10 Classic ’90s Games That Are Unplayable Today

For many gamers, the 1990s were a golden age, and for good reason. This decade brought us incredibly influential games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and major installments in popular series such as Final Fantasy 7. It was also the era of iconic consoles like the SNES and PlayStation.

While ’90s games hold a special place in many gamers’ hearts, some haven’t stood the test of time. Many early 3D games look quite clunky by today’s standards, and some suffer from old bugs that were never fixed. Even though these games were fantastic when they first came out, they can be difficult to enjoy now.

Released in 1999 for PC, Prince of Persia 3D aimed to update the beloved series with 3D graphics. The story centers on the Prince, who is determined to get revenge on a sultan who attempted to murder him after he married the sultan’s daughter.

The game is unfortunately hampered by frustrating issues that make it hard to enjoy. Specifically, the camera is poorly designed and the combat feels slow and unresponsive. It took the Prince of Persia series four years to successfully transition to 3D, finally achieving this with The Sands of Time in 2003.

Final Fantasy VI is a beloved role-playing game and often ranks among the greatest of all time. Originally released in 1994, it takes place in a unique world with a steampunk aesthetic and centers on Terra Branford’s journey as she joins a fight against a cruel empire.

Similar to previous games in the series, Final Fantasy VI is quite challenging. However, a frustrating glitch can completely ruin your progress, forcing you to restart the game. This happens if you use a particular character’s ability against an enemy it shouldn’t be used on, corrupting your saved data. While it doesn’t happen often, it’s a serious problem.

Originally an arcade game, Virtual On: Cyber Troopers came to the Sega Saturn in May 1996. Created by Sega, the game takes place on a future Earth where wars are fought with fast-paced, giant robot battles.

The Sega Saturn version of Virtual On: Cyber Troopers allowed players to compete online using services called Sega Net Link and XBAND. Unfortunately, both of these services are no longer available, so playing the game online now requires significant technical modifications.

Bubsy 3D is a PlayStation platformer from 1996 that’s become well-known for being poorly received. The game follows Bubsy the Bobcat as he tries to gather the pieces to build a spaceship and go back to his planet, but it hasn’t held up well over time.

The game looks immediately unpleasant, using cheap, generic textures and overly bright colors. However, the graphics aren’t the main problem. Being one of the first 3D platformers, it struggles with awkward camera controls that don’t work well with the character’s movement, making it very difficult to play now.

Resident Evil 2 is a classic survival horror game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. A slightly updated version was also made for the Game.com handheld console. The game puts you in the roles of Leon S. Kennedy, a police officer, and Claire Redfield, a college student, as they fight to survive a terrifying zombie outbreak in Raccoon City.

It’s hard to imagine that the original Resident Evil 2 is now considered a classic, especially for those who experienced it on the Game.com. While it was impressive to try and fit such a large game onto a small handheld device, the Game.com version suffered from significant performance issues and gameplay that didn’t translate well.

Duke Nukem 3D is a well-known game from the 1990s that was also released on the Game.com, but the port wasn’t very successful. The Game.com was innovative for its time, but it simply couldn’t handle a complex game like Duke Nukem 3D on a handheld system from that era.

Despite the challenges, Tiger Electronics tried to bring the game to the Game.com, and it’s evident they aimed for a playable version. However, the Game.com version of Duke Nukem 3D is significantly stripped down, missing essential features like looking around or running. It doesn’t capture the speed and excitement of the original game.

Everyone agrees that Superman 64 is a frustrating game, and for good reason. You play as Superman, trapped in a digital world built by Lex Luthor. Although the idea of that sounds interesting, the game itself is just plain bad.

The main issue with Superman 64 is the required flying missions through rings. These would have worked better as a tutorial, but instead they’re part of the main story and are incredibly frustrating. This is due to clunky controls and gameplay, and the game can even freeze if Superman bumps into a building.

The Mario Artist series isn’t like most video games; it’s a collection of creative tools, much like Mario Paint. These programs let you make art, music, animations, and other creations. Because they were made for the 64DD add-on, they were more complex and detailed than Mario Paint.

The Mario Artist games were once capable of creating surprisingly good animations and music, even for semi-professional use. However, that time has passed. Because the 64DD system they required is now rare, and features like online connection no longer work, the tools feel unfinished and outdated by today’s standards.

Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties isn’t really a game; it’s more like a movie you can click through, but without the moving pictures. The story follows John and Jane, and while it’s not unplayable, you don’t get much say in what happens – there aren’t many real choices to make.

Calling Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties unwatchable is probably fair. Even a simple slideshow would be less distracting, but the film’s shaky camera work and constantly changing visuals make it unpleasant to watch.

Myth II: Soulblighter is a strategy game and the continuation of the story from Myth: The Fallen Lords. Taking place about sixty years after a major war, the game puts you in charge of a new effort against the enemies who previously attacked your friends. Many players think it’s a better game than the first one, but it does have one serious problem.

An infamous bug in the game Myth II could accidentally erase a significant amount of data from a player’s computer, potentially making the system unusable. This serious flaw is now as well-known as the game’s great design, and it makes playing the game today a risky proposition.

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2026-02-26 23:41