We asked 5,005 gamers what deserves a remake, and they didn’t point to “last year’s hits”. A commanding 72.8% want titles a decade or older brought back to life – and 41.3% are reaching all the way back to the cult classics of 20+ years ago. Nostalgia, it turns out, has a very long memory.
In the first article, we looked at who our respondents are, how they feel about remasters and remakes in general, and what kind of changes they actually expect from modernised versions of classic games. The verdict was clear: polish it up, keep the soul intact, and gamers are more than happy to revisit the past.
Now, in this follow‑up, we’re getting straight to the question everyone’s been waiting for: which games do players actually want to see return?
We asked, and you answered – with passion, nostalgia, and surprisingly specific picks. From beloved all‑time classics to cult gems, from long‑dead franchises to sequels that never happened, our respondents didn’t hold back.
Below is a curated selection of the most frequently mentioned and most intriguing fan requests, pulled straight from the “Other” answers in our survey. Some names will make you nod in agreement. Others might surprise you.
Fan Picks: Games Players Want Back
Before we get to the specific picks, let’s look at the bigger picture. We asked 1,685 gamers which titles they think deserve a remake or remaster – and the answers paint a pretty clear portrait of what nostalgia actually wants.
The past wins, hands down. A massive 41.3% pointed to cult classics from 20+ years ago, while another 31.5% rallied behind games from the previous console generation. Put those together and you’ve got nearly three quarters of all respondents (72.8%) saying the same thing: the older it is, the more we want it back.
But it’s not all blockbusters and obvious favorites. Around a quarter of voters went digging deeper – 10.3% want underappreciated hidden gems, 7.2% are after games that simply aren’t available anymore, and 5.9% would love to see the first chapters of franchises that are still going strong. That’s the crowd asking us to rescue the forgotten, not just polish the famous.
And then there’s “Other” -a humble 3.7%, just 63 responses. Small number, big impact. Because that’s exactly where the wildest, most specific, most heartfelt requests came from… and those are what the rest of this article is all about.
Let’s dive in.
Postapo and Sandbox
Few genres reward a faithful return like the open wasteland and the sprawling sandbox. These are worlds built to be lived in – places where players sank hundreds of hours into wandering, scheming, and bending the rules. From irradiated deserts to crime-ridden city blocks, here are the freedom-first classics fans most want to roam again.
Action and Superheroes
Big swings and bigger spectacle. This is the home of cinematic combat and capes – games that hand you the power of a god, a soldier, a tomb raider, or a wall-crawler. Players want these power fantasies back, with the punch turned up and the rough edges sanded down.
Classic Shooters
Before live-service seasons and battle passes, shooters were about tight campaigns, split-screen showdowns, and that one map everyone had memorized. These picks are pure muscle memory – the games that taught a whole generation how to aim – and fans want them reloaded for modern hardware.
Horror and Survival
Limited ammo, narrow corridors, and a heartbeat you can feel through the controller. Survival horror lives and dies on atmosphere, and these titles nailed the dread. Players are begging for remakes that keep the fear intact while finally retiring those infamous tank controls.
Strategies and Simulators
Slower, smarter, and endlessly replayable. Whether you’re commanding armies, playing god, or just trying to keep a plane in the air, these games rewarded patience and planning. Fans want them rebuilt for today’s machines – without losing an ounce of the depth that made them special.
Multiplayer and Creative
This is where the nostalgia gets gloriously weird. Couch co-op chaos, build-it-yourself sandboxes, and a few requests that flat-out don’t exist (yet). More than any other category, these picks read like a love letter – proof that players never stopped dreaming about the games that brought them together.
Summary – What the Fans Are Really Saying
So, what do we learn from all these fan requests?
First, nostalgia is powerful, but it’s not blind. Gamers aren’t just asking for a lazy upscale of their childhood favorites. They want proper care – remasters that fix technical flaws and remakes that reimagine without ruining the original spirit.
Second, the demand goes far beyond the usual suspects. Yes, Fallout: New Vegas and Resident Evil: Code Veronica come up a lot. But so do games like Team Buddies, Black & White, Fat Princess, and Star Wars Galaxies – titles that many assumed were forgotten. That tells us something important: players remember the weird, the niche, and the unavailable. They want those games rescued, not just the blockbusters.
Third, there’s a clear frustration with how some classics have been treated (or ignored) by publishers. When people specifically ask for “GTA before V” or “the Activision Spider-Man era” or “Dead Space 2 & 3,” they’re often hinting at versions or sequels they feel never got a fair shake.
And finally, a few requests are outright impossible – Portal 3 and GMod 2.0 don’t exist, and that’s exactly the point. Fans are using these survey answers as a wishlist, a way to say: “We still believe in these worlds. Give us more.”
That’s the real victory.