Old School Games That Are More Popular Than Ever

People don’t need to look very far to find a game to play nowadays. After all, Steam alone sees the release of some 10,000 games each year, and it’s estimated that around 25,000 titles are released annually across all platforms. That’s sixty-eight games every single day.

Most of those games fall into obscurity relatively quickly. And a reason for that is because they’re not just competing against other new games, but against all games, even those released in the past. There are digital and non-digital games that remain highly popular many years after they were released — and in one special case, even thousands of years after it was invented. In this post, we’ll take a look at some old school games that aren’t only still played, but which are arguably more popular than ever before.

Tetris

Tetris might just be the best video game of all time. Created by accident by a Russian software engineer back in 1985, Tetris took the world by storm when it hit the wider market. It’s currently the second-best selling video game of all time, but you wouldn’t bet against it taking the number one spot at some point. Why? Because despite being some forty years old, people continue to love this game. The app version of the game is always hovering towards the top of the downloads list, and there’s even an annual Classic Tetris World Championship event that aims to find the best Tetris player on the planet.

Poker

Poker is around two hundred years old, yet has never been as popular as it is right now. The internet has breathed new life into the game, helping to make it a global sensation. It’s estimated that some 100 million people across the planet play poker regularly. The game is popular, in part, thanks to its blend of accessibility and difficulty. Though anyone can learn how to play poker online in a matter of hours, mastering the game takes a lifetime. Plus, the sheer number of online players makes for a vibrant, active poker landscape where it’s always possible to find an engaging, challenging game.

Scrabble

Scrabble is nearly 100 years old and remains the king of word-puzzle games despite the rise of competitors. Even now, you’ll find Scrabble in 30% of homes in the US, and in 50% of homes in the UK. That’s a level of popularity that no other word puzzle game can match. Though Scrabble is viewed as a quaint, old game, it has actually shown that it can move with the times. A new version of Scrabble that removed some of the stale components of the game and made gameplay more fun was released in 2024.

The Sims

It seems odd to describe The Sims as “old school,” but it’s reaching that level. The original was released way back in the year 2000, making the game a quarter of a century old. Or, in other words, it’s as old as Tetris would have appeared to someone in 2010.

Despite technology improving significantly in the past twenty-five years, the brilliance of the original Sims game means there are plenty of people who still play it, even preferring it over later editions. Perhaps it’s because of the simplicity and charm, or because people like the nostalgia of playing a game that isn’t overladen with features. In any case, it’s known for being one of the greatest video games of all time — and that tag will always attract players.

Chess

Finally, there’s chess, the 1,500-year-old game that continues to take the world by storm. Thanks to the internet, newcomers can quickly learn how to play the game, while experienced players no longer need to find an opponent to play; they can simply play against the computer. According to the United Nations, 70% of the world’s population has played chess at least once in their lives, while 605 million people — some 8% of all people — play regularly.