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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.
From MMORPGs to first-person shooters to 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 the games that pioneered online multiplayer or encouraged community input in some way, and still welcome new players to this day.
7 EverQuest
Released at the end of the decade in March 1999, EverQuest is an MMORPG that had a huge impact. Considered by some to be one of the best video games of all time, it has enjoyed over a million total players or subscribers.
EverQuest's online 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.
6 Petz
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Petz is a pet simulation game, developed for the PC by the now-defunct P.F Magic, way back in 1995 with the release of Dogz and Catz (in true '90s style, everything in this series had to end with the letter 'Z', including their alien pet spin-off game Oddballz). Pre-Nintendogs, these games allowed players to adopt and care for virtual pets.
Petz was 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.
5 Age of Empires 2
Age of Empires: The Age of Kings is a real-time strategy game. Released in 1999, it's considered by many to be the best game in the Age of Empires series. 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.
4 Ultima Online
Ultima Online is a beloved fantasy MMORPG, released in September 1997. It's set in the wider Ultima universe, 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.
3 StarCraft
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Considered by many to be one of the most important videogames of all time, StarCraft made 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.
A new wave of players was introduced to the game when it was released for free by Blizzard in 2017. While StarCraft 2 attracts many players, some still enjoy the gameplay and the retro feel of the original.
2 Quake
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First released in 1996, Quake is the follow-up franchise to the Doom series. A classic first-person shooter, many a '90s kid played Quake at 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.
Quake still 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 of Quake Remastered in 2021. Pretty impressive for a game that first launched over 20 years ago.
1 UnReal World
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UnReal World launched 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.