Free Games


Spelunky./var/upload/images/Spelunky_screen.png(Edit)


A roguelike platformer with procedurally generated levels. All objects have a standard set of rules, so there are a lot of interesting ways things can interact with each other. Most of these interactions will result in your death. There are a total of 4 worlds, but you'll only see the first one your first dozen games or so. ;-)


Windows: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=4017.0


Cave Story./var/upload/images/Cavestory_screen.png(Edit)


A grand platform adventure game. If it was released on the SNES, it would have been an instant classic. As it is, Cave Story was released as freeware several years ago and became an instant classic. The author, Pixel, spent five years working on the game, and it shows. At the time of writing, he is working on an enhanced WiiWare version.


Windows, OS X, Linux, PSP, GP2X, Xbox: http://www.miraigamer.net/cavestory/downloads_1.php

Iji./var/upload/images/iji_screen.png(Edit)


A flashback style platformer where your actions will influence the story. Upgrade your skills as you play as an agile pacifist, a practitioner of the martial art of kicking stuff really hard, or an unstoppable master of all things gun-like. Oh, and you can ride that sweet hoverbike and run over aliens. Sold!


Windows: http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php

RunMan: Race Around the World./var/upload/images/runman_screen.png(Edit)


MSPaint graphics, stock sound effects, ancient public domain jazz, and absurd speeds all blend together to create a masterpiece. Run through the Jive Jungle, over the Awesome Sea and across volcanoes filled with hot tomato soup. It’s everything Sonic Advance 2 wanted to be, and more.

Windows: http://whatareyouwait.info/

Seiklus./var/upload/images/seiklus_screen.png(Edit)


The granddaddy of indie exploration/collection platformers. The game doesn't need an explanation because it doesn't give one. Just trust me when I say it's really cool.


Windows: http://autofish.net/clysm/art/video_games/seiklus/

Knytt Stories./var/upload/images/knyttstories_screen.png(Edit)


A an extremely atmospheric exploration platformer with a minimalist artstyle. It's pretty amazing how impressive pixel-art and chiptunes can be. It comes with a level editor and one "real" level. After you finish that, there is an expansion and quite a lot of user-made levels to wander through.


Windows: http://nifflas.ni2.se/index.php?main=02Knytt_Stories&sub=01About
Levels: http://www.knyttlevels.com/

Action Fist!./var/upload/images/action-fist_screen.png(Edit)


First they stole his favorite scarf. Then they took his dog. Now they have kidnapped his girlfriend. And no one. No one. Steals his scarf.

If you've played Gunstar Heroes or Noitu Love 2, you know what to expect. High quality, polished platforming shoot 'em up action. A little bit short, but very much worth playing. Things get absolutely insane in the later levels, but I was too busy dying repeatedly to take a screen shot then. You'll just have to look at this cool red guy from the first level. Does he not strike fear into your heart?

Windows: http://teknopants.com/games/actionfist/

NetHack./var/upload/images/nethack_screen.png(Edit)


This is, without doubt, the oldest, hardest, most in-depth game on this list. If you own an device known as a "computer", chances are that NetHack will run on it. It's a dungeon-crawl type role playing game, ala Dungeons and Dragons. The goal is to guide your ASCII character through a ASCII dungeon, retrieve the Aumlet of Yendor and return to the surface. What's neat is that you can pretty much do anything, though it might not look like it at first glance. There's a reason it's been maintained and played for over twenty-something years. Go check it out.


http://www.nethack.org/

http://www.olywa.net/cook/nhack.htm - Optional tileset for graphics mode. I like it, and it appears in the screenshot

Hero Core./var/upload/images/herocore_screen.png(Edit)


If you like Metroid and old things, you might like this. Infiltrate and explore a large underground fortress while shooting everything that moves. Quite a lot of things move. The control scheme is slightly unusual but not unintuitive. The game as a whole exhibits a lot of polish and a lot of fun. Normal difficulty takes about an hour to beat. Enemy abilities and movement patterns change when you start a game on the hard difficulty. and there are several goodies to unlock. In a stunning show of genius, one of the unlocks transforms the game into a roguelike. The whole thing is just all around brilliant.

