Windows 9X Compatibility List
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- Main article: Windows 95/98/ME emulators
- For page for Mac OS 8-9 PPC era, see Classic Mac OS emulators.
Guidelines
[edit | edit source]- This list focuses on Windows 9x-era 2D/3D-accelerated games (≥1995, ≤Direct3D 7, Direct3D 8-9[Note 1] and DirectDraw, Windows Glide and other proprietary APIs). DOS games are excluded. Only guest operating systems that can be emulated or virtualized are included, as covering everything would result in an endless list. Please do not bloat the table with modern operating systems or GOG releases of the games. For Windows NT 5.x and 6.x operating systems compatibility list, see Virtual GPU Adapter Compatibility List. Also see 86Box NDR build performance analysis of an emulated PII 350 machine running on a Core i9 12900KF host.
- If you do decide to install Windows 95 in a virtual machine, you will need to install FIX95CPU (or better Patcher9x by JHRobotics) for it to run on processors with clock speeds over 2.1 GHz (for Intel CPUs) and 300 MHz (for AMD CPUs). Failing to do so will result in a "Protection Error" at boot time.
- 86Box (or PCem) with emulated cards provides the most accurate experience and period-correct rendering. Glide Pass-Through (with qemu-3dfx) offers excellent performance where available. VirtualBox and VMware can use SoftGPU drivers in Windows 9x guests but expect lower performance and potential graphical issues in demanding 3D games at this point compared to qemu-3dfx.
- Add the virtualization or emulation software version in the relevant column with {{Green}}, {{Yellow}} or {{Red}} templates if you test the game. See here for detailed information about virtualization software and legacy operating systems.
- Refer to the PCGamingWiki's #API sections on each dedicated game page for what API's used for the correct Video API and Sound APIs information before adding them to this table.[Note 2]
- Use the Notes column for:
- Mentioning the usage of Wrappers for compatibility reasons.
- Mentioning the guest specs (e.g. Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3) with drivers and host CPU for emulators which is related to compatibility or performance metrics.
- Mentioning the differences, due to different versions of emulators or virtualization software (e.g. VirtualBox issues: use version 6.0.24 for a perfect experience, 5.2.44 or older have problem A and problem B)
- Game version-specific issues, using revived private servers or other compatibility tricks (e.g. patches, No-CD).
- Timing, protection mechanisms against VMs, or other issues with the software.
List
[edit | edit source]| Game Title | Video API | Sound API, Middleware | 86Box | DOSBox-X | DOSBox Pure | MESA GL and Glide Pass-Through[1] | VboxSVGA (w/ SoftGPU) | SVGA3D (w/ SoftGPU) | Guest OS | Game Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Age of Empires II | DirectDraw 6.1 | ? | 5.2 | 1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | 86Box guest specs: Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3 (Official 1.05.00 driver) 86Box host specs: Ryzen 5 9600X OC'ed | |||||
| Airfix Dogfighter | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Alien Nations | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Alone in the Dark 3 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| American McGee's Alice | OpenGL 1.2 | MSS 6.0b |  0.9.6
|
Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Anno 1602 | DirectDraw 2 | ? | |||||||||
| Anno 1503 & 1503 A.D | DirectDraw 7 | ? | |||||||||
| Army Men: Toys in Space | DirectDraw 6 | ? | 6.0-8475 (NDR) |
1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | 86Box guest specs: Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3 3500TV PAL (1.04.02 driver)
86Box host specs: Ryzen 5 9600X OC'ed | |||||
| Axis & Allies | ? | ? | |||||||||
| B A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Bad Mojo | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Baldur’s Gate | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Beach Life | Direct3D 7 | MSS 6.1c | |||||||||
| Bermuda Syndrome | ? | ? | |||||||||
| The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Blackout | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Black & White | Direct3D 7 | QSound 5.00 | |||||||||
| Blade Runner | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Blood | ? | ? | |||||||||
| C A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Caesar III | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Carmageddon | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Civilization II | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Claw | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Close Combat | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Command & Conquer: Red Alert | DirectDraw 3 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 | Direct3D 7.0a | ? | 5.2 | 0.9.7
|
10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | 86Box guest specs: Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3 (Official 1.05.00 driver) 86Box host specs: Ryzen 5 9600X OC'ed | ||||
| Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun | DirectDraw 6 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines | DirectDraw 5 | MSS | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Colin McRae Rally 2.0 | Direct3D 7 | ? | 6.0-8475 (NDR) |
1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | 86Box guest specs: Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3 3500TV PAL (1.04.02 driver)
86Box host specs: Ryzen 5 9600X OC'ed | |||||
| Crusader: No Remorse | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Cossacks | ? | ? | |||||||||
