29 nostalgic websites that bring back the old internet
For anyone who misses the old internet: 90s TV, MTV, Windows 93, playable arcade cabinets and the GeoCities aesthetic, all preserved and still running.
Updated · 29 sites · hand-checked
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1. Windows 93
A fake, hostile, hilarious operating system running in your browser with real working nonsense apps.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- windows93.net
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2. Cameron's World
One endlessly scrolling collage built entirely from images and text salvaged from GeoCities before it was deleted. Under construction, forever.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- cameronsworld.net
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3. Internet Arcade
Thousands of real arcade cabinets emulated in the browser, preserved by the Internet Archive.
- Games & Play
- Free
- archive.org
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4. My90sTV
Flip through channels on a chunky old TV playing nineties shows, ads and music videos. Channel surfing without the cable bill.
- Music & Audio
- Free
- 90s.myretrotvs.com
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5. Poolsuite FM
An endless summer radio station wrapped in a System 7 interface, with VHS holiday footage playing in a little window. Formerly Poolside FM, still ridiculously good fun.
- Music & Audio
- Free
- poolsuite.net
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6. Flash Museum
Thousands of Flash games and animations rescued after Flash died, playable again in the browser with no plugin.
- Games & Play
- Free
- flashmuseum.net
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7. MTV REWIND
The classic MTV experience, back and streaming 24/7. No reality shows, no ads, just music.
- Music & Audio
- Free
- wantmymtv.org
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8. DOS Zone
Ultimate collection of free dos games to play online in browser. No registration needed, no advertisment, just play!
- Games & Play
- Free
- dos.zone
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9. Playback.fm
The top songs of every year since 1900, with charts and videos. Pick your birth year and listen.
- Music & Audio
- Free
- playback.fm
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10. Web Design Museum
Thousands of screenshots of websites, apps and Flash games from 1991 onwards, so you can see exactly what Google, Netflix or Apple looked like the year you first used them.
- Design & Type
- Free
- webdesignmuseum.org
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11. Quake III Online
Real Quake III deathmatch in a browser tab, with a live scoreboard and strangers already playing. Sister servers run Quake, Quake II, RTCW and Urban Terror.
- Games & Play
- Free
- q3.pieter.com
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12. Diablo Web App
The original Diablo in a browser tab. The shareware demo plays straight away, and loading your own DIABDAT.MPQ unlocks the full game.
- Games & Play
- Free
- johnimril.github.io
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13. Wiby
A search engine for pages built like it is still 1999. Surprise Me is the main feature.
- Read & Archive
- Free
- wiby.me
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14. OverType
An over-the-top typewriter simulator, with clacking keys, uneven ink and a carriage you return yourself.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- uniqcode.com
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15. Quenq
An interactive museum of internet culture: Flash games, old software and digital curiosities, all running in the browser.
- Games & Play
- Free
- quenq.com
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16. zone-vm
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. running in a browser tab on the open-source OpenXRay engine. Point it at your own game folder and walk into the Zone.
- Games & Play
- Open source
- zonevm.btr.pm
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17. endless.horse
Scroll down to see the horse's legs. Keep scrolling. One of the internet's most committed jokes.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- endless.horse
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18. Find the Invisible Cow
Move your cursor around a blank page while a voice gets louder the closer you get to a hidden cow. Pure, silly sound design.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- findtheinvisiblecow.com
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19. Is my computer on?
A website that answers exactly one question, with exactly one word. A tiny classic of the useless web.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- ismycomputeron.net
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20. Patience is a virtue
A page that asks you to wait. Keep waiting and it slowly rewards you. A quiet joke about attention.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- patience-is-a-virtue.org
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21. Staggering Beauty
Wiggle your mouse at a black worm and keep shaking it. Best avoided if flashing lights bother you. A useless-web classic.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- staggeringbeauty.com
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23. FakeUpdate
Full-screen fake update screens for every version of Windows, macOS and more, complete with a progress bar that never finishes.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- fakeupdate.net
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24. 2048
Slide numbered tiles and merge them until you reach 2048. The original, by the developer who made the game that ate 2014.
- Games & Play
- Open source
- play2048.co
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25. TETR.IO
A slick, competitive block-stacking game with ranked matches, 40-line sprints and a calm zen mode. Plays like a native app in a tab.
- Games & Play
- Free
- tetr.io
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26. Cookie Clicker
The idle game that started the whole genre. Click a cookie, buy a grandma, and discover several hours later that the grandmas have gone somewhere very dark.
- Games & Play
- Free
- orteil.dashnet.org
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27. MetaFilter
A community weblog running since 1999 where the best of the web gets posted and discussed.
- Read & Archive
- Freemium
- metafilter.com
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28. Hacker Typer
Mash the keyboard and produce convincing movie-hacker code. Best prank per byte on the web.
- Fun & Weird
- Free
- hackertyper.net
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29. Line Rider
Draw a track, watch a sledder ride it. Twenty years on, people still make music videos with it.
- Games & Play
- Free
- linerider.com
Want more than 29?
This list is one slice of a directory of 478 websites. Search, filter by category or tag, or shuffle the lot.
Explore the full directoryQuestions
Can I still play old Flash and DOS games?
Yes. The Flash Museum and DOS Zone keep thousands of them playable in a browser, and the Internet Arcade has classic arcade cabinets.
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