Windows: http://www.remar.se/daniel/herocore.php


The following games don’t have screenshots. They’re still quality.

ABA Games Shooters(Edit)


ABA Games is this Japanese guy that makes ultra-stylish and very unique shooters. Every game he makes has something to make it special, and they are all tons of fun. In particular I recommend Gunroar, but again, they’re all great.

Windows: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/index_e.html

Linux: http://www.emhsoft.com/

Abuse(Edit)


It’s Doom as a 2D platform game. Controls mimic a first person shooter, you can shoot 360 degrees. Don’t play in a dark room at night.

Windows: http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~scot4875/

Linux/OS X: http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~trandor/abuse/

Afterlife(Edit)


An action/platformer with puzzle elements where you pilot a hot air balloon through the fires of hell and shoot ghosts with an umbrella. Can be frustrating at times, but it’s usually really fun. Has a ton of levels.

Windows: http://www.rjbsoftware.co.uk/afterlife_download.php

Battle for Wesnoth(Edit)


A great turn-based strategy game. Plays kind of like Advance Wars once you get into it. I haven’t actually played too far in, but it looks very professional.

Windows/Linux/OS X: http://www.wesnoth.org/

Beneath a Steel Sky(Edit)


A humorous adventure game following the adventures of a hapless Aurthor Dent-type character who finds himself trapped in a bleak future.

Anything: http://www.scummvm.org/downloads.php

BitFigher(Edit)


Top-down retro-style multiplayer game. A lot of popular modes from first person shooters in a game that looks vaguely like asteroids. Great LAN party game.

Windows/Linux?/OS X: http://bitfighter.org

Cave Story(Edit)


This game is a must-play. An action platformer in the tradition of Metroid, but a little bit heavier in terms of plot. You play as a robot who wakes up in an underground world without any memory left. The controls are great, the learning curve is awesome, and the story is worth checking out also. Could easily have been a professional game in the 16-bit era. Download and see for yourself. A revamped version will be on WiiWare soon, but the PC version has remained free.

Windows: http://agtp.romhack.net/doukutsu.html

OS X: http://www.nakiwo.com/software.htm

Command and Conquer Gold(Edit)


This was one of the big games that popularized the real-time strategy genre. EA has released the ISOs for free. Windows only, but the game actually runs significantly better under Wine in Linux than it does on Windows XP.

Disk 1: http://www.gamershell.com/download_20863.shtml

Disk 2: http://www.gamershell.com/download_20864.shtml
Command and Conquer: Red Alert

EA has released “Command and Conquer: Red Alert” for free to promote the release of Red Alert 3.

Windows: http://www.ea.com/redalert/news-detail.jsp?id=62

Chalk(Edit)


A game that would probably be more suited for the Nintendo DS. A shooter in which you draw lines with the mouse to defeat your foes.

Windows: http://www.konjak.org/chalk.htm

Cho Ren Sha(Edit)


A Chinese made shmup, there’s nothing too special about it except that it’s really well made and plays great (and the graphics are nothing to sniff at either). Definitely download if you’re a fan of this type of game.

Windows: http://www2.tky.3web.ne.jp/~yosshin/my_works/index.html

Dink Smallwood(Edit)


A goofy action rpg that’s a lot of fun in addition to being quite funny. You play a lowly pig farmer who, in the tradition of this type of game, is thrust into an epic quest. The key to the game is its great sense of humor. There are also a lot of fan-made scenarios for download as well.

Windows: http://www.rtsoft.com/dink/

Dwarf Fortress(Edit)


A bizarre little roguelike/civilization colony management game. Guide dwarves through the construction of a gigantic mountain dwelling, defenses of aforementioned dwelling, elephants, creatures from beyond, and more until their eventual demise! Quite a steep learning curve. Runs under Wine quite well.

Windows: http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/index.html

Escape(Edit)


Turnbased “puzzle game in the tradition of Adventures of Lolo or Chip’s Challenge.” Do you feel like feeling stupid today? This is a very, very difficult puzzle game. The intro is easy enough, but things get very hard very fast when you start playing levels other gamers have designed.