| D A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall | ? | ? | 5.2 | 1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | 86Box guest specs: Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3 (Official 1.05.00 driver) 86Box host specs: Ryzen 5 9600X OC'ed | |||||
| Deadlock: Planetary Conquest | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Delta Force | ? | ? | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||||
| Descent | ? | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Descent II | DirectDraw, Glide, | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Descent 3 | Direct3D 6, OpenGL 1.2, Glide 3 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Desperados | DirectDraw 7, OpenGL | FMOD | |||||||||
| Deus Ex | Direct3D 7, Glide 2 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. If you're installing this game on modern operating system, using Revision version with Nameless total conversion mod is also recommended. | ||||||
| Diablo | DirectDraw 3 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Diablo II | Direct3D 6, DirectDraw 6.1, Glide 3.0 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Driver | Direct3D 6, Glide 2 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Duke Nukem 3D | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Dungeon Keeper | Direct3D 5 | MSS | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||||
| DX-Ball | DirectDraw 2 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| E A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Earth 2150 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| eRacer | Direct3D 7 | ? | |||||||||
| Eradicator | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Europa Universalis | ? | ? | |||||||||
| EverQuest | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Expendable | Direct3D 6 | MSS 5.0h | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| F A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| F1 2000 | Direct3D 6 | ? | 6.0-8475 (NDR) |
1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. DOSBox Pure issues: game triggers a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), and DOSBox Pure reports the error "IRET: Illegal descriptor type 0". | |||||
| Fallout 2 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Fatal Racing (Whiplash) | ? | ? | |||||||||
| FIFA 2000 | ? | ? | 6.0-8475 (NDR) |
1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | 86Box issues: No significant graphical issues observed, but the emulation speed drops noticeably in the menus. The emulated CPU frequency needs to be lowered to around 133 MHz to achieve a stable full speed. However, gameplay runs at full speed. 86Box guest specs: Celeron (Mendocino) 200, Voodoo 3 3000 (1.07.00 driver) | |||||
| FIFA 2001 | Direct3D 7, Glide | ? | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||||
| FIFA 2002 | Direct3D 7, Glide | ? | |||||||||
| FIFA World Cup 2002 | Direct3D 7 | ? | |||||||||
| Full Throttle | ? | ? | |||||||||
| G A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Gangsters: Organized Crime | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Grand Prix 3 | Direct3D 7 | ? | 10.0.3 | - | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Grand Theft Auto 2 | Direct3D 6, Glide 2 | MSS 5.0r | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Grim Fandango | ? | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Gothic | Direct3D 7 | MSS 6.0k | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Gothic II | Direct3D 7 | MSS 6.5e | 10.0.3 | - | |||||||
| H A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Half-Life | Direct3D 6, DirectDraw 6, OpenGL 2.1 | MSS | 1.0-preview4 | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. DOSBox Pure issues: Software mode works great, OpenGL and other backends have issues. | |||||
| Half-Life: Counter-Strike | Direct3D 7, OpenGL 2.1 | MSS | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Direct3D 7 | ? | 1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. DOSBox Pure issues: There are minor graphical issues, and the game crashes during gameplay after being played for a while. | ||||||
| Hexen | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Heroes of Might and Magic III | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Hitman: Codename 47 | Direct3D 7, OpenGL 1.2, Glide 3.10 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Homeworld | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Hot Wheels Jetz | Direct3D 7 | ? | |||||||||
| I A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Icewind Dale | ? | ? | |||||||||
| J A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Jagged Alliance 2 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Jane’s F-15 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| M A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| MechWarrior 2 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Midtown Madness | Direct3D 6 | ? | 6.0-8475 (NDR) |
1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. 86Box guest specs: Celeron (Mendocino) 200, Voodoo 3 3000 (1.07.00 driver) | |||||
| Midtown Madness 2 | Direct3D 7 | ? | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||||
| Moorhuhn 2 | DirectDraw | ? | 0.9.7 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Mortal Kombat 4 | Direct3D 5 | ? | 1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support, resolution is limited to 320x240 in this mode. | ||||||
| Meridian 59 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Magic: The Gathering | ? | ? | |||||||||
| N A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| NASCAR Heat | ? | ? | 3.0-3128[2]
|
10.2.2?
