Raspberry Pi 5 games list – what games can you run?

There’s so much in the world of Raspberry Pi beyond building projects and learning computers. We’ve put together a Raspberry Pi 5 games list for anyone keen to sweeten the Pi with a bit of fun, without the need for an emulator.

As you might expect, some games will run smoother than others. Whether or not your chosen game will run smoothly will depend on the size of the game and how demanding the graphics are. Before launching in, we’ll go through how you can download games without an emulator:

• Download native Raspberry Pi games from the official Raspberry Pi Store or from various third-party websites.
• Use a game streaming service. The most popular are Parsec and Moonlight.
• Use a cloud gaming service. Cloud gaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now allow you to play games directly from the cloud, without the need to download any files or install any software on your Raspberry Pi.

We’ll organise the following list by some classics and lesser known games. Expect the list to grow in the coming weeks too! If you’re getting ahead of yourself and still wondering where to buy Raspberry Pi 5, we’ve covered all the places stocking it, plus important information about the Pi 5 release.

Let’s get stuck into our shortlist:

1. 0 A.D. (realtime strategy) (2017)

If you like Age of Empires or Age of Mythology, then you’ll like 0 A.D. You get to pick from a variety of different civilizations and grow your empire from square one.

2. Doom (1993)

This first person shooter game is an absolute classic, aged to perfection. It’s one of the many games with publicly available source code for fans to reuse which has since been imported to Linux devices since its initial release. There are a few different editions to choose from too.

3. Quake III (1999)

So long as you have a keyboard and mouse, Quake III is another game can play on Raspberry Pi 5 without an emulator. If you haven’t heard of it before, Quake III is a hugely influential game that was around in the embryonic stages of shooter games. Well worth the download!

4. 3D Billard-GL

For Raspberry Pi OS, try Billard-GL for a smooth running game. There’s a two player option, and you can configure the game to use multiple camera angles. Overall, it’s a very relaxing game, and good for passing the time.

5. Beneath a Steel Sky (1994)

You’ve heard of the highly regarded Beneath a Steel Sky point-and-click action game. Of the science fiction genre, you’re tasked with figuring out various puzzles and riddles as Robert Foster. It’s a must have on your Raspberry Pi 5 if you’re looking for something to just get stuck into.

6. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002)

They may still be making Star Wars games, but how can you truly top the masterpiece that is Jedi Outcast? We’ll chuck in Jedi Academy as a close second which can also be played on the Pi 5. Relatively easy to download, you’ll be space duelling in no time!

Final word

With the sizable generational improvements on Raspberry Pi 5, expect this games list to grow a little more ambitious. Stil though, we’ll first have to wait patiently for our pre order to arrive.

Can you play games on Raspberry Pi 5?

Yes, you can play lower intensity titles such as the older PC games mentioned in our list including the likes of Doom and Star Wars: Knight II. That doesn’t completely rule out newer titles, though, as software such as A.D is also supported.