also @ TechSpot: Engineers boost CPU/GPU speed 21%, could be a glimpse of AMD's future

Tech Tip of the Week: A List of PC Game Classics Available Free of Charge

in-house feature

By

March 10, 2010, 5:05 AM EST

Major game companies don't hesitate to charge an arm and a leg for new releases, with most launching around $60 these days. As much as you enjoy lining up outside the local GameStop at 3AM to embrace the latest shooter, parting with 60 big ones hurts a little inside. It doesn't help that many developers rub salt in the wound by lacing titles with DRM mechanisms -- but let's not go there.

Alternatively, there are tons of free games online, but very few are worth playing (yeah, we're looking at you Obama Alien Defense). What you may not be aware of however, is the wealth of older commercial titles freely available, just waiting to be discovered.


Dozens of old school favorites like Doom and GTA can be had at no cost. We've compiled a brief list of popular titles from yesteryear that you can download absolutely free of charge -- and that's something to appreciate in an age of hidden fees and fine print.

Continue reading our Tech Tip of the Week.

No tags on this story

User Comments (69)

Post a comment
jasonk1229
on March 10, 2010
5:07 AM
free is good!

Reply | Quote

ToastOz
on March 10, 2010
5:53 AM
That's some oooooldschool.

Reply | Quote

JMMD
on March 10, 2010
5:53 AM
Free is definitely good and boy does that bring back some memories.

Reply | Quote

yorro
on March 10, 2010
6:39 AM
The only way to acquire most old school games is either free or "free". Its up to the users how they get their free games, both involve intensive internet research.

Reply | Quote

Neojt
on March 10, 2010
6:40 AM
i remember a couple years back(2001 i think) you could get GTA & GTA2 (2D versions) for free at freeloader.com but you had to dowload 1 episode at the time . i.e you finish a setion of the game they gave you a code to dowload the next section

i think we might intal a few that have multiplayer at work and have fun during lunch time !!

Reply | Quote

Serag
on March 10, 2010
7:11 AM
Awesome!, freebies are good
I kind of know about most of them but putting them altogether in a topic + the wikipedia page is really useful, Thanks..

Reply | Quote

vegasrez
on March 10, 2010
7:14 AM
At least you know you're getting your monies worth

Reply | Quote

Puiu
on March 10, 2010
7:16 AM
I remember playing many of these classic games when i was little. I wonder if i'll ever enjoy games as much as i did back then.

Reply | Quote

Vrmithrax
on March 10, 2010
7:35 AM
Man, I'm gonna have to dust off Dosbox and play a few of those... Hmm, yet another reason to go ahead and order a Pandora! (Like I need more reasons)

Reply | Quote

compdata
on March 10, 2010
7:36 AM
Thanks for the list :-) I do really like what Good Old Games is doing with their updates/ports as well. I would gladly pay $5 for a bunch of old games if they worked correctly with the latest OS/video cards.

Reply | Quote

rajmond
on March 10, 2010
8:09 AM
Sweet!

Reply | Quote

Docnoq
on March 10, 2010
8:19 AM
This brings back memories.. I remember playing Doom and the original C&C when I was about 4 years old on my mom's comp. I could barely spell but I knew how to launch those games from DOS nonetheless :-P

Reply | Quote

zaidpirwani
on March 10, 2010
8:24 AM
I think that similar to games, other companies should also consider this strategy, I don't think it would hurt to give away older versions of the software for free, that way people can check out and work, if they want to and update to the newer version if it is worth it.....

Like Microsoft giving away free all windows and office versions free which were prior to 2000......

Reply | Quote

slh28
on March 10, 2010
8:25 AM
What about SNES emulators? Or do they not count as "free"? Street Fighter II is one of the best ways of using your lunch break

Reply | Quote

megrawab
on March 10, 2010
8:31 AM
making it free is a good way to gain popularity for the game and the creator. nice!... is microsoft really giving away old versions!... good...

Reply | Quote

tizzlejack
on March 10, 2010
8:39 AM
I've been meaning to try Battlefield Heroes. Anyone play that yet?

Reply | Quote

natefalk
on March 10, 2010
9:10 AM
Anyone ever play Outpost 1&2. That game was a classic.

SNES emulators are great for games that will never get ported to the Wii... I wish Earthbound would get ported, but it won't b/c of copyright content. Earthbound is in my top 5 RPGs of all time, but the only way to play is to hookup the ol' Super Nin or with a Emulator.

Reply | Quote

levar
on March 10, 2010
9:44 AM
oh my gosh, C&C I love that game they've also got Red Alert! which is even better
Thanks for sharing this! Its good to play a classic every once it a while.

Reply | Quote

Richy2k9
on March 10, 2010
9:48 AM
hello ...

i shall check the command & conquer series, i used to love these games.
just dld the fallout for PC, i don't think it's good for file is less than 400K

thank you for the news ...

cheers!

Reply | Quote

skitzo_zac
on March 10, 2010
9:59 AM
Aaaaah, thanks for the nostalgia TechSpot. Now we can revive some cherished memories that are now freeware.

Reply | Quote

Guest
on March 10, 2010
10:00 AM
Also, Ground Control, liberatedgames.com

Reply | Quote

Guest
on March 10, 2010
10:07 AM
Yes, there are way more but here is another worth your time:

http://download.cnet.com/Starsiege-Tribes-full-install/3000-
441_4-10294998.html

Reply | Quote

z71kris
on March 10, 2010
10:22 AM
thats an awesome way of drumming up a lil business from people who killed lots of time playing these games years ago to buy the newest versions

Reply | Quote

alexandrionel
on March 10, 2010
10:42 AM
I just filled in the form for GTA2 and already sent the link to a friend of mine. He loved GTA2 as much as I did.

P.S.
I have had an account on Quake Live for about 4 months already.It was nice at the beginning but, I honestly got bored of it. Maybe I just don't enjoy games as much as I did when I was younger.

Reply | Quote

LightHeart
on March 10, 2010
10:46 AM
Thanks for the list. A good game is still a good game years later and free is even better. Games are supposed to be fun and entertaining not just some cool graphics with no plot like some modern games.

Reply | Quote

Browse more commented news

Post a new comment

Follow TechSpot

Feeds & More Newsletter