Sometimes, it’s nice to get a nostalgia hit in the form of games from childhood. Many gamers grew up with some incredible games in the 90s, and with the arrival of the internet in many family homes, friendships were formed and memories were made in some of the most iconic titles in gaming history.
Related:The Best 90s Video Games, Ranked
From MMORPGs tofirst-person shootersto games about virtual pets, there are a few games from the 90s that still enjoy a thriving community online. Thanks to the dedication of fans, these games are still accessible, and they still have an active player base, some of whom have been there right from the start. These are thegames that pioneered online multiplayeror encouraged community input in some way, and still welcome new players to this day.
7EverQuest
Related:EverQuest: Behind The Scenes Facts About The Classic MMORPG
EverQuest’sonline community remains strong to this day, over 20 years on. It’s still in development, and the series has spawned a whopping 28 expansions so far. Balancing evolving technology, keeping original players happy, and trying to encourage fresh players is a difficult task, but developer Daybreak seems to be managing just fine.
6Petz
Petzis apet simulation game, developed for the PC by the now-defunct P.F Magic, way back in 1995 with the release ofDogzandCatz(in true ’90s style, everything in this series had to end with the letter ‘Z’, including their alien pet spin-off gameOddballz). Pre-Nintendogs, these games allowed players to adopt and care for virtual pets.
Petzwas incredibly popular back in the day, spawning a huge number of colorful homemade websites encouraging digital pet adoption, with players creating new breeds by altering the game’s code. To this day, a small but dedicated community remains, hosting regular pet shows and teaching new players how to code.
5Age of Empires 2
Age of Empires: The Age of Kingsis a real-time strategy game. Released in 1999, it’s considered by many to be the bestgame in theAge of Empiresseries. Players can grow their empires by progressing technology, mastering trade, and conquering other empires.
It sold incredibly well at the time and enjoyed a boost in popularity when the remastered version launched in 2019, 20 years after the original. As of 2019, it still attracted a million players per month,according to the series' creative director Adam Isgreen.
4Ultima Online
Ultima Onlineis a beloved fantasy MMORPG, released in September 1997. It’s set in the widerUltimauniverse, and it’s considered to have had a huge influence on the genre, with a sprawling world to explore and the ability to shape one’s character by leveling up in certain areas.
The game has had eight expansion packs and tons of bonus content over the years, and it still enjoys a dedicated group of players to this day, some of whom have been there since the beginning.
3StarCraft
Considered by many to be one of the most important videogames of all time,StarCraftmade waves when it first launched back in 1998. A science fiction real-time strategy game, it has sold millions of copies over the years, helped to create some of the world’s biggest video game competitions, and was even used by the US Air Force to train new recruits on how to deal with high-stress crisis situations.
Related:The Best RTS Games To Play If You Love StarCraft
A new wave of players was introduced to the game when it was released for free by Blizzard in 2017. WhileStarCraft 2attracts many players, some still enjoy the gameplay and the retro feel of the original.
2Quake
First released in 1996,Quakeis the follow-up franchise to theDoomseries. A classic first-person shooter, many a ’90s kid playedQuakeat some point. It’s a fun, fast-paced game that had a huge impact on the genre, despite causing some controversy thanks to the violent imagery.
Quakestill enjoys a decent community online, with some servers still running to this day, and new players connecting via forums and Discord to discuss upcoming events, especially since the release ofQuake Remasteredin 2021. Pretty impressive for a game that first launched over 20 years ago.
1UnReal World
UnReal Worldlaunched in 1992 and has continued to receive updates since then. A roguelike survival game, it has developed a lot over the years, but some features have been there since the beginning: aimed attacks, open-ended gameplay, and procedural generation.
It looks pretty different from the early days. Starting in Turbo Pascal, it moved to Windows, gained some graphics, and then eventually moved to Steam. It still has a dedicated online community of players, and it’s free to play, too.
