Fan games used to be a thing of the distant future, and now they're everywhere you look. It's an undeniable truth that sometimes game companies don't know what they're doing with their properties. Because this happens a lot in the industry, many fans have taken to game-making software with a fundamental understanding of the games that they loved.
They then craft their own experiences while injecting their own vision of what the game should be. Most times, you'll run into titles that fail to impress, but other times, you get some astounding masterpieces. As a matter of fact, many of these excellent fan games show some real competition with their inspirations.
Updated April 13, 2023 by Dennis Moiseyev: It's been some time since this list was last written. And in that period, some of the previous fan games on here have unfortunately been taken down or still haven't launched, but now there are plenty of new superb ones that took their place and have been added here instead.
14 Residentvania
Resident Evil has seen plenty of astonishing remakes that revitalize the gameplay and visuals. However, there's also the fan-made Residentvania, which takes the aesthetics in a completely different but sound direction. Inspired by Castlevania and Resident Evil Village, it's a brief adventure chronicling Ethan's arrival at Castle Dimitrescu.
The art assets and UI perfectly transform the Gothic Resident Evil setting and atmosphere into the classic Castlevania style. As you learn the controls before entering the castle, you can pass by The Duke still sitting in his merchant cart. The enemies are pixelated versions of those you'd see in Alcina Dimitrescu's humble abode, and she even makes an appearance herself.
13 Rayman Redemption
The flying helicopter-haired Rayman is as big an icon as Mario and Sonic in the platforming world, and he got some new levels and worlds in Rayman Redemption. This fan game goes above and beyond the original 1995 Ubisoft game on Atari and PS1 across all fronts, from sound, level design, and environment art.
You'll journey back to the old familiar landscapes of The Dream Forest and Candy Château, but can now also experience more inventive sound design from Band Land. Platforms are made of new musical instruments such as pianos, and there are trumpet enemies and the returning Mr. Sax that Rayman's fist of fury will happily oblige.
12 Love Is Strange
When your Life is Strange, navigating love could be too. This fan game takes Don't Nod's episodic branching narrative story about a missing student in Arcadia Bay and turns it into an equally phenomenal visual novel dating sim. At the center is still Max Caulfield at Blackwell Academy, but she's more focused on photography and finding love than solving mysteries.
It's a more cozy game with less supernatural suspense and some incredible storytelling that highlights LGBTQ+ relationships. The 2D character models of the beloved characters are faithful to the original concepts and work really well in this visual novel makeover. Here Max can make choices when exploring relationships with Chloe, Victoria, Rachel, or Kate.
11 Castlevania: Simon's Destiny
It doesn't get more incredible of an experience for Castlevania fans than a complete reimagining of the Konami classic with a first-person perspective done in GZDoom fashion. The fan-made Simon's Destiny allows you to revisit the classic gameplay of the first NES Castlevania game with retro Doom-like environments, sprites, and mechanics.
Flinging Simon Belmont's trusty whip at the memorable candelabras to regain some health and the iconic spooky enemies has never felt more immersive. This version also definitely elevates the horror atmosphere from the original 1986 game.
10 MiniDoom 2
While Doom Eternal incorporates more platforming into its FPS level design, MiniDoom 2, a sequel to the original fan-made MiniDoom, is an homage to the series that's strictly platforming and third person. Sticking to the traditional character designs of the beloved Doom Slayer and alien creatures (on a more miniature scale), MiniDoom 2 captures Doom in a whole new exciting way.
It's hard to fathom this is a fan game and not a spin-off from Bethesda and id Software. The music, the atmosphere, the enemies, and the weapons, including even the chainsaw and weapon wheel, are just all spot-on. And it still manages to keep the intense, fast-paced movement of hordes even with the platformer system.
9 Pokemon Uranium
Even though there are still plenty of new and old fans who pre-order their copy of the upcoming entry, the Pokemon series has lost its charm for many. Some of these frustrations stem from that it's become nothing more than the same experience released over and over again.
Then enter Pokemon Uranium. At its core, it holds many of the standard structures intact, but it subverts a lot of the series' tropes. It goes out of the way to explain many things, like why the protagonist never seems to have a father and builds an actual story for you to get invested in. And there's an entirely original cast of creatures to catch, as well as new evolutions for previously existing Pokemon.
