How To Run Old PC Games In Windows 10?

Running old PC games in Windows 10 never been easier. Many game publishers and game developers actually offer all their games to run on the latest OS of Microsoft. The process is fully automated so you simply need to obtain a game disc and follow a few steps below:

Personal computer (PC) games that were released sometime between the '80s and the '90s were innovative. The games ranged from mind-bending puzzles to point-and-click adventures with an excellent storyline; those PC games created the best childhood moments of our lives. These days, however, it is nearly impossible to run any primitive game on the most recent operating system (OS): Windows 10.

Getting an old PC game to run on Windows 10 is one time-consuming and tricky affair, perhaps due to the following contributing factors:

1). Lack of Support for 16-bit Programs

Windows 10 today lacks the needed support for 16-bit software. Windows programs in 64-bit versions do not have the included layer of compatibility for the outdated 16-bit programs.

2). Outdated Software Version Dependencies

Most old-school PC games depend entirely on obsolete software libraries that are not a part of the Windows 10 installation package. Thus, the required old libraries should be downloaded separately.

3). Games Released for DOS

Previous releases of the Windows OS, particularly those versions before Windows XP, run on top of the older Disk Operating System (DOS). Windows 10, however, no longer does. Very few DOS games might work, but most of them completely would not.

Luckily, as you are itching to get nostalgic with the PC games that you love, you can still play your favorite game even on Windows 10 as long as you go through each subsequent steps one at a time:

Start the Game as an Administrator

1. Click on the Windows Logo button located on the lower-left corner of your desktop.
2. Type the name of the app or game in question that you want to play, and it will show up after a few seconds. Alternatively, navigate through that game in the Start menu manually.
3. Right-click on that app or game's icon on the left-hand side and select Run as administrator. Preferably, single left-click on Run as administrator located on the right-hand side of the game. You can apply this step in two ways, as indicated in the screenshot.
   

If starting the game as an Administrator does not work, you may use the Windows 10 Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.

Run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

1. Click on the Windows Logo button located on the lower-left corner of your desktop.
2. While inside the Windows Start menu, type in right away the word "compatibility" without the double quotations, and Run programs made for previous versions of Windows should show up after a few seconds. On the right-hand side, click Open. Preferably, type in the following words right away: Run programs made for previous versions of Windows.
   
3. On the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter window, click Next.
   
4. Wait for the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter to finish detecting issues. Once this program has finished detecting problems, you will be given the option to select the game in question from a list.
   
5. Click on the name of the game from the list. Click Next.
   
6. Select from two available troubleshooting options. For a quicker fix, click on Try recommended settings to proceed to the next step.
   
7. To find out if the game works, click Test the program… and wait for the game to boot up.
   
8. If nothing happens or the game does not work, click Next. In most cases, you will be redirected to the same step as displayed above, with one minor difference being the currently tested old operating system in Windows Compatibility Mode.
9. Once the game runs successfully after a few tests, the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter will notify you that the troubleshooting has completed. Select from three options, as shown in the screenshot below.
   
10. If the game compatibility has been resolved, you should see the troubleshooting results, as displayed below.
    

Summary: Run old PC games in Windows 10

• Go to My Computer, right-click and choose Properties.
• Go to Advanced system settings.
• Look for Performance and click Settings.
• Click on the Compatibility Tab.
• Check off Run this program in compatibility mode for…
• Choose from the drop down, which OS you want to run.
• Check Run this program as an administrator.
• Click apply, then OK.