6 Commodore 64 Games Still Fun Today

A working Commodore 64 is a rare sight nowadays. They were popular home computer back in the 1980’s. Which also doubled as a gaming platform. I know because I grew up with one. Games were easy to come by. Friends regularly exchanged games.

My library of games is extensive and I’m familiar with many, many klinkers. Some still hold up though. Some are actually pretty good. I’ve been playing video games on my Commodore 64 longer than I care to admit. I’ve compiled a list of the better ones so you don’t have to sift through all the terrible games.

I played this on a Commodore 64. The graphics look like something from the original Atari but the game itself is a lot of fun. For an old video game it really holds up well.

The idea is to collect all the boxes while avoiding all the enemies. You can’t jump or attack and the enemies are always moving toward you. The only action at your disposal is digging holes in the floor. Which fill back in after several seconds.

While it seems a lot like Mario Bros, Pac Man, Popeye, or other side scrollers. It’s actually a puzzle game where you have to strategically dig holes to get to the boxes or avoid enemies. The placement and timing of the holes is extremely important. Sometimes you need to delay the enemies. Other times you need to kill the enemies.

Other times you need to dig through several levels so you can reach a box. Seven holes in a row is the maximum before the 1st starts to fill in. Placing holes to your advantage is a crucial skill to learn. It can allow you to escape the enemies or buy you time to figure out the level.

You also need to figure out where to get the enemies stuck. Sometimes it’s best if they are all to your left, all to your right, or all stuck in a room. The also stay on ladders if you stop moving on one too. You have to use this to your advantage to win each level.

Once you learn all the different tricks, it’s easy to avoid the enemies. Then it’s mainly about figuring out how to collect all the boxes. Each level is different and there are 150 levels. Some are forgiving, allowing you retry collecting certain boxes at your leisure. Others give you one attempt, then it’s impossible. On those levels you have to die and try again. Take your time when you can to figure out each level.

For an old video game with basic graphics, it’s incredibly fun. Check it out here: https://loderunnerwebgame.com/game/

This is another classic video game that still holds up well to this day. The idea is you have to explore the enemies underground lab, collect cards, then assemble them for the password to escape. All before the base self destructs.

You start in an elevator and have to find the exit. There are many rooms and several columns of elevators. Most rooms have guard robots in them. Each robot has set commands and you have to avoid them. Some stand still, some patrol back and forth, some are activated by motion, some attack, and others move toward you at all times.

You have to jump over them and stand clear of their attacks. You can find an item which allows you to temporarily disable them too. There are computers, filing cabinets, furniture, and desks in each room you have to search. All while avoiding the robots.

Once you collect all the key cards, you can start assembling them to find the password and escape the lab to win.

It’s an old game that’s still fun to play and very satisfying to win. You can search for an Commodore 64 emulator and install it. Then search for the C64 file, download it, and run it in the emulator. Or check it out online:

https://c64online.com/c64-games/impossible-mission/

If you like Zelda or other adventure games, then you’d like Exodus: Ultima III. The first two iterations of Ultima are okay. But the third is the best in my opinion. The graphics are about as bad as it gets but the overall experience makes up for it.

It’s a dungeons and dragons type adventure game. You build your party of 4 by selecting their race, type, and attributes. Then start in the castle with minimal equipment. Once ready, you leave the city to fight enemies in the wild.

There are several dungeons and mystical cities to explore. As you level up and talk to people you find more clues. Once you find the right equipment, marks, and information you can eliminate Exodus to win the game.

In my experience, this game has the right balance between fighting, casting spells, exploration, and managing resources. It is a bit slow at first, but does pick up once you earn a lot of money. Robbing the storehouse in Moon several times is a quick way to get money and items.

There’s a lot of information to uncover before you can finish the game. Even the ending is a bit of a twist. For a game from the 1980’s it holds up well if you can get used to the graphics.

Another favorite Commodore 64 game of mine from the 80’s is Elite. It looks a bit like Asteroids but much, much better. You explore galaxies in your spaceship while trading goods and fighting pirates. It sounds a bit more complicated than it is.

