Top 10 Amazing Fan Remakes of Classic Video Games

Script written by Caitlin Johnson

Top 10 Amazing Fan Remakes of Classic Games

Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 amazing fan remakes of classic games.

For this list, we’re looking at the best remakes of popular games that have both already been released and are upcoming.

Let us know in the comments which one you think did the best job.

#10: “Fallout 4: New Vegas” (TBA)

There is no shortage of fan “Fallout” projects, taking the franchise to Miami, London, and Oregon to name just a few. But “Fallout 4: New Vegas” aims to recreate the 2010 classic in “Fallout 4’s” updated version of the Creation Engine. This is because “Fallout 4” undeniably has the franchise’s best gunplay so far, and fans want to experience the smooth, satisfying combat with the story, factions, and environments of “New Vegas” – which is definitely showing its age. There’s not yet a release date for “Fallout 4: New Vegas”, but the developer updates show them still hard at work on it in 2021.

#9: “Resident Evil” remakes

The original 1996 “Resident Evil” was officially remade by Capcom in 2002 for the Nintendo GameCube, but as technology improves, fans are constantly recreating it in various ways. It’s been remade in “Resident Evil 4’s” engine featuring more modern mechanics, but the Spencer Mansion has also been lovingly reconstructed by an artist in Unreal 4. “Resident Evil 2”, despite also having a big-budget remake, has had the fan treatment as well, with fans creating mods that restore the fixed camera angles and tank controls, love them or hate them. This series is being constantly reinvented both within and without the official channels.

#8: “Grand Theft Auto: Vice Cry: Remastered” (2020)

The 2010s saw retrowave, 80s aesthetics come back into style in a big way, which is why the fact this ambitious “GTA V” mod exists is such a great thing. Though rumors abound that “GTA VI”, allegedly targeting a 2025 release date, will take us back to Rockstar’s take on Miami, that’s still a long way off; if you’ve got “GTA V” on PC you can install “Vice Cry” as if it was a DLC, transplanting the entirety of 2002’s “Vice City” with all its bright colors, neon visuals, and cocaine enterprises, into the 2013 game engine. The fan developers even added additional missions and content for all those players who just can’t get enough of Vice City – which is everybody.

#7: “Renegade X” (2014)

When EA decided to make a “Command & Conquer” FPS, it wasn’t really what anybody wanted. “Command & Conquer: Renegade” had numerous issues upon release that led it to be derided by fans and critics – definitely a low point for the franchise. That was until some fans took it upon themselves to totally remake the game, a project that EA ultimately ended up encouraging. Though it was originally a mod, it was made into a full-fledged standalone game of its own, significantly improving on the shaky foundations lain by the original in 2002. With totally overhauled graphics, gameplay, and new content, it’s one of the most successful fan projects of all time.

#6: “AM2R” (2016)

“Metroid II” has been remade by the fans so many times that it’s even a joke in the title of this game, which actually means “Another Metroid 2 Remake”. Of course though, with a game this iconic you can’t really have too many versions of it, and “AM2R” is definitely one of the best. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s litigious side came out once again and “AM2R’s” developer, Milton Guasti, was hit with a DMCA. But it’s not all bad; the remake was so good that Guasti went on to become a level designer for “Ori and the Will of the Wisps”, and we did get an official “Metroid II” remake shortly after.

#5: “The Dark Mod” (2013)

It’s no secret that the 2014 “Thief” reboot wasn’t well-received, either by critics or fans of the original ground-breaking series. “The Dark Mod” today isn’t really a remake of any particular “Thief” game and is actually a mod for “DOOM” – but it’s still a love letter to “Thief” and was sorely needed when the reboot turned out to be lackluster. And the approach of not strictly remaking “Thief” did mean that the developers completely avoided any copyright notices from Square Enix. It was updated with new story additions as recently as 2020, so it’s consistently received far more care and attention than the actual “Thief” IP.

#4: “Skywind” (TBA) & “Skyblivion” (TBA)

Bethesda’s spent over a decade porting “Skyrim” to anything even remotely electronic, but that same treatment hasn’t been afforded to “Morrowind” and “Oblivion”. Both of those games are now incredibly dated and can be difficult to play for anybody who wants to get into them now. That’s where “Skywind” and “Skyblivion” come along, though as of 2021, neither has been released to the public. They’re both being worked on in tandem and developers provide regular and promising updates to both. Better yet, the team has a good track record, having already released “Morroblivion” – a remake of “Morrowind” in “Oblivion’s” engine – in 2008.

#3: “GoldenEye 007” remakes

Definitely the best “Bond” game of all time, “GoldenEye” has been totally revamped by its large and dedicated fanbase more than once. But one fan’s attempt to move the whole game into Unreal 4, originally titled “GoldenEye 25” was shut down by MGM in 2020; the developer was forced to remove “Bond” references and rebrand. The following year and a different remake attempt using “Far Cry 5’s” map editor was also hit by legal action from MGM, and reworked itself as “Golden Cry” instead. But if MGM doesn’t want fans trying to remake its game, perhaps it shouldn’t have let Activision try to turn it into “Call of Duty” back in 2010.

#2: “Black Mesa” (2020)

If you’re still waiting for “Half-Life 3” after all this time – and let’s be honest, everybody is – then you might want to turn your attention to “Black Mesa” instead, a fan project to remake the first “Half-Life” that was fully released in 2020. For a while, it looked like “Black Mesa” was going to become vaporware despite getting the enthusiastic support of Valve; it had originally been set to launch in 2009, eleven years before it was finally playable. But now it’s arrived it was well worth the wait. It’s everything you could want from a remake, with updated graphics, new in-game physics, and extended versions of iconic scenes. It’s an absolute triumph and is available on Steam.

#1: “Super Mario 64 Plus” (2020)

It may be one of the most beloved “Mario” games of all time, but that doesn’t mean Nintendo is happy about you playing it on a non-Nintendo device – just like most of their games. “Super Mario 64” has long been available on emulators, much to Nintendo’s ire, but this native PC port was released in 2020 to overwhelming praise from fans. It was a much-needed refresh, especially when “3D All-Stars” wasn’t seen as a great version of the game. “Plus” is now capable of running at 4K 60fps, and a 2021 update even added permadeath and a much-improved camera.