss out because your mom wouldn’t let you play it when you were a kid? Well, now you can play it to your heart’s content.
Oregon Trail (1990)
We played this game halfway through writing this and still ended up dying of dysentery.
Myst (1993)
We’re cheating with this one. This is the masterpiece edition, a remake for modern screens and even VR. But it’s pretty great, and we’re suckers for this classic.
Contra (1986)
Run through the jungles of 2633 AD, which still look a lot like an eighties action movie, and destroy the evil Red Falcon Organization. Man, we miss how uncomplicated games used to be.
Doom (1993)
Ah, the shooter that started it all. We know there are bigger and better sequels, but we love the pixelated charm of the original.
Solitaire (1990)
Microsoft says that their version of solitaire was the most used application on Windows for years. Fun fact: it was originally included to teach people how to use the computer mouse.
Pitfall! (1982)
Not going to lie, Pitfall! isn’t all that great. The main reason you’d play it is to recognize the many times it’s referenced in pop culture.
Civilization (1991)
You have to be an old school, pocket protector wearing, ham radio operating, Star Trek on VHS owning certified dork to have played this game—and we salute you for it.
Tapper (1983)
Perhaps only known these days thanks to a reference in Wreck-It Ralph, Tapper was originally advertising for beer. It got remade in 1984 as Root Beer Tapper for arcades.