Looking For An Updated Blast From The Past?
Gaming nostalgia hits differently when you're all grown up. While it's easy to look back at the games of your youth with rose-tinted glasses, the harsh reality is that most games don't look or play how you remember. That's what makes remasters so special! They bridge the gap between our fondest memories and modern expectations. So, let's take a look at 20 remasters that'll reignite the magic of your favorite childhood games.
1. Metroid Prime
Stepping back onto planet Tallon IV feels like a beautiful homecoming! Nintendo rebuilt every alien ecosystem in HD, keeping that groundbreaking scan visor gameplay intact. The atmosphere is denser—steam actually rises from Samus' arm cannon after intense battles, while alien particles float in real-time.
Metroid Prime Remastered - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch by Nintendo of America
2. Crash Bandicoot N Sane
By 2019, 10 million copies of the N Sane Trilogy had been sold. Playing classic games frame by frame, Vicarious Visions had to start over without the original code. With updated animations and accurate hitboxes, they even made those notorious bridge levels more difficult.
The Comeback Trailer | Crash Bandicoot® N. Sane Trilogy | Crash Bandicoot by Activision
3. Spyro Reignited
Here, Tom Kenny returned as Spyro's voice, while Toys for Bob reimagined every dragon with a unique personality. The fire effects basically took months to perfect, as they wanted every sheep-roasting moment to feel magical. Even the critters got personality upgrades, making the world feel alive.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy - Spyro the Dragon Launch Trailer | PS4 by PlayStation
4. Final Fantasy VII
Square Enix turned Lego-style characters into movie stars and revamped the combat system to real-time action. Interestingly, the new Midgar is huge, big enough to fit four original cities. Plus, Cloud's iconic dress scene has been turned into a full mini-game, showing just how far gaming has come!
Carter McKendry from New York, NY, United States on Wikimedia
5. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Knowing that the original physics engine was flawless, Vicarious Visions preserved it. The majority of the musicians they located for music rights were eager to return to gaming history. With 4K at 60 frames per second, the traditional 2-minute runs now appear better than ever.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 - Launch Trailer | PS4 by PlayStation6. Demon Souls PS5
Well, Bluepoint nailed it by keeping all the original gameplay while making everything look great. The fog gates are now super dramatic because the PS5 loads things so fast. They even got the original voice actors back to re-record their lines, and every sound feels fresh. 
Demon's Souls - Gameplay Trailer | PS5 by PlayStation
7. Pokemon Diamond Pearl
Secretly hiding every original DS glitch, this Sinnoh remake adds amazing particle effects for moves like Surf and Fire Blast. Game Freak upgraded every battle sequence yet kept the exact same encounter rates. Underground multiplayer now features crystal caves and real-time trading.
8. Resident Evil 2
Capcom created ultra-realistic zombies and surroundings by scanning actual persons and items for this one. Players also asked for tone-down tweaks since Mr. X became terrifying. Every shot has a different wound pattern, and even though they removed the tank controls, they maintained the level of survival terror.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America on Wikimedia
9. Shadow Of The Colossus
Again, the original code continued to run while Bluepoint rewrote everything. From 16,000 to 300,000 polygons, each colossus leaped. They added a secret collectible hunt that was so well hidden that most players never found it. Also, the draw distance lets you see colossi from a great distance.
Shadow of the Colossus - PS4 Trailer | E3 2017 by PlayStation
10. The Last Of Us
Naughty Dog's remake looks like a 4K nature documentary where Joel's beard is swaying in the wind, and his clothes have individual water droplets. They even went as far as modeling the inside of his watch. The original motion capture from 2013 was just tweaked with enhanced visuals.
The Last of Us 2: REMASTERED NEW MAJOR CONTENT UPDATE (Naughty Dog) by DomTheBomb
11. Mass Effect Legendary
BioWare gave all three games a major upgrade with 4K graphics and 60fps gameplay. The combat in Mass Effect 1 was edited to be like the sequels, while 30,000 textures were revamped, and awkward camera angles with Miranda were fixed. Plus, they included all 40 DLCs!
Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition Official Reveal Trailer (4K) by Mass Effect
12. Prince Of Persia
Yuri Lowenthal is back as the Prince, bringing his voice to life with new motion capture. Time manipulation looks good now, thanks to updated particle effects, and there are new puzzles to challenge your skills with the Sands. Plus, the parkour feels smoother in this complete reboot.
13. Halo Collection
Imagine being able to switch between classic and remastered graphics in the middle of a firefight—that's just the beginning. You've got six full Halo games running at 4K 120 fps, plus every single multiplayer map ever made. And yes, those classic glitches like super-bouncing are still around.
Halo 4 PC | Halo: The Master Chief Collection by HALO
14. God Of War
Although more of graphical overhaul rather than a remaster, Sony's updated version of God Of War and God of War Ragnarök prove that Norse mythology has never looked this good. Every brutal finisher now sports enhanced particle effects and improved blood physics on PS5 Pro. Besides, ray tracing brings Midgard to life in native 4K, while slightly edited Spartan Rage animations make Kratos feel more powerful than ever.
God of War – Story Trailer | PS4 by PlayStation
15. Dead Space
As the USG Ishimura is reconstructed, terror takes on a new shape. Basically, every necromorph dismemberment in the Frostbite engine has realistic flesh distortion. During heart-pounding times, Isaac's breathing becomes more intense, and bone-crunching new sound effects seem to be combined with zero-gravity-free flight.
Dead Space Official Launch Trailer | Humanity Ends Here by Dead Space
16. Diablo II: Resurrected
Blizzard did a good job recreating all 27 minutes of cutscenes in 4K while keeping the original audio intact. They also revamped the animation cycles for every class, but the spell timing still hits just like it used to. Plus, they introduced a shared stash for longtime fans!
Diablo 2 Resurrected Gameplay by Legend Stuff
17. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
In this iconic role-playing game, the Force is more powerful. Force powers light up the contemporary planets, and lightsabers dance with ray-traced splendor. Also, expanded character development allows you to truly build your Jedi path, and new alien voice recordings add depth to every discussion.
18. Grand Theft Auto Trilogy
Three iconic cities spring to life with modern lighting and weather systems here. You can cruise through Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas with better draw distances and reflections. Remastered hits blasts through your car radio, while GTA V-style controls help the classic trilogy feel a bit more modern.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Trailer by Rockstar Games
19. Metal Gear Solid
So, here we have Moses emerging from the snow with wonderful new visuals while Kojima's masterful direction remains untouched. David Hayter's freshly recorded dialogue meets modern stealth mechanics, along with classic top-down camera angles becoming optional. The stealth mechanics are surely a brilliant upgrade.
Chris Favero from USA on Wikimedia
20. Silent Hill 2
Unreal Engine 5's volumetric fog makes the famous town come to life. Bloober Team maintained the original story beats while reconstructing every psychological horror ingredient. Fascinating shadows are created by new flashlight dynamics, while face motion capture technology enhances Mary's writing. Pyramid Head now hides in 4K.
SILENT HILL 2 - Gameplay by Bloober Team
