A lot has changed since the first simple computer games saw the light of day. But even though the graphics, layouts, and complexity of today’s titles are on a completely different level, some games have stood the test of time.
Some games just refuse to die – for a variety of reasons. Here are 5 games that have proven endlessly entertaining and are still played today, even though the market is overflowing with quality titles from bold, innovative game studios.
The classic fruit-themed slot
Few saw it coming, especially when you consider how online slot machines today come in wild formats at US and international casinos. The classic one-armed bandit in online form has undergone a massive transformation. Nevertheless, players in the US and around the world still seek out the most stripped-down versions – the ones where fruit and berry symbols like strawberries, lemons, pears, and watermelons spin on the reels.
Today you can pick and choose from thousands of different online slots. There are large Megaways slots with up to 117,649 ways to win. There are slots with a Bonus Buy feature and 3D slots with stunning graphics. People play all of them, of course, but many modern players still swing by the truly classic three-reel fruit slots with simple paylines.
Tetris – simple, frustrating, and still brilliant
You can hardly make a list of games that refuse to disappear without mentioning Tetris. Created in the Soviet Union in 1984, its core idea is so simple it can be explained in seconds: geometric shapes fall from the top of the screen, and you place them to complete horizontal lines.
It might not sound like the recipe for a game that could keep people hooked more than 40 years later. But it does. Tetris has been released in countless versions for computers, consoles, handhelds, and smartphones.
A big part of the magic is the balance between simplicity and difficulty. Everyone can understand Tetris, but it gradually becomes harder as the speed increases. In other words, there’s always a reason to play just one more game and try to beat your latest high score.
Online chess has found new life
Chess is, of course, something else entirely. We’re not talking about a decades-old video game, but a board game with a history stretching back more than a thousand years. The internet has given this classic strategy game a whole new audience.
In the past, you needed a physical chessboard and, crucially, an opponent. Today, you can be matched in seconds with a player at roughly your level from almost anywhere in the world.
At the same time, chess fits surprisingly well with how many people play today. You don’t necessarily have to set aside hours for a game. Online, you’ll find fast time controls where each player, for example, has only a few minutes for the entire game. That has made chess a game you can take very seriously or just use to kill ten minutes. You don’t have to be Magnus Carlsen to play.
Online solitaire in many forms
Solitaire is another great example of a game that made the jump from physical to digital and still grips us, even with endless alternatives available. Many still remember the solitaire games that came with Windows PCs and could make a slow workday pass a little faster.
The best-known is probably Klondike, where you sort cards by specific rules and ultimately build the foundations by suit. But there are many other variations. Spider, FreeCell, and Pyramid are just some of the solitaire games you’ll still find on websites and in apps.
Perhaps solitaire has survived because it doesn’t require an opponent. You can always play alone whenever you want, and back in the day you could just pull a deck out of the drawer when you wanted to set up a game of solitaire on a cold, rainy day.
Poker is still a super-popular card game
Poker has also shown a remarkable ability to keep up with the times. The card game existed long before the internet, but the move to online poker made it possible to play against people from all over the world without sitting at the same table.
Texas Hold’em in particular has taken a near-dominant position. The rules are relatively easy to learn, yet the game packs so much strategy, psychology, and probability that you can spend years improving.
Poker also differs from many other classic games in that you’re not just playing against the game itself. Your opponents are other people, so no two hands are ever exactly the same. You have to react to their decisions, playing styles, and risk tolerance.
That’s probably the common thread explaining why these five very different games still thrive. The technology around them has changed dramatically, but the core idea hasn’t needed to. When a game hits the right combination of simple rules, challenge, and the urge to try one more time, its lifespan can be almost unlimited.