List of commercial video games released as freeware
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Commercial video games released as freeware are games that, in their original license, were not considered freeware, but were re-released at a later date with a freeware license, sometimes as publicity for a forthcoming sequel or compilation release.
Some of the following games are not freely redistributable software, as they have only been made available as a free download as freeware, but may only be downloaded from certain websites and with the explicit permission of the copyright owner. Consult the software license agreement.
For games that were originally released as freeware, see List of freeware video games. For FLOSS games, and proprietary games re-released as FLOSS, see List of open source video games.
Available games
The following formerly paid games have been made available as freeware, and are still in that status:
Games no longer distributed
The following are commercial games that were re-released as freeware but were not freely redistributable software. They were only available as freeware for a limited time, but could not be redistributed, so they are no longer freely available.
- Airborne Ranger (1988), a stealth 2D game by Microprose. It was released as freeware by Atari to promote Airborne Rangers. A free registration was required to download the game. After Airborne Rangers wasn't released, the Airborne Ranger page and the download link were removed. The game is still mentioned as freeware and many forums and sites have the now dead link to the game page. The legal situation now is unclear because the installer has no disclaimer.
- Area 51 (2005), a first person shooter by Midway Games. Its free release was sponsored by the US Air Force. It later changed hands and its freeware status was removed.[28]
- B-17 Flying Fortress (1992), a flight simulator by MicroProse.[29]
- Betrayal at Krondor (1993), a role-playing game by Dynamix.[29]
- Caesar (1993), a city-building game by Sierra.[29]
- Far Cry (2004), first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek. Ubisoft had released the game in a four-day promotion as ad-supported freeware on FilePlanet.
- Gateway (1992), an adventure game by Legend Entertainment.
- Portal (2007), an action/puzzle game by Valve Corporation, available from May 12, 2010, for two weeks to promote the Steam client's availability to Mac users.
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003), third-person action adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal. Ubisoft released the game as ad-supported freeware on FilePlanet for a limited time.[30]
- Rayman Raving Rabbids (2006), a video game in the popular Rayman series, developed by Ubisoft Montpellier. Ubisoft had released the PC version of the game in a four-day promotion as ad-supported freeware on FilePlanet.
- Red Baron 3D (1998), a flight game by Sierra.[29]
- Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War (2006), a real-time strategy/third-person shooter by Stainless Steel Studios and Midway Games. Re-released as ad-supported freeware, sponsored by the US Air Force.[31]
- Runaway (1997), an adventure game by Pendulo Studios and published for Dinamic Multimedia and more later by FX Interactive. The game was released for free for 30 days to celebrate the launch of Hollywood Monsters 2, a.k.a. The Next BIG Thing.[32][33]
- The Suffering (2004), a horror third/first person shooter developed by Surreal Software and published by Midway Games. It was released free in September 2008, but is no longer available due to a new copyright holder.[34]
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (2001), a tactical shooter by Ubisoft. Released in an ad-supported free download version in 2007 for a limited time; available to US residents only.[35]
- Zork I, Zork II, Zork III, and Zork: The Undiscovered Underground, text adventure games by Infocom.[29]
References
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Adventures_of_Robbo.html
- ^ http://www.3drealms.com/news/2007/05/alien_carnage_freeware.html
- ^ a b c d e http://www.3drealms.com/news/2009/03/several_old_games_released_as_freeware.html
- ^ http://www.revolution.co.uk/_display.php?id=16
- ^ http://www.3drealms.com/news/1998/03/beyond_the_tita.html
- ^ http://www.3drealms.com/news/2005/12/bio_menace_released_as_freewar.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Clyde's_Adventure.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Clyde's_Revenge.html
- ^ Michael Klappenbach (September 1, 2008). "Command & Conquer Red Alert Released as Freeware". about.com. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Cybersphere.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Cybersphere_Plus.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Electro_Man.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Heartlight_PC.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Kiloblaster.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Kye.html
- ^ http://www.revolution.co.uk/_display.php?id=10
- ^ http://www.midnightsynergy.com/ancient.htm
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Overkill.html
- ^ http://www.sangofighter.com/download.htm
- ^ http://www.3drealms.com/news/2005/06/stargunner_rele.html
- ^ a b c http://www.symbioticsoftware.net/starfleet/downloads.htm
- ^ http://www.3drealms.com/news/1998/03/supernova_relea.html
- ^ http://www.superfighter.net/download.htm
- ^ http://www.ortsoftware.com/tfhist.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Traffic_Department_2192.html
- ^ http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Xargon.html
- ^ http://www.3drealms.com/news/2006/04/the_apogee_legacy_16.html
- ^ Area 51 Free Full Game
- ^ a b c d e General Liberated Games FAQ
- ^ Full Games: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Free Full Game (Ad Supported) - Demo Movie Patch Download Section - GamersHell.com
- ^ Rise & Fall: Civilizations At War Free Full Game
- ^ "Hollywood Monsters 2 ya está en las tiendas de toda España" (in Spanish). FX Interactive.
- ^ "Lunga vita all'avventura! Hollywood Monsters 2 è già qui" (in Italian). FX Interactive.
- ^ The Suffering Free Full Game
- ^ "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Free Full Game (Ad Supported)". GamersHell.com. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
You will need an Ubi.com account and you must live in the U.S. to play the game
External links
- Liberated Games — A site which features games which have been freed (liberated) by its copyright owners, in some form.
- Remain In Play — Features commercial games that have been released as freeware by their copyright owners.
- World of Spectrum — Large archive of legal ZX Spectrum downloads, with various permissions including some from Spectrum hardware copyright holder Amstrad.