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Got a serious urge to take down Nazis in a big way? The long-standing Wolfenstein franchise has let players unleash their frustrations on the Third Reich for over 40 years now.
Throughout its history, Wolfenstein has not only paved the way for stealth mechanics in video games but has also sparked debates due to its intense violence. And let’s be honest—it’s definitely a plus that it offends Nazis! So, if you’re wondering where to dive into this legendary series, there are several ways to approach it.
Start with the Releases
Get ready for some retro gaming! The original Wolfenstein game, titled Castle Wolfenstein, came out a whopping 40 years ago in 1981. Inspired by the film The Guns of Navarone, this early title for the Apple II put you in the shoes of an unnamed prisoner trying to escape from a castle filled with Nazis. Just three years later, a sequel called Beyond Castle Wolfenstein refined the gameplay and had you on a mission to assassinate Hitler.
But it was 1992’s Wolfenstein 3D that really made waves. Created by the legendary team at iD Software, including gaming icons John Carmack and John Romero, this game laid the groundwork for all first-person shooters to follow. It delivered a fast-paced, visually stunning, and immersive experience that changed the gaming landscape.
After Wolfenstein 3D, iD shifted their focus to the Doom series, but Wolfenstein made a comeback in 2001 with Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Fast forward to 2009, and we saw a reboot that wasn’t quite up to par, which many players have since forgotten. Thankfully, that game led to MachineGames taking over the series and creating a fantastic alternate history of Wolfenstein that includes some of the best single-player FPS campaigns in gaming history.
Here’s the Complete List of Wolfenstein Games
- Castle Wolfenstein (Apple II, 1981)
- Beyond Castle Wolfenstein (Apple II/Commodore 64, 1984)
- Wolfenstein 3D (PC, 1992)
- Spear of Destiny (Mission pack, PC, 1992)
- Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC, 2001)
- Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (Multiplayer spinoff PC, 2003)
- Wolfenstein RPG (Java, iOS, 2008)
- Wolfenstein (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/PC, 2009)
- Wolfenstein: The New Order (PlayStation 3/PlayStation 4/PC/Xbox 360/Xbox One, 2014)
- Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (PlayStation 4/Xbox One/PC, 2015)
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (PlayStation 4/Xbox One/PC/Switch, 2017)
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood (PlayStation 4/Xbox One/PC, 2017)
- Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot (PSVR, PC, 2019)
You’d have to be a serious Wolfenstein fan to play through all of these titles. Many of the older games are quite outdated, some are only available on obsolete systems, and the 2009 game has been removed from online stores. So, let’s focus on the most significant titles in the series:
- Wolfenstein 3D (PC, 1992)
- Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC, 2001)
- Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014)
- Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015)
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017)
Playing these will give you a well-rounded experience of the Wolfenstein series, and they’re all available on modern platforms (you can even play Wolfenstein 3D right in your web browser!).
Follow B.J. Blaskowicz’s Journey
If you’re interested in following the story of B.J. Blaskowicz—one of gaming’s more complex heroes—there’s another way to play through his narrative. Though technically, his story starts with the 2009 game, it’s not really connected to the later titles, so you can skip that one if you’d like. For a chronological experience of his character, play:
- Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015)
- Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014)
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017)
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood (2017)
In Youngblood, Blaskowicz’s children are on a mission to find him after he goes missing, so he doesn’t play a major role in the game, although he does appear in cutscenes.
That’s your overview of Wolfenstein for now! Here’s hoping a new sequel to The New Colossus is in the works. Given the current political climate, it feels like the perfect time to grab a big weapon and take down some fascists again. There have been hints that a new game is indeed being developed, with Pete Hines from MachineGames confirming in 2018, “Absolutely, we’re making a Wolfenstein 3.”
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for some solid details after MachineGames releases Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Xbox consoles and PC this December!