The nostalgia for the 90s is very strong in these great video games based on TV shows from that decade.
People who lived through the 1990s know that it was probably one of the most creative times for video games. As consoles and graphics got better and better, gaming moved from the arcade to the home. So, many game companies got ideas for their games from other forms of home entertainment, like TV shows.
Since then, video game tie-ins have grown into their own large subcategory. But while some are really fun and make you feel like you’re there, others are just empty and try to get your money. Here are some of the best games that are based on 90s TV shows.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo’s Curse
Are You Afraid of the Dark, a scary show made by Nickelodeon, first aired in the early to mid-1990s. The show is about a group of teens called The Midnight Society. They meet in the woods in a secret place to tell each other scary stories. It was a very popular show, and many people have called it an icon of 90s kids’ TV.
Do you worry about the dark? The PC version of The Tale of Orpheo’s Curse came out in 1994. It is about a brother and sister who get stuck in a haunted theater. People often say that the game is a lot like Myst, which is one of the best PC games ever made. The game is a lot like the show in that it has supernatural elements but is still kid-friendly when it comes to scary stuff.
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is one of the most well-known cult classic shows from the 1990s. The show follows Xena and her friend Gabrielle as they travel through a fantasy version of ancient Greece and help people along the way. Xena is the main character, and she is a strong woman. Even though it started out as a spinoff of a different show, Xena: Warrior Princess has become an iconic franchise in its own right.
A video game with the same name as the show came out in 1999 for the PlayStation. The game is mostly a hack-and-slash third-person action game, but there are also some puzzle and platform parts. The story is mostly about Xena’s mission to save Gabrielle from a witch who wants to take over the world.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is on every list of 90s TV shows, and this one is no different. The show’s main character, Buffy, learns about her role as the chosen one to fight the forces of darkness. It first aired in 1997. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been on for a total of seven seasons. The show is full of iconic 90s fashion, creepy supernatural plots, and memorable character arcs. Even though there have been many Buffy the Vampire Slayer games, Chaos Bleeds is one of the most popular.
Eggy Car game is an action beat ‘em up which was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003. It’s known for being the first game in the series where you can play as someone other than Buffy and for having a popular multiplayer mode.
SeaQuest DSV
This marine sci-fi show first aired on NBC in the mid-1990s. For the first two seasons, it was made by Steven Spielberg. The crew of the seaQuest DSV 4600, a submarine vehicle run by a group like the UN, is the focus of the show. The show takes place in 2018, a long way in the future, in a world where people have used up all of the earth’s natural resources and must now turn to the ocean floor.
The SeaQuest DSV video game came out on the Sega Genesis and SNES in 1994 and 1995, and it lets players take control of the game’s namesake ship and send it on different missions. The game takes place both on land, where players can buy equipment and weapons, and underwater, where they must complete missions using mini-subs, robots, and even a trained dolphin in a scrolling shooter style.
The Tribe Game
The Tribe, a show from the late 1990s that became popular mostly in Europe, is another cult classic. The show is a post-apocalyptic teen drama about a group of kids and teens who are left behind after a mysterious virus kills all the adults. In this harsh new world, different gangs called “tribes,” each with its own name and style, run the city.
Even though the show came out in 1999, The Tribe is still very popular. In 2022, an indie RPG game for PC was made because of this. The game has all of the most popular characters from the original series and lets players design their own characters. As a story-driven RPG, The Tribe gives players exciting new ways to complete quests, improve their skills, find resources, and interact with the world.
Spongebob Squarepants: Battle For Bikini Bottom
Spongebob Squarepants is the only show on this list that is still being made. It first came out in 1999. It’s not surprising that everyone’s favorite yellow sponge is still the most popular show on Nickelodeon. It’s one of the most important animated shows of the last few decades. Almost everyone knows who Spongebob or any of his well-known friends are, even if they haven’t seen the show.
Like other popular shows, Spongebob Squarepants has tried its hand at games more than once. But Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, which came out in 2003, is one of the most well-known versions. The game is a platformer where the goal is to protect Bikini Bottom from an army of robots that Plankton made. In 2020, the game was redone and put out on consoles, mobile devices, and PCs, among other places.