|
Windows 95 OSR 2.5, Windows 98 SE | 86Box guest specs: Pentium Pro/200, ATi Mach64GX + Obsidian SB50-4440 SLI (Quantum3D Obsidian series Driver: 50, 50 TVout, 100SB/DB, 100SB MGV) 86Box host specs: i7-6700K OC'ed | |||||
| NBA Live 2001 | Direct3D 7 | ? | |||||||||
| Need for Speed II/SE | DirectDraw 2, Glide 2.4, Glide 3.10 | ? | 3.0-3707[3]
|
10.0.3 | Windows 95 OSR 2.5, Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. 86Box guest specs: Pentium/200, S3 Trio64V2 DX + Obsidian SB50-4440 SLI (Quantum3D Obsidian series Driver: 50, 50 TVout, 100SB/DB, 100SB MGV) 86Box host specs: i7-6700K OC'ed | |||||
| Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit | Direct3D 5, Glide3.x | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Nox | ? | ? | |||||||||
| NHL 2001 | Direct3D 7 | ? | |||||||||
| NHL 2002 | Direct3D 7, Glide | ? | |||||||||
| Nocturne | Direct3D 5, Direct3D 6 | ? | 1.0-preview4 | - | Game has software renderer support. DOSBox Pure issues: Game needs MMX. | ||||||
| O A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Outlaws | ? | ? | |||||||||
| P A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Planescape: Torment | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Postal | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Panzer Elite | ? | ? | |||||||||
| POD | Direct3D 2, DirectDraw, Glide, PowerVR's PowerSGL, ATI 3D CIF, S3 ViRGE's S3D | ? | 1.0-preview4 | - | Game has software renderer support. DOSBox Pure issues: Game needs MMX. | ||||||
| Q A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Quake | DirectDraw 3, OpenGL 1.0 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Quake II | DirectDraw, OpenGL 1.1 | DirectSound | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Quake III Arena | OpenGL 1.1 | DirectSound | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| R A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Resident Evil | Direct3D 3, PowerVR's PowerSGL, Rendition's RRedline | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Resident Evil 3: Nemesis | Direct3D 6 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Re-Volt | Direct3D 6 | ? | |||||||||
| RollerCoaster Tycoon | ? | ? | |||||||||
| S A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Sanitarium | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Screamer | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Shadow Warrior | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Shannara | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Shogo: Mobile Armor Division | ? | ? | |||||||||
| StarCraft | DirectDraw 2 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Spider-Man (Neversoft) | Direct3D 7 | ? | 6.0-8475 (NDR) |
1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | DOSBox Pure issues: Game needs MMX. 86Box guest specs: Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3 3500TV PAL (1.04.02 driver) | |||||
| Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams Street Fighter Zero |
DirectDraw 3 | QSound | 6.0-8475 (NDR) |
1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | 86Box note: When running the Asian release, depending on your system configuration (using high refresh rate on guest display): the default game speed may be too fast. Use the F6 key to calibrate the game speed. 86Box guest specs: Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3 3500TV PAL (1.04.02 driver) 86Box host specs: Ryzen 5 9600X OC'ed | |||||
| System Shock 2 | Direct3D 6, DirectDraw 6.1 | DirectSound | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Silent Hunter | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Steel Panthers | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Star Control 3 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Strife | ? | ? | |||||||||
| SWAT 3 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Sudden Strike | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Space Empires IV | ? | ? | |||||||||
| SimCity 3000 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| SimCity 4 Deluxe | Direct3D 7, DirectDraw 7 | ? | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||||
| Syberia | Direct3D 7 | ? | |||||||||
