6 websites that allow you to download old PC games for free

Modern gamers have countless free games. Many of the most popular online games use a free-to-play model to entice users. There are free games on Steam, in your browser and on your smartphone.

However, you don't always want the latest AAA title or battle royale for free. Fortunately, there are many websites dedicated to preserving old games. Here are the best sites where you can download old PC games for free.

1. Abandonia

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Abandonia was founded in 1999. After a few years of inactivity, Abandonia has grown into one of the top sites where you can download your favorite old games. At the time of this writing, Abandonia has close to 1,400 downloadable games with over 800,000 members.

Abandonia provides each game with thorough reviews, screenshots, and user and editor reviews. You can browse and download old PC games by name, year, rating and category. Since the site focuses on DOS games, you won't find any "newer" games here, but the vast DOS archive should cover most of your older gaming needs.

2. Abandonware Dos

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Abandonware Dos is another site that focuses on old DOS games. It also has a catalog of Windows titles, sorted in descending order from circa 2002, meaning you can get SimGolf and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds by the greatest Sid Meier of all time.

Abandonware Dos is also a very active site. Each title comes with a website rating, specs, release date, screenshots, as well as recently played(ish) videos and game related snippets.

You'll also find helpful articles and lists to aid in finding the best old games to download.

The advantage of Abandonware Dos is its open approach to the state of its software site. Site owners explicitly state their compliance with takedown notices. Furthermore, the site has direct links to GOG.com. They are found on the live game page and featured titles on the site's homepage.

When you start building your old game library, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of every single game you have. If you're like that, check out these video game launchers that let you add games you want to play.

3. RGB Classic Games

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RGB Classic Games features a variety of classic DOS games, previously unreleased titles, and even some "modern" DOS titles. The entire site is "dedicated to preserving classic games for defunct PC operating systems" such as DOS, CP/M-86, OS/2, Win16 and Win9x, and making them easier to play. on modern systems. Indeed, if you want to download old DOS games, then RGB Classic Games is a great choice.

You can search for games by genre and operating system, as well as company name, legal status, release year, and video mode. Furthermore, in testament to the mission of RGB Classic Games, you can play a significant number of titles on emulators hosted on the site, including Keen Dreams, Hexen and one of the most beloved games of all. era, Transport Tycoon.

4. My Abandonware

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My Abandonware is a great place to download old PC games, along with some more recent additions to the software list.

You'll find listings for more than 15,000 titles, including "some very rare titles found on the deep web" as well as "some titles submitted by visitors". The small team that runs My Abandonware actively maintains the site, makes updates and improvements, and adds new titles, old DOS games, and more.

One of the best features of My Abandonware is the range of search options. You can work through a huge catalog of games using the name, publication year, game platform, genre, game theme, publisher, and even a specific developer. The developer options are great because if you find a game you like, you can also explore other titles from the same development team. You'll also find some old DOS games for download here.

5. Games Nostalgia

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Games Nostalgia presents hundreds of great games that hit the market between 1985 and 1995. The Games Nostalgia website is easy to use, allowing you to browse games by genre, time period, popularity, etc.

Games Nostalgia goes even further by packaging each game in its own emulator, available for both Windows (and in many cases, macOS). In it, Games Nostalgia removes any extra steps to play your favorite old games. Just download, unzip and start playing! Each game is packed in a neat container that makes it much easier to play these old and classic games.

6. Old Games Download

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Old Games Download has over 2,000 games and there are always new games added thanks to user updates. At one point in 2022, Old Games Download was forced to shut down for a while. The site was compromised and the user was redirected to another site. However, this has since been fixed and any issues have long since been resolved.

Old Games Download also includes several platforms like Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari, DOS, Windows 3.x, etc.

Samuel Daniel

Update 27 June 2023