Basically, it’s a shooting game. It’s like Battlezone, only it adds a another axis. You move the ship up, down, rotate left, or rotate right to target enemies to shoot at. While also controlling the speed, firing missiles, deploying EMP to stop incoming missiles, or hyper-jump to escape.

There’s a general storyline with a couple missions, but basically the idea is to destroy as many pirate ships as you can. The game doesn’t have and ending, rather the goal is to earn an “Elite” status.

When you think about how small a program this game is and the rudimental hardware it originally ran on, it’s rather impressive. If you like shooting games, this is one classic worth checking out.

Raid on Bungeling Bay (R.O.B.B.) is one of the first top camera action games. You play as a helicopter whose mission is to destroy 6 factories before a battleship is complete. The game starts with your helicopter on an aircraft carrier. You have a gun and bombs to complete your mission.

The helicopter has limited bombs and fuel, but unlimited ammo for the gun. You refuel by landing on the carrier. Bombs are available at any airport in the game, even though they are the enemy. Which is odd but whatever.

You have to find each factory, destroy any anti-aircraft guns, then drop all your bombs on the factory. It takes 12 bombs and you only carry 10, so every factory takes two bombing runs. They also get rebuilt if you take too long.

In fact, the whole game gets harder the longer you take. The only way I’ve found to win is to hit each factory hard and fast. Rearming from nearby airports instead of the carrier. Plus hitting the battleship after the 3rd or 4th factory.

It really is a balanced fighting game. From your hit points, to enemy hit points, to the amount of enemies, everything is balanced enough to make for a good action game. It does get harder for the 5th, and 6th factory but that’s to be expected.

The only drawback is the graphics, of course, and range of motion. There isn’t a 360 degree range of motion since Joysticks then only had 4 points. Once you adjust your targeting to accommodate this limitation, it’s playable.

This is another classic fighting game for the Commodore 64. It’s laid out somewhat like a chess board. The idea is to destroy all enemies or control all 6 power squares on the board. You choose whether you want to play as dark or light.

Each side has melee units, shooters, a couple special units, and one spell caster. Each unit has attributes for ground speed, attack speed, hit points, and size. A few on each side have special abilities, such as a shapeshifter which assumes the shape of whatever unit it’s fighting.

You move pieces to the place of your choosing, then fight if there’s already a piece there. Melee units are at a disadvantage vs shooters, so it’s preferable to have melee vs melee or shooter vs shooter.

Each unit has attributes for ground speed, attack speed, hit points, and size. A few on each side have special abilities, such as a shapeshifter which assumes the shape of whatever unit it’s fighting.

The spell casters have several spells they can use only once. Such as summon an elemental to fight, shift time, imprison a character, heal, teleport, and revive. They are only average shooters in a fight and so generally are best saved for their spells, especially revive.

Both sides have equally matched spells and units. The computer Playing vs another human is best but the computer is pretty challenging too. This is one of the few two player games from that era.

While this is a game from the 1980’s, it still holds up today. The graphics are as expected, 8 bit but the gameplay is great. Moving pieces, fighting, and casting spells to win is a lot of fun. If you like fighting games this one is worth checking out.

While my wife played many of these games, she also played Barbie for the Commodore 64. I couldn’t write about the Commodore 64 without at least mentioning her favorite. In the Barbie game you dress up Barbie for different occasions and Ken keeps changing what occasion to dress up for.

Then you have to time being ready at the exact time. If you’re a minute early or late you’ll hear the dreaded, “Sorry Barbie, plans have changed”. Then have to start over.

Mostly, she just played to dress Barbie in the most outlandish outfit possible. Tennis match? Guess I’ll dress for a formal dinner. Going dancing? Guess I’ll dress for a trip to the farm. If anything at least it taught her not to be doormat for some man.

There are many games for the Commodore 64. Some were good, many were bad. The ones listed are among the best games from the 80’s. If you can tolerate the graphics, the gameplay more than makes up for it.

Playing these games on a used Commodore 64 isn’t necessarily the best way to play these games anymore. Load times on an actual C64 are incredibly slow, we’re talking 5 minutes for most games.

Search the internet for a Commodore 64 emulator or website that hosts these games. These are worth the effort to find and play.