Two legendary boomer shooters are practically being given away right now. Fanatical is selling both Doom 64 and Return to Castle Wolfenstein for $1.77 each, down from their regular $4.99 price. That's a 65% discount, and the sale runs through April 26. Worth noting: the codes you get are Steam keys, so PC-only for this one.
Two games that defined what FPS could be
Doom 64 launched in 1997 as a Nintendo 64 exclusive, which meant most PC gamers missed it entirely for over two decades. The port finally arrived on modern platforms in 2020, and it brought with it something the original Doom never quite had: a genuinely oppressive, dark atmosphere that pushed the N64 hardware harder than almost anything else on the platform. Critics at the time called it the best-looking Doom game yet, which is saying something given the N64's notoriously awkward controller setup.
The game has since built a cult following, even if some players feel it hews a little too close to the original formula. Here's the thing, though: that's not really a flaw. The Doom reboot trilogy that kicked off in 2016 proved there's a real appetite for staying true to what made the series work in the first place.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein tells a slightly different story. Released on PC in 2001, it was a sharp, old-school shooter with an addictive multiplayer mode that kept communities active for years. The problem? It launched the same year as Halo: Combat Evolved, and Halo simply changed the conversation around console shooters overnight. RTCW got overshadowed, its multiplayer eventually spun off into the free-to-play Enemy Territory, and the Wolfenstein franchise went quiet until its 2014 reboot.
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Both games are redeemable as Steam keys only. Console players won't be able to use these codes.
Why this sale lands at the right moment
Boomer shooters are genuinely having a moment right now. PAX East saw real buzz around the genre this year, and recent releases like Mouse: P.I. For Hire have shown there's a healthy appetite for fast, no-frills FPS design. Picking up Doom 64 and RTCW for less than the price of a coffee is a low-risk way to understand exactly what modern developers are drawing from when they build these games.
At $1.77 for either title, the math is simple. Both games together cost less than a single modern DLC pack, and both hold up well enough to be worth your time before the sale expires on April 26.
For more classic FPS picks and retro gaming coverage, check out our latest reviews, and if you need help navigating Steam sales or want recommendations on what to play next, browse our guides for curated suggestions.
