The great thing about PC gaming is that you can take just about any modern PC, and find some way to get any classic PC title to run on it. However, if you’re using a flat panel display some of these games just won’t look as good as they once did.
To really see them as intended, you need to use a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and if you happen to get your hands on one, then these ten games absolutely benefit from being displayed on glow phosphors via electron bombardment into your eyeballs.
I’ve tried to photograph each game on my mid-range Samsung Syncmaster CRT as best I could, adjusting the camera to sync up with the refresh rate, but you should note that these games look a lot better in person than a photo seen on a flat-panel display can reproduce.
10
Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D is the OG first-person shooter that took the world by storm when it first arrived in 1992. There were shareware floppies of the game all over the show, though sadly our 80286 PC at the time just couldn’t handle the game and I had to wait until our 80486 upgrade before getting to play Wolf3D at home.
Put in the shoes of a captured soldier, you have to escape from the Nazi-controlled castle, fighting your way out and eventually taking the fight to the leaders of Nazi Germany across six episodes.
On an LCD or other fixed-pixel flat panel, Wolf3D looks far too chunky, but switch over to a CRT, and those harsh pixels blend properly, and the game looks exactly as it did in the early 90s. Of course, you can use a modern source port like ECWolf, which lets you increase the resolution, but what’s really great about it is being able to play Wolf3D with proper modern strafing.
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9
DOOM
If Wolf3D established first-person shooters as a distinct genre, DOOM absolutely blew it up. DOOM is the first FPS most people were aware of, as it broke into the mainstream in a way that Wolf3D never did. With its heavy-metal MIDI tunes and relentless, gory action, it’s still an absolute blast to play today and it’s available on just about every platform you can imagine, and even a few you can’t.
DOOM was designed for computers using CRTs, and the graphics look much better on a tube monitor. Not only that, but if you use a computer with a true analog video output, there’s a noticeable latency improvement. You’ll still get better latency when using a a digital-to-analog adapter, but not to the same extent.
8
Quake
The gothic industrial dark fantasy vibe of Quake absolutely thrives on a CRT, and the game has recently been updated with lots of nice modern touches, including new lighting and numerous quality of life upgrades. On a CRT you’ll get crisp motion, beautifully-blended pixels and colors, and excellent dark scenes that make this game pop.
Even when I play Quake on my 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor at 144Hz, it just doesn’t feel as good compared to the 85Hz experience on my little CRT. It’s honestly a little addictive.
7
Jazz Jackrabbit
Before games like Gears of War, Cliff Bleszinski stole thunder from Sonic the Hedgehog with the PC platformer Jazz Jackrabbit. This is one of my favorite classic PC games of all time, and just about every modern flat-panel display turns this side-scroller into a blurry mess. Not so with even the most mid-range of CRT tubes, where the motion is crisp, and Jazz’s pixel art is a sight to behold.
I play the game often on my handheld PC (a Switch version would be nice), but hooking up my handheld to a tube display is where this game looks and feels the best.
6
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is one of the greatest games of all time, and it looks just fine on an LCD, since it’s a proper 3D-rendered game and all, but the game’s vibe just isn’t quite the same as it is on a CRT. In particular, the basic low-res character models and textures looks miles better on a tube. Sure, you can use a modern mod to upgrade those visuals, but the only way to experience the game as intended is with the original graphics on a CRT monitor.
Also, you know the rules regarding Deus Ex. If someone mentions it, you have to install it and play it again.
5
Diablo and Diablo II
Diablo and its sequel, Diablo II are still the best ARPGs of all time, in my opinion, and it’s very easy to fall into a new addiction every time I boot them up. Since both games were created using 2D pixel art, they look amazing on a CRT compared to a flat panel. Diablo II: Resurrected has given the game a complete reskin with new graphics, and in that mode the game won’t work on a CRT (I tried), but switching it back to the classic graphics works perfectly.
While I don’t mind playing Diablo on my Mac or handheld PC, I try to play these games on my CRT monitor any chance I get. Especially when playing in the dark with headphones on. It’s a “vibe” as the kids say these days.
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4
Duke Nukem 3D
Like DOOM, Duke Nukem 3D is a pseudo-3D game that relies on 2D sprites which don’t look great on a flat panel. There are modern ports that make everything proper 3D, and get rid of the warping when looking up and down, but that’s not what Duke 3D is supposed to look like. Pop it on a CRT, and the art direction all makes sense. Nothing wrong with enjoying the modern remastering attempts, but if you want the real-deal (adults-only) Duke experience, a glass vacuum tube is the only way to go.
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3
Heroes of Might and Magic III
I’m singling out Heroes of Might and Magic III here because it’s such an amazing exemplar of classic turn-based strategy gaming on PC, but really CRTs make a big difference to most classic strategy games, whether real-time or turn-based. It’s also my preferred way to play Master of Orion and Starcraft, for example.
Whichever 2D pixel art strategy game tickles your fancy, it’s hard to describe how much better it looks when not poorly scaled over an LCD pixel grid. If you tried to play it at 1:1 pixel-perfect scale on a flat panel, the game would be the size of a postage stamp, so do yourself a favor and experience it blown up on phosphor and glass.
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2
The Curse of Monkey Island
While the first two Monkey Islands are both excellent examples of games that look best on a CRT, for my money, it’s The Curse of Monkey Island that really benefits. This game is my favorite in the series, particularly because of the beautiful hand-drawn animation style, which almost makes it look like an animated movie. However, the assets are relatively low-res, and playing this on my MacBook doesn’t result in the best image. Switch the game over to a CRT, and it goes from a dithery image to the smooth artwork I remember so fondly.
1
Blade Runner
I feel like most people have forgotten that there’s an amazing Blade Runner game that was so ahead of its time, it might as well have been from the future. The story is its own thing and not just a video game version of the movie. It’s a nonlinear story, with each playthrough different. The characters have their own motivations and AI. Other characters will pursue their goals in real time as you play, and there are thirteen different endings.
The noir cyberpunk smokey neon graphics aren’t the highest-resolution (even in the new “enhanced” version,) but they really do come to life on a CRT. The only other display I have that does these graphics justice is the living-room OLED, and I’d still give my little 17-inch CRT monitor the edge here.
There are, of course, endless games that get a literal glow-up on CRT technology, and even some modern games look and play better on a tube. So if you ever get the chance to try it out in person, be warned that you might just be tempted to pick your own tube screen up from eBay (or the side of the road) too.
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