EA is re-releasing 25 retro PC games including Wing Commander and Ultima

This isn’t even the full list (EA) In a surprising move, EA has announced plans to re-release a bunch of decades old PC games from its back catalogue, some of which have been fully remastered. If you told us that EA would have us writing about Origin Systems in 2026, we’d have called you a liar. Yet somehow that’s exactly what’s happening. Last month, not only did the long defunct studio’s co-founder Richard ‘Lord British’ Garriott reveal he was in talks to regain control of his Ultima series from EA, but the publisher announced it would be remastering Wing Commander 3. As it turns out, Wing Commander 3 isn’t the only game making a comeback, as EA is re-releasing no less than 24 other retro PC games through Steam, GOG, and its own EA app. The vast majority come from Origin Systems and include every mainline Wing Commander and Ultima game from the 80s and 90s, as well as some of the Wing Commander spin-offs. All five mainline Wing Commander games, plus space trading sim spin-off Privateer 2: The Darkening, are receiving the anniversary edition treatment, meaning they’ll boast quality-of-life updates and restored FMV cut scenes. Want GTA 6 news? Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for the latest GTA 6 news, reviews of new games you should play and exclusive analysis of the biggest stories of the week. Since the original Wing Commander games are already available digitally through GOG and the EA app, anyone who owns them can claim the anniversary editions as a free upgrade. There’s even an anniversary edition for 1994 motorcycle racer Road Rash, which also featured FMV cut scenes and digitised real-life actors for its character sprites. All 25 retro EA PC games coming to Steam and GOG Road Rash: 30th Anniversary Edition Wing Commander: 35th Anniversary Edition Wing Commander 2: Vengeance Of The Kilrathi: 35th Anniversary Edition Wing Commander 3: Heart Of The Tiger: 30th Anniversary Edition Wing Commander 4: The Price Of Freedom: 30th Anniversary Edition Wing Commander Prophecy: 30th Anniversary Edition Privateer 2: The Darkening: 30th Anniversary Edition Wing Commander: Privateer Wing Commander: Academy Wing Commander: Armada Strike Commander Theme Hospital Crusader: No Remorse Crusader: No Regret Ultima 1: The First Age Of Darkness Ultima 2: The Revenge Of The Enchantress Ultima 3: Exodus Ultima 4: Quest Of The Avatar Ultima 5: Warriors Of Destiny Ultima 6: The False Prophet Ultima 7: The Complete Edition Ultima 8: Gold Edition Ultima 9: Ascension Ultima Underworld 1 Ultima Underworld 2 ‘The anniversary editions have been a labour of love, inspired by the discovery of a physical media vault containing thousands of Betacam, VHS, and D1 tapes alongside other media assets,’ says EA. ‘The digitisation process recovered the supposedly lost Master FMV sequences for these seven legendary titles, which were meticulously re-edited to restore the over 1,500 cinematic scenes across these games. ‘This reflects EA’s commitment to renewing influential titles for longtime fans while helping new audiences discover the games that helped shape PC gaming.’ As for the remaining 18 games, they are otherwise untouched and consist of not just the Ultima series but other Origin Systems games; including Strike Commander (a more grounded combat flight sim) and the two Crusader third person shooter games. Don't miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers. Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search. Add us as a Preferred Source GameCentral has been delivering unique games news and reviews for over a decade Theme Hospital has also been thrown in there, which was developed by Bullfrog Productions. That studio was closed in 2001 but some of its staff went on to form Two Point Studios and create spiritual sequel Two Point Hospital. At the moment, only the first Wing Commander and Road Rash are available for purchase, for $9.99. but the rest will be sold for $4.99 (we’ll update with UK prices once EA provides them). This is a surprising move from EA, since while nostalgia does sell, these games are very old and hardly household names nowadays. It’s still a win for preservation though, especially if the remasters are good. It’s the sort of decision you wouldn’t expect from a company that’s looking to play things incredibly safe and prioritise its biggest, most profitable brands, in order to offset the massive debt its leveraged buyout has left it with. Only a couple of weeks ago, EA opted to shutter BioWare and cancel its new Mass Effect game, reportedly so it could prioritise investing in a Star Wars: Battlefront 3. The BioWare closure hardly bodes well for any of EA’s less famous properties and yet here it is re-releasing old Wing Commander and Ultima games. That certainly suggests some kind of revival plan is afoot but it’s most likely that will come through Richard Garriott and EA will act only as the publisher. Ultima 1 is so old that it comes from a time when games looked like this (EA) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: GTA 6 isn’t even out yet and it’s already sold eight million copies Arrow MORE: 2027 wedding trends revealed: From noughties’ nostalgia to the groom brooch Arrow MORE: Lightyear Frontier review – Stardew Valley with robots GameCentral Get the latest GTA 6 news, reviews of new games you should play and exclusive analysis of the biggest stories of the week.