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Ooh, great thread!  I'm going to go through it and check out all the games mentioned. 

In the meantime, the list has been updated based on some of the comments.

I have decided to list a series as one entry, but note the best games in the series in parenthesis.   I think most series earn a place in our minds and hearts because of their best game, so I'm listing it that way.  And that keeps the list in a playable order which is inexplicably important to me for some reason.

Thanks everyone for your comments, I think I have a plan for my days off!  And some weeks after that it seems...

Maniac Mansion - Woops, ok I added it.

That being said, a similar list for indies games would increase their visibility and serve as a good tutorial to those who haven't heard of them yet. And if it include games made with any engine, such list would help indie adventure games players to discover great games they could have missed.

Yes!  This is what I'm hoping!

The sequelish order seems a little strange, because that would mean that in some cases you'd have to play a pretty bad game to get to the good one.

Yeah, I'm not completely happy with that fact yet.  I'll try to figure something out.  Maybe list the really notable ones with a note about others that could be played first to keep the overall series story arch?

You also Put Monkey Island 4 and KQ1 way, way higher than a lot of other games that should be played first.

OK, moved those down, I think, appropriately.

I definitely think that Star Trek 25th Anniversary and Star Trek Judgment Rites are must plays for star trek fans and non-star trek hating adventure gamers.  Both have an excellent mix of combat and puzzle solving with multiple solutions available.

I HAVE to check these out.  Just finished watching season one of the original series tonight while compiling this list! 



I'm going to start adding some of the suggested games to the list(s).  I haven't played many of the missing suggestions (obviously).  So any help putting them in a good play-first order would be great.  Oh, and a disclaimer seems good.  I am blown away by the idependent games I have played, but I haven't played many.  So my order may be a bit arbitrary until I get feedback.  I have looked at the percentage scores, but I fear they may sometimes take into account limited dev timeframes and stuff like that.  I want to list based on play-value per unit time only. 


OK, the list has taken another step.  I have uploaded a new version.


Here it is.

Yes, good point.  I'm going to move Syberia down in the play order.  Are there other games folks think would push Syberia out of the list entirely?

Also, I am combining some of the game series into one entry as you suggested.  In some cases though, I'm leaving them split out for emphasis and variety in ordering, especially for the first games in a series.

Wow, I've never played any of these:
Gobliins 2
Discworld
Superhero League of Hoboken
Star Trek: Judgement Rites
Flight For An Amazon Queen

Do you think they belong in the first 50?  If so, I'm in for some fun!

I do like the idea of keeping the ordering (even though it isn't a top 50).  My reason for this is that I would like to use the list to come up with an order I can play the games.  So after Monkey Island one there are a few great games before I play Monkey Island two.  There are too many to get through them all unless I'm on vacation, especially when you include the AGS games.  Geez, I'm having a hard time explaining the ordering and sounding convincing to myself.  It's all about knowing what I'm better off playing first.  Sometimes because the game is amazing, and sometimes because it's significant in AG history, or any other reason.

The idea of separating out 'amateur' or 'underground' games sounds good to me if I can get some more names of games that are really GREAT.  Are there more you all would consider on par with commercial games?  I have been impressed with Trilby, Blackwell and Apprentice so far.

For example, I think right now I'd rather dig into Pleurghburg than many commercial games in the list.  (I'm playing it now.)


For reference, since I'm updating it after every post, here's the list as it stands now.  Numbers are getting lost in the cut and paste, but you can still see them by following the link in the first post.  Observant readers will notice there aren't yet 50:

The First 50 Adventure Games You Should Play, In Play Order


      The Secret of Monkey Island (1)
      Grim Fandango
      Full Throttle
      Broken Sword 1
      Gabriel Knight 1
      King's Quest I
      The Day of the Tentacle
      Indianna Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
      Sam and Max Hit the Road
      The Longest Journey
      The Dig
      Monkey Island 2
      Beneath a Steel Sky
      Gabriel Knight :  The Beast Within (2)
      Quest for Glory 1
      The Legend Of Kyrandia 1
      Space Quest I
      Simon the Sorceror
      The Curse of Monkey Island (3)
      Broken Sword 2
      Runaway
      Dreamfall : The Longest Journey
      Escape from Monkey Island (4)
      Gabriel Knight :  Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned (3)
      Loom
      Syberia
      Indigo Prophecy
      Quest for Glory 2
      The Lengend of Kyrandia 2
      Apprentice 1 and 2
      The Trilby Quadrilogy
      Pleurghburg : Dark Ages
      The Blackwell Series 1 and 2
      Space Quest 2 - 5
      Runaway 2
      Sanitarium
      Syberia 2
      King's Quest 2 - 6
      Quest for Glory 3
      Simon the Sorceror 2 - 3

Thanks, TheJBurger!

I agree.  I just moved Quest for Glory 1 up to #15 and Quest for Glory 2 up to #28.

I also added Space Quest 2-5 at #34-#37.

I also added the Apprentice games at #30 and Pleurghburg at #32.

Thanks again!

Hi everyone-

I'm on a short vacation, and I have found that picking my next adventure game has been a challenge.  Lots of games are coming out these days.  But there are also dozens of older games I haven't played yet.  Add to that the great AGS games being added to the scene, and it can be hard to pick the game that you (I) should play next.

I've spent a lot of time on these forums, as well as adventuregamers and justadventure, looking for the best way to spend my gaming time...

I decided to put together a list of the first 50 adventure games someone should play.  Like a curriculum for someone who has never played adventures. 

This is a bit different from a "Top 50" because all game series must be in release order.  No MI2 before MI1.  So, some games higher up may not be BETTER, they're just more important to play first.  Make sense?  I hope?  It's a map for someone to see the important parts of the genre.  Even if you can only play 30 of them, you can know you're using your gaming time wisely.

I'm sticking to third person games for this list for some unknown reason.  I think I recently burned out on 1st person playing Myst IV.

Anyway, here's the incomplete list:


The First 50

And my question is, what games did I miss?  What games should be pushed out of the first 50?  What games should be added?  Which games should be moved up the list for a better Adventuring Phd?

Reply with your thoughts and I'll keep updating the list!