Best Free Old-School Console Games for PC

Luckily, many would be game creators agree with you, and many of them have created games that mimic old school game design, and sometimes straight up remake old games. Here is a list of the ten best games in that style!

10. Super Mario 3: Mario Forever

Mario has gone through many iterations over the years, from 2D to 3D. Super Mario 3: Mario Forever is a remake of the old classic game, Super Mario 3 - with a lot of additions. There are eight different worlds placed throughout the maps in this game, each resembling the ones from the classic game. On the side, there are a variety of minigames like Mario Minix, Super Mario Starman Running, Mario Goomba Party, Mario Funny Tanks and more. There's a whole lot of content packed into this free game!

https://www.rockybytes.com/super-mario-3-mario-forever

9. Silent Hill: The Gallows

The Silent Hill series may very well be dead, as Konami has canceled its latest entry and seemingly decided to focus on other franchises. However, fan games are here to help pick up the slack. Silent Hills: The Gallow essentially a Silent Hill: Downpour port, with some fan-made design decisions along the way. While some of these decisions are somewhat questionable, it is still the closest Silent Hill fans are getting to a proper PC port.

https://www.rockybytes.com/silent-hill-the-gallows

8. OpenRA: Command and Conquer

Command and Conquer had a massive shift in gameplay decisions in its latest entry, and it proved so unpopular that it pretty much sank all hopes for a proper sequel. However, those who want to return to the good ol' days will be happy to know that Command and Conquer 1 has been painstakingly ported over by fans under the name OpenRA, with plenty of modern changes that make it more accessible to newcomers.

https://www.rockybytes.com/openra

7. Sonic Utopia

Sonic has had a shift in gameplay over the past few years, ditching the Adventure formula, which featured hub worlds and more open levels, to the Boost formula, which favors speed and quick reaction time. Sonic Utopia seeks to blend the two together by combining the fast pace of the boost formula and the open-ness of the adventure formula. That makes for momentum-based, free-roaming level design, rife with multiple paths and ways to speed through the level. Sonic fans should take a look.

https://www.rockybytes.com/sonic-utopia

6. Eldewrito: Halo Online

Halo has been absent on the PC for the past decade, even though its parent company designs one of the most popular OSes around. Eldewrito seeks to completely port over the Halo 3 multiplayer experience, with stunning results. Their technical work has impressed 343 Industries (the studio behind Halo nowadays) that they enlisted their help with the upcoming Master Chief Collection coming to PC. Even though we'll soon have an official Halo on PC, you should still take a look at this fantastic piece of work!

https://www.rockybytes.com/halo-online

5. Aleph One - Marathon Trilogy

Speaking of Halo, the trilogy the original studio made before that is Marathon. Marathon was considered a standout achievement in the realm of both gameplay and storytelling for the time. While it can be dated by modern standards, it nonetheless tells a unique story and carries a heavy atmosphere rarely felt in modern games.

https://www.rockybytes.com/aleph-one-marathon-trilogy

4. Sonic World

That's right, there's another fanmade Sonic game on this list. This one packs a hell of a lot of content, far more stages than the last two mainstream Sonic games combined, has a unique mission structure, tons of characters, and most importantly, has a Chao Garden. This game would make any Sonic game happy.

https://www.rockybytes.com/sonic-world

3. Pokemon Uranium

Pokemon is a fun video game franchise but has changed very little over the years. Fan games do their absolute best to solve that problem, and one of the most complete and feature-filled ones is Pokemon Uranium. With dozens of hours of content, a completely new element, and a darker take on the Pokemon world, this game is for fans who've wanted something a little different from Pokemon nowadays.

https://www.rockybytes.com/s/pokemon-uranium

2. Streets of Rage: Remake

Beat 'em ups are so rare nowadays, so it's only a matter of time before you have to go look at indies for your fix. Streets of Rage: Remake is a fan imagined 4th entry into the series, which blends a ton of gameplay mechanics from the official trilogy and adds a bunch that's original. This game is a blast to play and easy to recommend.

https://www.rockybytes.com/streets-of-rage-remake

1. Goldeneye: Source

Goldeneye is one of the most beloved FPS game of all time, but going back nowadays reveals very little that's actually good game design by today's standard. On top of that, its multiplayer only had 4 players. Well, Goldeneye Source modernizes it and brings the player cap up to 32. What results is insane, chaotic fun - worthy of anybody's time.

https://www.rockybytes.com/goldeneye-source

Do keep in mind that the order doesn't really matter - it's up to you to decide which game you like! If you like FPSes, give Goldeneye, Halo, or Marathon a try. If you like RPGs, Pokemon's right there. Beat 'em ups? Streets of Rage is waiting for you. It's important to remember how far games have come, so give these games a try. All of them is right here on Rockybytes - just a click away!