| T A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Thief: The Dark Project | Direct3D 6 | DirectSound | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Thief II: The Metal Age | Direct3D 6 | DirectSound | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Total Annihilation | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Tyrian | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Team Fortress 1.5 | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri | ? | ? | |||||||||
| The Dig | ? | ? | |||||||||
| The House of the Dead | Direct3D 3, DirectDraw 2 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| The House of the Dead 2 | Direct3D 7 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| The Last Express | ? | ? | |||||||||
| The Pandora Directive | ? | ? | |||||||||
| The Settlers II | ? | ? | |||||||||
| The Settlers III | ? | ? | |||||||||
| The Settlers IV | DirectDraw 7 | MSS 6.1c | 1.0-preview4 | - | DOSBox Pure issues: Game needs MMX. | ||||||
| The Sims | Direct3D 6 | ? | 6.0-8475 (NDR) |
1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | DOSBox Pure issues: Game does crash while in-game. Disabling SB16 doesn't prevent crash but it takes longer. 86Box issues: Game does crash while in-game. 86Box guest specs: Celeron 300A, Voodoo 3 3500TV PAL (1.04.02 driver) 86Box host specs: Ryzen 5 9600X OC'ed | |||||
| The Wheel of Time | Direct3D 7 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Tomb Raider | Glide | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Tomb Raider II | Direct3D 5, DirectDraw 5 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Tomb Raider III | Direct3D 5 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Tomb Raider The Last Revelation | Direct3D 6 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Trophy Bass | ? | ? | |||||||||
| U A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Unreal | Direct3D 6, Direct3D 7, OpenGL 1.2, Glide 2.4 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Unreal Tournament | Direct3D 6, Direct3D 7, OpenGL 1, Glide 2.4 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | Game has software renderer support. | ||||||
| Ultima Online | ? | ? | |||||||||
| V A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Vangers | ? | ? | 1.0-preview4 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Viper Racing | Direct3D 5 | ? | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| W A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| Warcraft: Orcs & Humans | ? | ? | |||||||||
| Warcraft II | ? | MSS | 10.0.3 | Windows 98 SE | |||||||
| Warlords III | ? | ? | |||||||||
| X A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |||||||||||
| X-Tension | ? | ? | |||||||||
See also
[edit | edit source]- Wrappers — nGlide (Glide), dgVoodoo 2 (Glide/DirectX 1-7).
- Windows 9x emulators
- Virtual GPU_Adapter Compatibility List
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Only those D3D8-9 games which have fixed-function (no shaders) render paths. One indication of this is the mention of video cards with Direct3D 7 or older compatibility in system requirements, e.g. Geforce 256, Riva TNT, Radeon 7000-series, Rage 128, Voodoo3, Voodoo2, etc.
Note that those fixed-function games which require hardware-accelerated T&L (supported by Geforce, Radeon, etc.) would not work with 86Box, PCem and their forks, since the highest available video processor is Voodoo3. The Voodoo3 is also limited to 16-bit colors for 3D rendering, and doesn't support large dimension textures. These limitations make it incompatible with most late D3D7 & 8, and potentially all D3D9 games. Even for those games which are compatible with Voodoo3's feature set, its short-lived driver support means there are usually issues with later games. - ↑ As of April 29, 2026, only the Direct3D 12 (except Early Access), 10, 9Ex and 8 lists (and potentially Vulkan, Mantle and Metal) are practically reliable (barring a handful of titles). Note that there are more games using the said APIs which have not yet had the API information added on their pages. The other lists still require validation; it's a WIP. People are encouraged to contribute by directly checking the games with the appropriate tools. The details are on the PCGW editing guide.
External links
[edit | edit source]- VOGONS forums (great resource for 9x-era emulation)
- PCGamingWiki: Virtualization
- PCGamingWiki (API information)
- ↑ As we mentioned in Windows NT 5.x emulators#Comparison section; MESA GL and Glide Pass-Through's compatibility with games mostly depends on Wrappers performance and capabilities.
- ↑ 3.0 dev build 3128.
- ↑ 3.0 dev build 3707.