Feeling nostalgic about the video games you used to play as a kid or as a teenager? Using again the technology we had back in those days may not be very comfortable or easy – maybe you don’t have your video game console anymore or it’s broken and you can’t fix it. Fortunately, you can return to those times when you played Super Mario for days in a row while your parents were asking you for the tenth time to come to dinner – or at least find a good surrogate for it. There are multiple websites where you can play retro video games online – these games have been remade in Flash and you don’t even need to install them to your computer. As long as you have the Flash plug-in installed, they will work just fine!
1. ClassicGamesArcade.com
ClassicGamesArcade.com features only free online arcade and console games, such as Pac-Man or Sonic. Users can add these games to their websites and share them with friends. The website is available in multiple languages, from English to Chinese. The most popular games on this website are Tron Game, Galaga, Pac-Man, Ms Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, Frogger, Q*bert, Tetris, and Candy Crush.
2. Retro Games Online
Video games on this website include classic games from Nintendo, Sega, and Super Nintendo, such as Sonic, Mario, and Gameboy. The emulators on Retro Games Online are written using Adobe Flash technology and are compatible with most computers. The most popular games on this website include Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Zoey.
3. Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer features games from the 70s to the 00s and titles are split into the following genres: Adventure, Beat-‘em-up, Platformer, Puzzle, Racing, RPG, Shoot-‘em-up, Sports, and Strategy. Retro Gamer is a powerful brand and the website’s graphics are more complex and aesthetically pleasing compared to other retro games websites. Moreover, they also have a blog section where you have access to lots of captivating information about retro games, such as Top Tens on various topics.
4. PicaPic
Missing a handheld electronic game? On PicaPic you will find a digitalized collection of handheld games, such as Pirate 777 or Aerogun Field. The website is very simple – your just have to select the game, and soon you’ll be playing Donkey Kong just like kids did in 1982. The website relays on donations that can be easily made via PayPal.
5. Retro Arcade
The games featured on this website are exclusively arcade games, and they are split between several categories, based on the year the game was launched (from 1976 to 1984). Users can also select games by manufacturer (Atari, Bally, Konami, Midway, Namco, Nintendo, Taito, and Williams). The website admin says that Retro Arcade was inspired by the Wikipedia article “The Golden Age of Arcade Video Games”, which provides information about approximately 50 coin-op video games which were popular between 1977 and 1984. Games on this website have been recreated using the Flash platform and the website admin claims he has gathered the highest quality clones of these arcade games.
6. RetroGames.cz
This website emulates a wide range of games, from console games to PC-DOS games that were popular 20 or 30 years ago. RetroGames.cz takes pride in providing a very wide range of games – their database contains 962 titles and some of them are available in multiple versions. Game types are extremely diverse and include adventure, action, fighting, puzzle, platform, adult, RPG, simulation, sport, strategy, shooter, and racing. Although the website is from the Czech Republic, it has an English version and is very easy to browse.
7. PlayR
PlayR is another website where you can play retro Flash games online and on their homepage they invite users to get nostalgic with some old school games. Games can be selected by region (USA, Europe, Japan, France, Germany, Spain) or by genre (action, adventure, fighting, girl, puzzle, racing, role-playing, shooter, simulation, sports, strategy, traditional, casino, platform, arcade, and miscellaneous). PlayR features a generous offer of Pokemon games (crystal version, yellow version, gold version, silver version, red version, blue version, Pokemon Diamond, and Pokemon trading card game). A very useful feature of this website is that you can save your game – all you need to do is to register and login to be able to save games and access the saves later. It is also possible to compete for the high score in three games: Centipede, Space Invaders, and Magical Tetris Challenge.
Although those times when we used to play arcade games on coin-operated equipment will never come back, and although today’s video game consoles, no matter how smart, will not be for many as captivating as the equipment they had as kids, these websites help us feed that classical game nostalgia and remember what it’s like to be in the 80s or 90s again. It may not be the same, but fans of these websites think it’s better than nothing at all.