Some games end up fading into obscurity because they were, well, bad. On the other hand, some are just forgotten to time. However, there are a few that never quite leave our memories, and yet, for all intents and purposes, aren’t supposed to exist anymore since they are removed from all storefronts. They go into this limbo called abandonware.
Truth is, there’s absolutely no reason that any of these games shouldn’t be on Steam or other digital stores, and yet, whether due to expired licensing deals or for other reasons, they’ve been abandoned by devs and publishers. With no ‘proper’ way to purchase and download them, they become abandonware — free to download from the internet, without having to sail the high seas. Going through some of the safest abandonware portals, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that some rather amazing games that formed my childhood are abandonware today, and here are the best picks from among them.
Prey (2006)
A gravity-defying FPS ahead of its time
Prey was perhaps the one I got the most excited about, especially because of just how fantastic it felt to play back in the day. The portals, the wall-walking, and the gravity-defying mechanics in the game are some of the most memorable to me after Half-Life 2. Throw in some aliens, and you have one of the most interesting and memorable FPS experiences of the 2000s.
It was a pretty inventive shooter, and rightly got labeled as a ‘must-play’ experience when it came out. Sadly, it got lost to time, and the rights got bounced around until the series was rebooted with the incredible Prey game by Arkane in 2017. The original, however, got quietly erased from digital storefronts, becoming abandonware, which genuinely feels wrong for a game that was so ahead of its time in gameplay ideas.
Released
July 11, 2006
ESRB
m
Developer(s)
Human Head Studios, 3D Realms, Venom Games
Publisher(s)
2K Games
Engine
id Tech 4
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
The definitive Wolverine experience, to this day
The Wolverine game from Raven Software is one game I doubt anyone has forgotten. This was one of the most brutal third-person action games we’d ever played, complete with guts and gore. To this day, it’s the definitive Wolverine game, and a fantastic movie tie-in game, which is pretty damn rare. The regeneration system was amazing in the way Logan’s body healed mid-fight, with chunks reappearing back onto his body, making for one of the most significant gaming memories from our childhoods.
Thanks to licensing hell, though, it’s gone. You can’t buy it digitally or find it anywhere officially, and unless you have an old disc lying around along with a PS3 or Xbox 360 as well, it’s basically stranded. This is where abandonware really shines — letting a great game continue living on when licensing issues would have it die unceremoniously. Now, until Insomniac releases their upcoming Wolverine game, 2009’s Wolverine is still the best way to experience the power of Weapon X.
Released
May 1, 2009
ESRB
Teen // Blood, Mild Language, Tobacco Reference, Violence
Developer(s)
Amaze Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Activision
Franchise
X-Men
Transformers: War for Cybertron (2010)
One of the two greatest Transformers games, ever
I might have some of the fondest memories of playing the movie tie-in games for 2007’s Transformers and its 2009 sequel, but there’s simply no denying that War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron blew those games out of the water. These games came like a breath of fresh air, giving us a gritty, character-driven take on the Autobots and Decepticons. The transformation mechanic, to this day, is ingrained in my mind because of how smooth and tactical it felt, and the story itself was pretty great, wrapping up perfectly over two games.
The problem? Activision dropped the rights to the game, and with that, it was delisted from every store. You won’t have any trouble finding someone who considers these games the definitive Transformers game, and that’s because they are. The best part? Even the 2012 sequel, Fall of Cybertron, is abandonware, which means you could have a nice long weekend reliving your memories of Cybertron without having to pay a penny.
Released
June 22, 2010
ESRB
Teen
Developer(s)
High Moon Studios
Publisher(s)
High Moon Studios
Engine
Unreal Engine 3
James Bond 007: Blood Stone (2010)
High production value and a slick Bond adventure
007 Blood Stone is one of the best James Bond games ever made, and I sure hope that the upcoming First Light title borrows some of its best bits. The game version of a movie that never took off, this was an adventure for Daniel Craig’s Bond that was its own standalone story. Blood Stone had car chases, stealth takedowns, and impressive third-person shooting, all wrapped up in some rather remarkable production value. This was a Bond game worthy of the brand in the modern era.
Now, Bond games have always been infamous for struggling with licensing, but this one’s disappearance stings in particular because it just showed so much promise. The lens flare in the game made my teenage self feel like I was in a proper blockbuster movie, and sure, in hindsight, the game may not have been perfect, but abandonware limbo is certainly not where it deserves to be. Be that as it may, it’s still a good thing, since you can just head on over to MyAbandonware and download the game for one of the most memorable James Bond experiences ever.
Released
November 2, 2010
ESRB
T For Teen due to Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
Bizarre Creations
Publisher(s)
Activision
Multiplayer
Local Multiplayer
Colin McRae: Dirt 2 (2009)
It’s bittersweet to revisit this one today
Codemasters’ Dirt 2 was one of the best-looking racing games in the world when it came out. It had rally driving, but it was still arcade-y in its sensibilities, making for a racer that was niche yet accessible. This was a rare racing game that was cool, stylish, and welcoming, all at the same time. It’s no wonder that Dirt 2 is considered one of Codemasters’ best games before the studio shut down, and it did receive some fantastic reviews at the time.
