The Most Future-Proof Online Games

From poker to the classic SimCity series, here are the most future-proof online games available right now.

10:30 24 April 2020

With all this talk about the likes of VR and how it will change the gaming industry, we got thinking about how online games have evolved. From the earliest iteration of Pong to the seemingly endless list of mobile games you’ll find in the app stores, there’s been a lot of change in the gaming industry. But we did notice that when it comes to classic games, there are a select few that have and will forever stand the test of time.

Minecraft

Yes, it’s stupidly simple and has the worst graphics ever, yet it’s still one of the most popular online games of all time. Since it first came out in 2011, Minecraft has sold over 176 million copies. That’s an incredible feat for a game where characters look like they were designed back in the late 70s.

The simplicity of the game and the interactive nature of the worlds are what makes this a game that will forever captivate players of all ages. The ability to create your own worlds and invite friends to live in them really set Minecraft apart from every other title available at the time.

Despite some competitors taking aim at their share of the market, it seems that with each passing year more and more people discover the wonder of this game. In fact, with more emphasis these days on computing skills through Coder Dojos, games like Minecraft are more popular than ever before. 

Poker

Interestingly, poker is one of those games that hasn't changed much since it first appeared in games rooms. But that doesn't mean that we can't adapt it to make it even more fun. Take online poker giant 888poker for example. Their impressive attempts to future-proof the game include features such as BLAST and SNAP.

BLAST is a turbo version of Texas Hold’em in which players are unaware of the prizes until the game starts. A multiplier sets the pot value, which could be anything from 2x to 10,000x the value of a player’s buy in.

As for SNAP, this variation cuts down on waiting time once you have folded in a game. As any poker player knows, waiting for hands can feel like a huge waste of time. With SNAP, a player who folds is re-seated at another table immediately.

While these might seem like fairly simple additions to the game, it’s these types of features, made possible by the latest technology and algorithms, that makes poker one of those games that will always hold the attention on online gamers.

Solitaire

We’re going back to another classic card game and this time it’s solitaire. Anyone who has owned a Windows PC will have, at some point in their lives, fired up solitaire for a few hours of fun. And you’ll also remember how simple it was to get completely lost in playing the game.

Like poker, solitaire is one of those games that has never really changed much. It’s the sheer simplicity of the game that has people still playing it after all these years. Unlike the other games we mentioned so far, solitaire is one game which you can play instantly and just for a few minutes before coming back to it later. As long as there are Windows PCs, solitaire will hold a place on this list.

SimCity

Believe it or not, there hasn’t been a new release of the SimCity series since 2014, but that doesn’t mean it’s no longer popular. The series started in 1989, with the PC version of the original title captivating computer owners the world over.

The original title was a standalone game, but in the years and versions since, a thriving online community has grown. This allowed players to build cities with other players online, invite friends to their worlds, but crucially, you could never interact in the actual real-time gameplay.

By 2014, EA had decided to put a hold on future development of the game, but the series spawned a multitude of spinoffs and copycat titles. So while we may not see any official SimCity titles for some time, we have no doubt that games influenced by the original will continue to hit the market each and every year.

FIFA

There’s just something about football and gaming. Even professional footballers themselves are quite taken by the annual FIFA titles and it seems that this trend will continue for quite some time. So what is it about FIFA that’s so good?

As a global game, it allows people from every background to get involved and compete at the same level as their peers. The regular updates for players’ information and transfers also make it a game that rarely goes out of date, while each and every feature added by developers brings the game closer to its real-life counterpart.

But it’s the fact that football will forever be the world’s most popular sport that really makes this a genuinely future-proof online game. Every year that professional football is played, there will, without a doubt, be a new edition of FIFA on gaming store shelves.

Honorable Mentions

An honorable mention goes to Tetris, a game that with over 495 million downloads or purchases has to be one of the top video games of all time. It’s not really an online game though which is why it didn’t make the cut for this particular list.

Other games such as Call of Duty and Counter Strike are also worth mentioning but, as first person shooters, we feel that there’s a strong chance they’ll fall by the wayside if a new, snappier title comes out.

So there you have it – the most future-proof online games that are pretty much guaranteed to stand the test of time. Have you played any of them recently?