Windows/OS X/Linux: http://escape.spacebar.org/

Eternal Daughter(Edit)


Another action platformer, this one has a J-RPG style storyline. I haven’t played far enough yet to say too much about it, but the link below has a good review.

Windows: http://www.acid-play.com/download/eternal-daughter/

F.E.A.R. Combat(Edit)


A multi-player only version of the popular horror FPS, F.E.A.R.

Windows: http://www.joinfear.com

fl0w(Edit)


Odd little timewaster in which your microorganism eats other microorganisms in order to grow. The first segment is fairly short. Worth a playthrough at least once, if just to see what happens at the end.

Windows/OS X/Linux: http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/flowing/

FreeCiv(Edit)


A mature clone of Civilization II. What more do you need to know?

Windows/Linux/OS X: http://www.freeciv.org/index.php/Freeciv

Gate88(Edit)


A really creative game that blends Asteroids with an RTS. Again I haven’t played too much, but the tutorial was a lot of fun. Should be great to play online. It is an earlier work by the author of the PS3/Steam game Everyday Shooter.

This would make a really nice laptop game since it dosen’t rely on a mouse or a whole lot of processing power.

Windows/Linux: http://www.queasygames.com/gate88/downloads.html

Grand Theft Auto 2(Edit)


Steal cars, commit bank robberies, and run over people. Rockstar has officially released this rather controversial game for free, along with it’s predecessor. Not for children. There are better games for adults also, come to think of it.

Windows: http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/

Gridwars(Edit)


A spiritual successor to the X-Box Live Arcade game Geometry Wars. It’s wonderful fun and highly addictive, so give it a download.

Windows: http://www.incitti.com/Blitz/ (Scroll down for the download link)

Older Linux/OS X versions: http://gridwars.marune.de/

Head Over Heels(Edit)


An excellent remake of an old isometric puzzle game. You guide two dog-like creatures through puzzle filled mazes. The catch is that you can switch between them and send them off in different directions to use their unique strengths ala the Lost Vikings. Definitely worth a try.

Windows/Linux/OS X/BeOS: http://retrospec.sgn.net/games/hoh/downloads.html

Jetpack(Edit)


A blast from 1993, this game sets you in 100 deadly one-screen levels. Armed with only a jetpack, a welding torch, and your amazing tactics, your objective is to grab all the gems in the level. While being pursued by killer robots, of course. Sort of a futuristic version of lode runner. Includes a level editor. Formally shareware, now released by the author as freeware.

DOS: http://www.adeptsoftware.com/jetpack/

Meritous(Edit)


A simple monocromeish action dungeon crawler. Roam around a randomly generated dungeon with a simple shockwave weapon. Surprisingly entertaining.

Windows: http://www.asceai.net/meritous/

Minishooter RS Delta(Edit)


Very nice little side scrolling shooter. R-Type-like-ish. Feels almost like a commercial Game Boy Advance title. Lots of unlockable ships and levels. The unlockable ping pong game is frustratingly addicting.

Windows: http://www.vector.co.jp/soft/win95/game/se444925.html

N(Edit)


A platform game with an advanced physics engine. Guide a ninja through trap filled mazes. One of the most frustrating games ever created. You will love to hate it. The sequel, N+, is on Xbox, PSP, and Nintendo DS, but this game has remained free.

Windows/ Linux /OS X: http://www.harveycartel.org/metanet/downloads.html

Super Secret Ninja(Edit)


Really fun ninja minigame. Pass through levels as quickly and quietly as possible without alerting guards. Includes grappling hook with… alternative uses. You may have trouble running this game on Vista.

Windows: http://users.tkk.fi/~jjsalon2/

Ninjah(Edit)


This is the definitive non-scrolling time-trial ninja-rope 2D platform game. No other entry even comes close in this exclusive field. Complete with uzi-propulsion, matrix-vision, and a hyphen-filled description.

