The 5 best remastered games I’ve played so far

If there’s anything to be said about nostalgia, that would be: Playing all the games that you loved as a kid, now grown up, with high-quality graphics, 4K support, and a modern UI (and maybe a few new features included).

But there’s more to it, as remastered games offer the opportunity to gamers to play titles that they haven’t played in the past, this time more improved. Instead of having to deal with old graphics, bugs, and usually compatibility errors, you can play a remastered game like it’s a new AAA title.

Then there’s this little problem with all the newest releases, which tend to be so buggy and unplayable, it makes you wonder why you paid that amount of money getting it in the first place. Older games feel more stable than the new ones, and I have already shared my opinion about Zero Day patches.

The 5 Best Websites To Buy Cheap Game Steam Keys

If you’re not looking at getting a new AAA title, and you’re looking for some nostalgia or brilliant titles that you haven’t played, this list includes some of the best remastered games that I’ve played so far.

I’ll keep updating the article as I play more remakes, but for the time being, those recommendations will do just fine.

1. The Last of Us: Part I

Oh, my God! When it comes to quality and good storytelling, not many titles can beat this masterpiece. The Last of Us: Part I is arguably one of the best games that I have ever played, and it feels more like watching and, at the same time, playing in a movie.

If you haven’t already watched the TV show, I absolutely recommend doing that – but you can play it without watching it, as the series is actually based on the game series. The first season started on January 15, 2023, and the show released a total of nine episodes. The second season’s first episode is set to air on April 13, 2025.

When it comes to the story, the game begins in Austin, Texas, in 2013, on the night of the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak. You play as Joel, a single father who returns home late from work and spends his time with his little daughter, Sarah. It’s the night that the outbreak begins, and that’s when the journey begins, with Joel and his brother, Tommy, trying to escape the city with Sarah.

I’ll not spoil you, but instead of playing at the beginning of the outbreak, the story will actually jump you to 2033, where society has collapsed, and humanity now lives in quarantine zones (QZs) controlled by the military, or in settlements run by survivors.

---

---

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

From all the titles that have been released since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (2007), none of them was able to come close to the world’s most favorited action game. Maybe Activision did a good job when it came to later releasing Modern Warfare 2, but the true king can’t be replaced.

It may sound crazy, but the original title still has many active players who are still enjoying the game by joining in private servers. Anyone has the ability to create or join another’s server, and there are many tools that can help you connect with even more players – but today, we’re talking about the remastered version.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is a remastered version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released in 2016 as part of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare special editions and later as a standalone title.

Starting with the most important aspect of the remastered version: The campaign’s story hasn’t been altered, and it’s very similar to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It follows the story of Sgt. John “Soap” MacTavish, Captain Price, and the SAS & U.S. Marine Corps as they battle a global terrorist threat.

This time though, with completely remastered visuals, higher resolution textures, improved lighting, and way better character models that make he game more realistic – oh, and don’t forget about the enhanced sound effects and remastered voices.

---

---

3. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

Nostalgia hit harder than I thought with this title. Developed by Insomniac Games in collaboration with Marvel, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on PC brings you back the good old nostalgia by playing Peter Parker.

Fighting criminals and iconic villains in the beautiful New York that Marvel has created while enjoying the hero’s abilities and living its chaotic life. The remastered version boasts enhanced graphics, including ray-traced reflections, improved lighting, and highly detailed character models that make the game feel next-gen.

Available on PC with support for ultra-wide monitors and customizable graphics settings, 60 FPS in Performance Mode and 4K resolution in Fidelity Mode, and faster loading times thanks to the new SSD technology, this is one of the best remakes we’ve seen so far.

So, what is your money worth in terms of play time? If you’re fast and experienced, you’re looking at around 20 hours of gameplay. If you’re going for all the extras provided, you’re looking at around 25-30 hours. If you’re a completionist, it may take up to 40 hours to collect all suits, photo ops, and other collectibles.

---

---

4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered

Because Activision was way too focused on developing the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)’s multiplayer mode, instead of remastering the whole game, they only remade the single-player mode, leaving Spec Ops aside. That’s the only big problem when it comes to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered, especially considering its price tag of 39,99€ for the standard version.

The story follows Task Force 141 (TF141), a multinational special forces unit, and the U.S. Army Rangers, as they try to stop a Russian terrorist from starting World War III. The game takes place five years after the events of Modern Warfare (2007), and Vladimir Makarov, a Russian ultranationalist, carries out terrorist attacks across Europe to destabilize global peace.

Private Allen, a U.S. Marine, is recruited by General Shepherd to go undercover in Makarov’s organization. Meanwhile, Task Force 141 (led by Captain Soap MacTavish, with Ghost, Roach, and Captain Price) is also hunting Makarov.

Why spend that amount of money getting the remastered version? Well, for starters, the remastered version comes with enhanced 4K visuals and HDR support, reworked lighting, improved character models and animations, better sound effects and voice acting, new textures and special effects, and exclusive bonuses for PlayStation players.

Keep in mind that if you’ve played the original game, the remastered version is also fairly short, and it should take around 6–8 hours on Regular difficulty to complete the whole campaign. If you’re looking at going hardcore, it should take you 8–10 hours on Hardened or Veteran, depending on skill level. If you’re aiming for 100% completion (all intel collectibles, achievements/trophies), it may take around 10–12 hours – and that’s taking your time and not rushing.

---

---

5. Grand Theft Auto – Remastered Trilogy

Well, people, it’s official: We got a whole remastered collection of the Grand Theft Auto series, and we’re still far from playing GTA 6 (or getting a second trailer). More specifically, back on November 11, 2021, Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Rockstar Games Launcher).

In 2023, the company also released the remastered trilogy for mobile devices, including Android and iOS. Instead of using the same and original RenderWare engine, Rockstar Games used the Unreal Engine 4.

With Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, players get to play:

1. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)

Three of the most iconic titles that ever developed, now remastered with improved textures, lighting, reflections, and shadows, upgraded character models, increased draw distance, and new weather effects, this is the best remastered trilogy we ever got.

The gameplay has also been significantly improved, now featuring modernized aiming controls and a weapon selection system. The driving mechanics have also seen many improvements, there are better mini-maps with waypoints, an autosave feature has been added, and there’s now a cooler checkpoint system during missions.

And yes, the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition also comes with updated radio stations and new licensed music, but due to licensing issues, some of the old tracks were removed.

Now, the game currently costs €59.99 if you get it from the official website, and it includes all three games. Unlike the remastered version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which only its single-player mode saw the light of day, with Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, it should take approximately 65–80 hours to complete all three games (if you rush through the game).

If you’re looking to complete the main story and side activities, too, it should take around 105–125 hours to complete all three games. But if you’re going all-in, like completing all the missions, getting all the collectibles and secrets, you may be looking for around 170–200+ hours of gameplay.

Now, that’s a good amount of gameplay time, considering the total cost!

---

---

Bonus remastered games worth mentioning

If none of the remastered titles mentioned above really caught your attention, you may wanna take a look at the following ones – note that I haven’t had the time to play any of them, so do your research before getting purchasing any of them. With that in mind, they already got a pretty impressive Metacritic rating, and players loved them.

---

What is your favorite remastered game, and how many have you played? Do you know any good remastered versions that I haven’t mentioned in the article? Let me know in the comments section below.