8 Sonic Utopia
Sonic games are hit or miss these days. One year, you can get a fantastic title like Sonic Mania, but the next, you receive Sonic and the Black Knight. In a general sense, the 2D Sonic games have been pretty good — it's the 3D games that have a lot of problems. Even the beloved Sonic Adventure games have their fair share of issues.
That's where Sonic Utopia comes in. While this game is still a demo with a small gameplay length, it takes the 2D-style gameplay and perfectly translates it over to a 3D space. It feels exactly like it should, features branching paths that harken back to the Genesis days and has a visual style that feels like classic Sega.
7 Donkey Kong Country 4: The Kongs Return
Donkey Kong Country is one of the best platforming series of all time. Period. After Donkey Kong Country 3, though, Rare never continued the series and was eventually bought out by Microsoft. However, the love for the games was still very much alive, and it led to many fan games being made.
Of the bunch, the best one is Donkey Kong Country 4: The Kongs Return. This game is more a celebration of the classic trilogy rather than a continuation of it, but it's truly nothing short of fantastic. The game has the look and feel of the Country series but brings in mechanics and characters from all three games together. It's the perfect compilation of what made that series so great in the first place.
6 Mushroom Kingdom Fusion
What do you get when you take the crossover casts of Super Smash Bros. but just apply it to a Super Mario Bros. game? You get Mushroom Kingdom Fusion of course! This fan game takes the classic 2D platforming, but throws in just about every little retro game it can along the way, which brings in cameos from popular gaming icons on every level.
As you play the game, you unlock more characters to use and will be transported to different game worlds. You can even hold weapons at some point, which you will use to fight the Flood from the Halo series. The entire game is a bit darker than most Mario titles, but it's still a fun time showcasing some terrific fusion.
5 Organ Trail
Oregon Trail is not an easy game. Everyone in your party will probably die of dysentery before you reach your destination. Some fans have taken notice and decided to create their own version of the game. While it's not much easier, Organ Trail holds a lot more personality and boasts some unique design choices.
The fan game adds flesh-eating zombies to the mix. If one of your people gets bit by one, they could easily infect just about everyone in the station wagon. It's a wacky combination that takes a classic game and puts an interesting infected spin on it that makes it worth diving into a second time.
4 GoldenEye: Source
GoldenEye 007 is often cited as one of the best multiplayer games on the N64. Its shooting action provided hours of nonstop gameplay and is still a top pick for many parties around the world. However, the hardware has long aged, and the game is just too archaic when compared to other modern shooters.
Have no fear, though, as there is an option for you. Some brilliant minds created GoldenEye: Source. This game is a faithful recreation of GoldenEye 007 but through Valve's incredible Source engine. Because of how well Source games hold up, GoldenEye: Source is one of the greatest fan games ever created and will keep you playing for weeks as on the old N64.
3 Black Mesa
Half-Life is one of Valve's greatest games, and it was created before the Source engine finished development. After the release of Half-Life 2, Valve thought it was time to give their first entry a bit of an update. They ported the original Half-Life over to Source, but it wasn't that solid of an upgrade. As you can imagine, some fans took action.
The fan project is called Black Mesa, and it recreates the original Half-Life fully in the Source engine. Not only did this remake prove quite amazing, but it received attention from Valve (and it wasn't shut down). You return as Gordon Freeman and have some new stunning environments, as well as multiplayer maps.
2 Edain Mod
Back in the old days when you had to buy games on a disc, most of those were either simulators or real-time strategies. One of the best RTS games on the market was Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth. Because that series has been dead since the Rise of the Witch-King expansion, some outstanding LOTR fans have decided that the series deserves to be continued.
The resulting Edain Mod takes a great game and makes it nearly perfect. Not only does it refine the mechanics of the game itself, but it also injects lore reminiscent of both the movies and Tolkien's books, including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. The Ring is given a much more useful function, and the siege-style gameplay is brought back to feel more like a fantasy world.
1 AM2R
AM2R stands for "Another Metroid 2 Remake." This game is a fan remake of Metroid 2 on the Game Boy and brings in assets from the Game Boy Advance titles. However, because the game was very simplistic and monochrome on the original handheld, many environments and enemies, along with their AI, received updates and had to be reworked from the ground up.
The result was a more vibrant and visually striking product that implemented maps and new areas. This one is an interesting case because, in 2017, there was an official remake of the 1991 Game Boy game from Nintendo on the 3DS called Metroid: Samus Returns. AMR2 is still readily available to play and continues to receive new updates.