Programmers are tapping into AI technologies to bring back some of the most beloved video games ever made, making them available for free online. While gaming companies rush to shut down these unauthorized versions, a phenomenon dubbed “reclaimed games” has been gaining traction. This involves fans reverse-engineering their favorite games, painstakingly sifting through and replicating their code.
The emergence of AI tools like Claude Opus 5.5 and ChatGPT’s Astra has significantly sped up this process. What used to take years can now potentially be done in just a few days.
Some popular titles resurrected in this manner include classics like Halo: Combat Evolved, GTA: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Skate 3, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, and Super Mario 64, to name a few.
For instance, OpenCE is a modernized version of Halo: Combat Evolved, which allows fans to play the iconic 2001 game with enhanced graphics and new features—all for free.
Interestingly, some programmers have ventured into more unconventional projects. One developer even created a browser-based rendition of Jeffrey Epstein’s Little Saint James island, styled after Halo, complete with a unique nautical-themed temple.
Luckey Faraday, an AI researcher, used OpenAI’s GPT Astra to develop a browser-compatible version of Call of Duty, sharing it on X. One of the releases was Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, reimagined in a Minecraft style.
However, after a few weeks of distributing various games, his account was temporarily suspended due to a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaint. Faraday mentioned this in a social media post.
In response, he took down several sites where he had hosted his recreated Call of Duty games, trying to avoid further DMCA notices.
“I decided to remove the games just in case,” he said.
Nonetheless, some versions of his reclaimed Call of Duty games remain accessible online.
The rise of such projects brings new discussions about the role of AI in making it easier to recreate copyrighted games along with the speed at which game publishers will act to put a stop to these initiatives. While video game companies have historically moved quickly to take down certain fan-made games, others find themselves in a legal gray area.
For example, Nintendo issued multiple DMCA takedown notices in 2020 after fans made a free version of Super Mario 64. Similarly, in 2021, Take-Two Interactive sent out DMCA requests for recompiled versions of Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City.
No comments were received from Xbox, Rockstar Games, Microsoft, or Nintendo when inquiries were made.