Sadly, we know where this is going. Dirt 2 disappeared when licensing deals for the cars, the music, and the title (Colin McRae) expired. You won’t find it on any digital storefronts, which is why it’s a guilt-free experience to go download the game today, and see the late Ken Block and Dave Mirra in the game as special drivers.
Released
September 8, 2009
ESRB
teen
Developer(s)
Codemasters, Sumo Digital
Publisher(s)
Codemasters
Engine
EGO 1.0
Franchise
Dirt
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010)
Multiversal shenanigans before they were mainstream
Marvel’s Spider-Man by Insomniac in 2018 is inarguably the greatest Spider-Man game ever made, well above its sequels, but Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions comes pretty dang close. For a lot of Spidey fans, this was the first taste of the multiverse, and jumping between Amazing, Noir, 2099, and the Ultimate universe kept things feeling so incredibly fresh, even up until the very end of the game. Beenox and Activision made sure to give each webhead their own unique mechanics and art style, and this was so incredibly creative that I wish we had gotten its spiritual successor in the form of Spider-Man: The Great Web, which Sony canceled recently.
It’s no surprise, at this point, that it, too, fell victim to the same licensing problems that plagued so many other Marvel games. Delisted years ago, Shattered Dimensions is abandonware today, and even though it might take a registry fix or two to fix up, it’s still worth spending another weekend reliving your childhood memories with the different Spider-Men.
Released
September 7, 2010
ESRB
t
Developer(s)
Beenox
Publisher(s)
Activision
Engine
Goliath Engine
Wolfenstein (2009)
A decent-enough title that doesn’t deserve abandoning
Not The New Order, or Return to Castle Wolfenstein. This is just plain old Wolfenstein from 2009, an underrated entry in the fabled franchise that brought together Nazi experiments with some pretty strange sci-fi stuff going on. Pulpy, messy, and incredibly fun, Wolfenstein wasn’t the best game out there by any means, but it sure as heck didn’t deserve to be abandonware.
Now, in 2014, Bethesda’s reboot of the timeline made for one of the most incredible series revivals in modern gaming, but it also ended up overshadowing this game, which then quietly disappeared from stores, and most fans today barely even know it exists anymore.
Released
August 18, 2009
ESRB
Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
Developer(s)
Raven Software, id Software, Pi Studios, Endrant Studios
Publisher(s)
Activision
Engine
id Tech 4
Multiplayer
Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
Franchise
Wolfenstein
Number of Players
1-12
PC Release Date
August 18, 2009
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
One of the best EA Harry Potter games
Source: MyAbandonware
Say what you will about EA’s Harry Potter tie-in games — and there’s a lot to say — but they definitely peaked with The Order of The Phoenix. It was pretty shameful how the series devolved into straight-up FPS action for the final two games, but The Order of the Phoenix game was the perfect Hogwarts experience before the open-world magic of Hogwarts Legacy. You could explore nearly the entire castle, from the courtyards to the Room of Requirement, and the attention to detail was genuinely mesmerizing back in the day.
The game’s story missions may have tied into the movie, but the real fun was really just exploring and going around Hogwarts with Hermione and Ron in tow. Naturally, the licensing expired, and the game vanished like a spell gone wrong. Pretty much all the EA Harry Potter games are abandonware today, so if you have a favorite from the long-gone series that isn’t Order of the Phoenix, you could download it just as easily.
Released
June 25, 2007
ESRB
E // Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence
Developer(s)
EA Bright Light
Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts
Engine
renderware
Deadpool (2013)
The Merc with a mouth but no license
With the announcement of the new Deadpool VR game, I would’ve expected this old superhero romp from 2013 to be back in storefronts somewhere, but that isn’t the case. A memorable yet repetitive superhero action-game voiced by one of the best in the business, 2013’s Deadpool game was insanely hilarious, and unforgettable for its whole cast of Marvel characters. Rife with explosions, chimichangas, and fourth-wall breaks, this game kept me grinning throughout, quoting jokes back to my schoolmates every second day.
Marvel licensing, sadly, killed it. It was delisted multiple times, and never re-released in a permanent way. Now a part of the Internet Archive, the game sits in abandonware territory, becoming a cult favorite that new fans can’t experience without first scouring for second-hand discs. It’s almost on-brand for Deadpool, too. “You won’t let me live on forever because of licensing? Fine, I’ll just go free for the entire Internet!”
These abandonware games were once great titles
We may have incredible remakes, reboots, and remasters, but we’ve left behind some amazing games.
Abandonware is… a strange curse. These titles were never outright flops, after all. They were good, and sometimes, they were great, and yet, the reason they’re obscure today is because of red tape. By all means, these are games that should be playable today, but aren’t.
We may have gotten incredibly better at remakes, remasters, and reboots, but in the process, we’ve left a slew of amazing games that younger players will never get to experience.