Windows/Linux: -http://www.evildrbin.com/ninjah/-

(The domain has expired. Temporary mirror of the Windows version at http://files.filefront.com/Ninjahzip/;11265493;/fileinfo.html )

Notrium(Edit)


Pick a character from one of four races and help them survive being stranded on an alien world. You have to keep your character warm and fed (and not eaten), all while scavenging parts and exploring your surroundings in order to find escape. Great graphics and great control. Great everything.

Windows: http://www.monkkonen.net/notrium.php

One Must Fall 2097(Edit)


The best fighting game ever to come to PC. Not that there was a whole lot of competition or anything. Instead of the usual blood-and-guts fare, this one involves giant robots.

DOS: http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/game/66

Out of Order(Edit)


A great point-and-click adventure game inspired by old Lucasarts adventures. A funny story with great characters, and pretty much everything you could ask for in a game of this type. Definitely a must-play.

http://outoforder.adventuredevelopers.com/

Savage: Battle for Newerth(Edit)


Imagine a real time strategy game where each unit is a human player. That’s Savage in a nutshell. One player, the “commander” manages his base and team from an overhead RTS view, and everyone else plays as a soldier on the field in a third-person hack-n-slash or FPS view. Players level up as they fight, and gain new units and abilities as the commander traverses the tech-tree. Very heavily team-based, very dependent on good commanders, and a lot of fun. Formally commercial, now freeware. The sequel, Savage 2, is also now free.

Windows / Linux: http://www.s2games.com/savage/

Silver Knights(Edit)


A 3rd-person 3D networked mech battle game. If you like multiplayer deathmatch games and anime mechs equiped with jetpacks duking it out in the middle of a city with fighter jets swooping in and out firing homing missiles, this might be the game for you.

Windows: http://www.acid-play.com/download/silver-knights/

Soldat(Edit)


An insane sideview actioner designed for online play. Think Halo meets Liero. Plenty of game modes such as deathmatch and capture the flag, and plenty of ways to kill each other = plenty of fun.

Windows: http://www.acid-play.com/download/soldat/

Star Control II(Edit)


A great space privateering. What that basically means is it’s Sid Meir’s Pirates in space. I actually think it’s better than Pirates. In any case it’s very very very good. Download.

Windows/Linux/OS X: http://sc2.sourceforge.net

Starsiege: TRIBES(Edit)


Hey, kids! What sort of FPS games with vehicular combat did people play before Halo came out? Answer: Stuff like this.

Windows: http://www.gamershell.com/download_6159.shtml

Warning Forever(Edit)


Thank you, alphabetical order. You always save the best for last. This game is a shmup where you fight an endless stream of bosses. They start out small, but get bigger and bigger and change depending how you defeat them. Perhaps the most addicting thing ever created. It’s so simple, but so playable, and so fun. Get it.

Windows: http://www18.big.or.jp/~hikoza/Prod/index_e.html

Fraxy(Edit)


Aw, forget alphabetical order. Fraxy fits better here. It’s very much like Warring Forever, but with user created bosses.

Windows: http://mokeron.hp.infoseek.co.jp/zg/fraxy_main.html

Warsow(Edit)


Celshaded multiplayer FPS with a heavy focus on doing wall jumps based on the Quake 2 engine, you say? We have you covered. Worth a look, if only for the celshading.

Windows/Linux: http://www.warsow.net/

Zelda Classic(Edit)


Yes, this is indeed, as the name might imply, a near pixel perfect port of the NES Legend of Zelda game. Not only that, but it includes a map editor for custom quests. If you’ve ever wanted to beat Legend of Zelda, but hated how ugly the graphics were, there is also an included graphically enhanced remake of the original. Very nice.

Windows: http://www.zeldaclassic.com/

Betas releases, include Linux & OS X: http://www.allegro.cc/depot/ZeldaClassic/

ZTT(Edit)


A truly ancient game engine with integrated editor. Everything is displayed in ASCII characters. Try the default worlds for a bit, then go download some fan creations. Truly, some amazing stuff has been generated by fans. There is no “official” ZZT site, so the link points to Cly5m’s ZZT page. Really, quite a good jumping off point.

DOS: http://www.autofish.net/creation/video_games/zzt/