Immerse yourself in your childhood games with this free CD archive

It’s possible to find old CDs on the web…thanks to the Internet Archive. You still have to know how to read it.

The digital revolution should have made it easier to preserve our past, but instead, we find ourselves believing we’ve lost access to it. the games Unfortunately, the programs we grew up with did not follow our computers and now only exist in our memories. Unless you know where to find them.

It is possible to find old CDs on the web

While there are a number of online resources for finding old software, the Internet Archive’s CD-ROM software collection is perhaps the most comprehensive in decades. As of this writing, this collection contains over 46,200 entries for games or software that you may have used at some point in your life:

It is a large variety of software on CD-ROM, in other words, software that was presented on a CD-ROM to be installed on computers or run on consoles. From applications and games to public domain software and clip art, the golden age of the CD roughly spanned between 1989 and 2001. In any case, the capacity of the CD remained around 640 to 700 MB, although some managed to fit more (by compressing or Burning on multiple layers and/or multiple sides).

If you remember any titles in particular, do not hesitate, enter them into the search bar and you will surely be surprised to find one or more CDs. There are even console game CDs. Type “Harry Potter,” for example, and you’ll find games for PC, but also for PS2 and Xbox. Again, if you have a title on a specific console, feel free.

It’s not all there, unfortunately, but it’s already a pretty cool bunch. The Software Collection CD-ROM is even larger, including complete software and shareware at the time, with more than 71,000 entries, already divided into different categories. There are even several AOL CDs!

As for running these programs on Windows, know that it’s easier than you might think thanks to Compatibility Mode, which emulates a version of Windows with the specific purpose of being able to run a program that isn’t compatible with Windows 10 or 11. As we explained before PCMagNot all games and programs work through compatibility mode, but if it does, it’s very easy to enjoy.

To play a CD in compatibility mode, you just need to locate a file. exe and right-clicking on it, then clicking Properties and Compatibility. The operating system provides you with some options and settings that may work.

The Internet Archive has a huge collection of old arcade games

The Internet Archive has more historical software, if you will, waiting for you. Visit the “Internet Arcade” group, for example, there are more than 2,600 arcade games waiting for you to play in your browser.

And if you want more, feel free to visit The main website of the Internet Archivethen on the Programs tab.