GamesNostalgia

Retro games, abandonware, freeware and classic games for PC and Mac

iten

Best fantasy games on GamesNostalgia

Computer games set in fantasy worlds have always played a central role in gaming history, evolving across different genres and platforms. From early rudimentary experiments to today’s complex narrative and strategic experiences, fantasy has been a recurring theme that allows players to immerse themselves in magical worlds filled with heroes, monsters, and mysteries.

One of the earliest titles to explore this genre was Adventure (1980) for the Atari 2600, a pioneering action-adventure game that, despite its simple graphics, introduced fundamental elements such as exploration and item collection to progress. Around the same time, text-based games like Zork: The Great Underground Empire (1977-1980) allowed players to experience deep and complex adventures solely through reading and interacting with a text parser, giving rise to the text adventure genre.

During the 1980s, fantasy found its way into side-scrolling brawlers with games like Barbarian (1987), which featured brutal one-on-one battles in medieval arenas, and into turn-based RPGs such as Wizardry (1981) and Might and Magic (1986), which established key mechanics like character progression and dungeon exploration. With the rise of 16-bit computers, dungeon crawler games like Dungeon Master (1987), Eye of the Beholder (1991), and Ambermoon (1993) introduced a first-person perspective that deeply immersed players in fantasy worlds, featuring more sophisticated mechanics and real-time or semi-real-time combat.

Among the most influential RPGs of the 1990s was Ultima VII: The Black Gate, which raised the bar for narrative complexity and world interactivity, offering an unprecedented level of simulation. But fantasy wasn’t limited to role-playing games—real-time strategy (RTS) titles like WarCraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994 took the genre in a new direction, putting players in command of armies of humans and orcs in large-scale battles.

Even first-person shooters found inspiration in fantasy. Games like Heretic (1994) and Blood (1997) blended classic FPS mechanics with gothic and magical settings, offering spells and enchanted weapons instead of traditional firearms.

Fantasy has always been an incredibly versatile genre, adapting to every kind of gameplay and technology. Whether exploring enchanted lands, battling legendary creatures, or commanding armies in epic wars, the appeal of fantasy settings has made these games timeless classics in the history of video games.

Princess Maker 2 dos

Princess Maker 2 is the second chapter of the life simulation series Princess Maker, developed by the Japanese company Gainax. In the game, you are a father that has to grow a child received by a god and make her a princess.

Year: 1993 Genre: Role Playing

anime fantasy rpg simulation virtual life

Warcraft II: Tides Of Darkness dos

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is the sequel to the first real-time strategy game created by Blizzard, WarCraft: Orcs & Humans. This second chapter of the fantasy RTS was develop...

Year: 1995 Genre: Strategy

fantasy real-time rts steampunk strategy war

Heretic dos

Heretic is a first-person shooter developed by Raven Software and published by id Software in 1994 for the PC and Mac. The game was published by the prestigious American company id...

Year: 1994 Genre: Shooter

2.5d dark fantasy doom engine fantasy first-person fps medieval shooter texture map

Diablo windows

Diablo is a famous "hack and slash" role-playing game created by Blizzard and released at the end of 1996 for Windows. Two years later, it was released to Macintosh. It is not only...

Year: 1996 Genre: Role Playing

action-rpg fantasy hack and slash isometric real-time rpg

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss dos

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss is a fantasy action RPG developed by Blue Sky Productions (Looking Glass Studios). It was published by Origin Systems in 1992 for DOS. It was l...

Year: 1992 Genre: Role Playing

3d dungeon crawler fantasy first-person rpg

Golden Axe genesisamiga

Golden Axe is a side-scrolling hack and slash fantasy game created by Sega and released for arcade machines in 1989. The game was ported the same year to the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesi...

Year: 1990 Genre: Brawler

2 players arcade brawler co-op coin-op conversion fantasy hack and slash progressive beat-em-up sword and sorcery

WarCraft: Orcs & Humans dos

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, also known as Warcraft I, is the first game in the popular Warcraft series created by Blizzard Entertainment. It's a fantasy real-time strategy game (RTS) ...

Year: 1994 Genre: Strategy

fantasy multiplayer real-time rts strategy war

Ultima VII: The Black Gate dos

Ultima VII: The Black Gate is a role-playing game and the seventh in the Ultima series designed by Richard Garriott. It was developed and published by Origin Systems and released for DOS in 1992.

Year: 1992 Genre: Role Playing

fantasy medieval party-based real-time rpg sword and sorcery

Hexen: Beyond Heretic dos

Hexen: Beyond Heretic is a fantasy first-person shooter developed by Raven Software. It was released in 1995 as a sequel to Heretic, which had been published one year before. It is the second chapter of the Serpent Riders series.

Year: 1995 Genre: Shooter

2.5d dark fantasy doom engine fantasy first-person fps shooter texture map

Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow & The Flame dosgenesis

Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame is the sequel to the original Prince of Persia. It was developed and published by Brøderbund Software and it was released in 1993. T...

Year: 1993 Genre: Platformer

cinematic fantasy middle east platformer puzzle platformer

Loom dosamiga

Loom is a point-and-click fantasy adventure created by LucasArts, released initially in 1990. One of the most popular titles using the SCUMM engine, like Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade and The Secret of Monkey Island.

Year: 1990 Genre: Adventure

adventure fantasy graphic adventure music point and click scumm

Dungeon Master amigadosatari-st

Dungeon Master, developed by FLT Games initially in 1987 for the Atari ST, is a grid-based 3D action role-playing game. It is one of the best-selling Atari ST games of all time. Th...

Year: 1988 Genre: Role Playing

atari st dungeon crawler fantasy party-based real-time rpg sword and sorcery

Gateway to the Savage Frontier amiga

Gateway to the Savage Frontier is a role-playing game developed by Westwood Associates for Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) and released in 1991 for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Commodore 64.

Year: 1991 Genre: Role Playing

d&d fantasy forgotten realms gold box party-based rpg turn-based rpg

Odyssey amiga

Odyssey is a side-scrolling platform adventure game developed by Unconscious Minds and published by Audiogenic Software in 1993. It was released exclusively for the Amiga. The game...

Year: 1995 Genre: Platformer

amiga original game fantasy metroidvania platformer puzzle platformer side-scrolling