Verge Staff

Author

As large swaths of gaming history have become endangered, researchers and fans all over the world are fighting to turn back the clock.

Game Boy

Gaming

Keeping the classics alive: how archivists are preserving video game history

There&rsquo;s no shortage of ways to play classic games. There are subscription services, robust retro collections, and modern hardware designed to play old titles. But even still, large swaths of video game history are disappearing. Researchers say that almost 90 percent of games made before 2010 are &ldquo;critically endangered.&rdquo; But archivists around the world are finding ways to preserve that history, whether it&rsquo;s museums releasing translations of classic adventure games or developers racing to release their games on new platforms after others shut down. Collected here is a selection of stories that explore different ways fans, researchers, and archivists are ensuring classic games are kept alive for future generations.

Tune into the Sega Channel.

And now for something completely different.

A strong donation.

BOF on GOG.

Now you can check out this video game history museum online

Dino Crisis launches on PC as GOG adds new tool to bring back more classics

GOG’s new preservation program intends to  keep classic games playable ‘forever’

Video game preservationists have lost a legal fight to study games remotely

Spellbreak lives.

Survival horror classics, sans DRM.

An excellent retro collection gets even better.

One fan spent three years saving a Final Fantasy game before it shut down

Another cool piece of Limited Run Games history.

Felix the Cat and Sparkster are back.

Jeff Minter is getting a playable documentary.

PlayStation keeps reminding us why digital ownership sucks

Atari 50 is getting a big update.

The fight to save old video games

Atari is buying the developer behind its excellent 50th anniversary retro compilation

The Portland Retro Gaming Expo helps keep the classics alive

Another Stadia exclusive just ate a Power Pellet.

A fun way to support video game preservation.

The original Wizardry has been remastered — and you can play it right now

Digital Eclipse is preserving classic games in the most entertaining way possible

Almost 90 percent of classic games are ‘critically endangered,’ say archivists

The quest to save a Stadia exclusive

Atari 50 is an incredible playable tour through video game history

Two never-published NES games are up for auction on eBay

The ticking time bomb of modern free-to-play games

Habitat for humanity: how a classic MMO got a second life

Inside the fight to save video game history

How a design museum unearthed a treasure trove of classic Slovak games

Clockwork Aquario brings a long-lost arcade game back to life

Archivists are trying to chronicle Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ unforgettable first year

A new way to think about your favorite game’s code

An unprecedented Nintendo leak turns into a moral dilemma for archivists

Analogue’s console clones are a way to preserve gaming’s past

Unearthing Hardcore, DICE’s long-lost Sega Genesis shooter

EVE, offline: how do you archive a universe?

Meta’s historic loss in court could cost a lot more than $375 million

Apple raises the Mac Mini’s starting price

How the internet’s favorite squirrel dad made the hottest camera app of 2026

These reusable digital Polaroids are a clever way to cover a fridge in memories

Anker’s discounted 2-in-1 USB-C cable is a great way to spend $15

More from Keeping the classics alive: how archivists are preserving video game history

Most Popular

More from Keeping the classics alive: how archivists are preserving video game history

Most Popular

The Verge Daily