The industry trend of bringing classic PC games to mobile is an exciting one. Whether you’re nostalgic for old-school charm or looking to see what all the fuss was about, the chance to play these updated classics in the palm of your hand is pretty magical. Here is a list of 10 of the best updated, remade, or successors to some of PC gaming’s classics on mobile.
Baldur’s Gate
Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition
Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edtion
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
Developer: Overhaul Games
Platforms: iOS, Android
Release Date: 2012 (BG:EE), 2013 (BG2:EE), 2014 (IWD:EE)
Rating: Teen
I’m lumping all the old Bioware-created, Dungeons and Dragons isometric role-playing games together. But each is a complete 50+ hour game on its own. Combat is tactically rewarding, quests are well written, and the Forgotten Realms setting of Fearun comes alive with large maps and memorable characters. The Enhanced Editions have done a fantastic job updating and adding new content, breathing even more life into these classics.
Carmageddon
Developer: Stainless Games
Platforms: iOS, Android
Release Date: October 11, 2012
Rating: Teen
The original derby-style racing game delighted my young teenage self to no end in the ’90s. And I wasn’t the only one. The developer was able to Kickstart a full remake. They ported the original game to mobile (changing the pedestrians into zombies to help lower the notorious rating). The original’s blocky graphics are less harsh on a tiny screen, and the free-form racing gameplay is still great.
Heroes of Might and Magic III HD
Developer: Ubisoft
Platforms: iOS, Android
Release Date: January 29, 2015
Rating: Teen
Ubisoft bought the venerable Might and Magic franchise from the collapsed New World Computing in the early 2000s. I was pleased to see them continue to release new installments. They were mostly trying recreate the widespread success and acclaim of the third entry. Heroes of Might and Magic III is probably the greatest empire management strategy game ever made. Now it’s been rebuilt with official widescreen support and updated visuals.
Organ Trail
Developer: The Men Who Wear Many Hats
Platforms: iOS, Android
Release Date: August 9, 2012
Rating: Teen
No, this is not the dysentery-filled, colonial cross-country adventure you remember playing. That honor goes to a dubious free-to-play title. Instead, this is a spiritual successor featuring the zombie apocalypse. This indie title takes all the classic gameplay of The Oregon Trail and wraps it up into an ’80s zombie adventure. You guide your poor survivors in a beat-up station wagon across the country to the safe zone. You must fight off the undead hordes and make tough decisions. You thought dysentery was bad? Trying handling one of your own becoming infected.
RealMyst
Developer: Cyan Worlds
Platforms: iOS
Release Date: June 9, 2012
Rating: Teen
Myst is one the most iconic games of all time. The “real” part refers to the change in navigation in this version. The quaint but archaic click has moved to a fully 3D first-person experience. The classic gameplay is relatively unchanged. You navigate a danger-free island full of puzzles and a mysterious story. The nostalgia level is very high with this one and it still holds up really well.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
Developer: Frontier Developments
Platforms: iOS
Release Date: August 12, 2015
Rating: Everyone
Simulation and management games are all the rage on iOS. Many feature an initial free-to-play price point only to heavily gate everything inside behind real money. While the early 3D graphics of RollerCoaster Tycoon don’t hold up as well, the gameplay remains charming. The ability to ride your own custom coasters is still incredibly fun and rewarding. That easily makes this one of the best park-sim games on iOS.
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Developer: 2K
Platforms: iOS
Release Date: 2011
Rating: Teen
Pirates! (yes, the exclamation is part of the title) was already a remake when it was released with 3D graphics in 2004. You are given a simple ship and the freedom to carve out your career as either a pirate, merchant, conqueror, or savior. Numerous mini-games and clever mechanics keep the gameplay fresh along with the main story of rescuing your family.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Developer: Aspyr Media
Platforms: iOS, Android
Release Date: May 17, 2013
Rating: Teen
There’s no better time to replay (or discover) one of the best Star Wars games ever made. Just as prequel fever for the film franchise was hitting an all-time high, BioWare released Knights of the Old Republic. The game is a sprawling, choice-based roleplaying game that would soon pave the way for the Mass Effect series. The interface and menus have been completely rebuilt for iOS and touch screens. The result is one of the best mobile games you can find.
Starbase Orion
Developer: Chimera Software
Platforms: iOS
Release Date: October 2011
Rating: 9+
DStarbase Orion features everything that made the original a beloved classic—planet colonization, space battles, and alien diplomacy. It features a well-integrated, asynchronous multiplayer mode using Game Center. The developers have lovingly updated and supported the game for years after its release.
XCOM: Enemy Within
Developer: 2K
Platforms: iOS, Android
Released Date: November 13, 2014
Rating: Mature
While this version of XCOM isn’t exactly old (2012), it’s still a remake of a ’90s classic. XCOM: Enemy Unknown created a streamlined, console-friendly facsimile of the original turn-based strategy game. The iOS version includes the excellent Enemy Within expansion pack, and the tactical combat translates perfectly to touch screens.
