Wolfenstein is a hugely underrated franchise that deserves a lot more praise from the gaming community than it generally receives. Despite the massive influence that these games had on the FPS genre, they are generally forgotten by modern gamers in favor of the Call of Duty or Battlefield franchises due to the heavy focus on multiplayer.
However, Wolfenstein games have been a mainstay of the gaming world. While they don’t have quite the same popularity nowadays, they deserve to go down in gaming history for having changed one of the most popular genres of gaming that there has ever been. Let’s count down every entry in the series to find the best Wolfenstein game ever.
7 Best Villains In Bethesda’s Games, Ranked
Bethesda has a long history as one of the best game studios in the world, but which of their villainous characters have been the very best?
Updated on November 3, 2025, by Mark Sammut: The galleries have been tweaked for every Wolfenstein game, and we’ve added “worth playing?” sections for the titles that do not have an obvious answer.
14
Wolfenstein 3D: Original Encounter
The Prequel Game Used For Mac
- Platforms: SNES, Jaguar & Macintosh
- Released: 1994
- Developers: iD Software
- System: SNES, Jaguar & Macintosh
Although there were several different versions of Wolfenstein 3D, only Original Encounter really counted itself as a separate game because it actually contained such a drastically different story. Posing as a very similarly-styled game but set before the events of Wolfenstein 3D, Original Encounter tells the story of Blazkowicz’s first attempt to assassinate Hitler.
This fascinating entry provides a valuable piece of the franchise’s lore for fans who want to see and experience every part of the storyline that they can. Although the gameplay is very similar to the vanilla version, this addition saw a few changes and was released in several different ways, even being marketed as Wolfenstein 3D for the Macintosh.
Is Wolfenstein 3D: Original Encounter Worth Playing?
Original Encounter is a fine enough early FPS, but it is one of those games that is quite difficult to go back to in this day and age.
13
Wolfenstein RPG
The Fascinating Mobile Spin-Off That Almost Worked
Built similarly to the Doom RPG, this spin-off from the main Wolfenstein franchise was released for mobiles in 2008. It allowed players to return to the world of the series with turn-based combat, which was a first for the franchise and remains the only instance of it in the series. Mobile gaming has become a huge industry, and the Wolfenstein franchise has always been a part of big innovations in gaming, meaning it made perfect sense to see it try to permeate this new market significantly.
For a mobile release, the Wolfenstein RPG put a lot of emphasis on the story, producing another fascinating one in the history of an already impressively narrative-based franchise. With many great role-playing elements added, a lot of humor, and great writing, Wolfenstein RPG became an impressive hit.
Is Wolfenstein RPG Worth Playing?
Well, Wolfenstein RPG is pretty much impossible to get legally nowadays, so it really depends on whether you already have it. It is quite a silly and goofy game, but that works for Wolfenstein.
12
Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot
Attempted To Pull The Franchise Into VR
Many different franchises decided in the last few years to diversify their new entries by introducing VR in an attempt to dominate the market. While VR gaming still hasn’t really taken off, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot was one of the most interesting attempts to make use of the new format. Again, this was a game that thoroughly showcased Wolfenstein’s continuing attempts to reinvent itself as a franchise through new styles of gaming.
Most VR games from this time weren’t well-loved or played because the platform was fairly expensive, and the games were mostly limited in their capabilities. Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot made a bold attempt to get the format to work by having players take on the role of a French Resistance Fighter who is able to hack into different machines and take control of them, all set around the same time as Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Though it isn’t one of the best-remembered entries in the series, Cyberpilot has done for VR what this franchise has always done: offered a view of a different aspect of the gaming industry through the lens of Wolfenstein.
Is Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot Worth Playing?
If you are a die-hard Wolfenstein fan and have the necessary technology already, Cyberpilot is one of the more visually impressive VR games on the market. That said, the mecha gameplay is very different from other entries in the series, and it is not extremely intuitive.
11
Wolfenstein 3D: Spear Of Destiny
The Separate Game DLC That Added To Wolfenstein 3D
There haven’t been a lot of separately released DLCs in the history of the Wolfenstein franchise. However, Spear of Destiny was a major release and a separately retailed game. It expanded upon Wolfenstein 3D and told a new story that remains an enjoyable throwback for fans today. It also served as both a prequel and sequel through different episodes to Wolfenstein 3D, prompting fans to explore this when replaying the beloved entry.
While mostly forgotten, the Spear of Destiny plotline about the spear that pierced the side of Christ, falling into the hands of the Nazis, has permeated into other media. The ideas behind the gameplay, which retained many similarities to Wolfenstein 3D, managed to keep the legacy of that game alive and kicking. A hugely enjoyable game in its own right, Spear of Destiny remains a fantastic old-school shooter for gamers to revisit.
Is Wolfenstein 3D: Spear Of Destiny Worth Playing?
If you enjoy Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny is a must-play. However, definitely start with the base game.
10
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
A Surprisingly Excellent Futuristic Spin-Off And Story
Taking place twenty years after the events of Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a shorter entry that features the daughters of B.J. Blazkowicz as they attempt to find their father, who disappeared without a trace while on a secret mission to help the French Resistance still fighting against the Nazi regime. It is highly worth playing, if only because of the focus on a completely different sort of story.
Youngblood wasn’t as large or well-regarded an entry as the other recent additions to the franchise. But the change of pace, with Jessie and Zofia Blazkowicz following in the footsteps of their father, featured a great story and solid gameplay within the realms of what fans came to expect. Additionally, with the game being on new platforms like the Nintendo Switch, and being excellently ported there, too, it is well worth checking out for the accessibility that comes with playing a Wolfenstein game on a handheld device for one of the first times.
Is Wolfenstein: Youngblood Worth Playing?
This might be the most difficult question to answer out of all of these. For the most part, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a competent co-op shooter, with the gunplay being unsurprisingly top-notch. Frankly, it is an easier recommendation than a few games that rank higher; however, it is also far worse than any of the other non-VR modern Wolfenstein games.
9
Castle Wolfenstein
A Forerunner For Stealth Games & The Start Of A Franchise
Castle Wolfenstein
- Released
-
1981-09
- Developer(s)
-
Muse Software
- Publisher(s)
-
Muse Software
One of the very first stealth games and the first game in the franchise, Castle Wolfenstein, was a thrilling ride for its time. This influential early game was a huge hit, even before it turned to the first-person shooter style that would make the franchise so popular. A great example of how a franchise can innovate and change over time to remain relevant, Castle Wolfenstein is still hugely replayable despite showing its age.
The game was focused on a soldier who was trapped as a prisoner in the titular castle and was tasked with finding Nazi war plans and escaping. Castle Wolfenstein had many stealth options and elements that are retained in the genre to this day, even though the gameplay itself has been surpassed. Castle Wolfenstein could easily be ripe for a remake soon, since a major one has never happened.
Is Castle Wolfenstein Worth Playing?
Honestly, Castle Wolfenstein is mainly worth playing for its historical significance. Don’t get me wrong, it is fantastic for its era, but a lot has changed over the last 40 years.
8
Beyond Castle Wolfenstein
A Stealthy Sequel That Upped The Ante
Beyond Castle Wolfenstein
- Released
-
1984-07
- Developer(s)
-
Muse Software
- Publisher(s)
-
Muse Software
This direct sequel to Castle Wolfenstein was the last entry in the Wolfenstein franchise before the FPS genre became the mainstay for the series. With several improvements over the first game, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein gave players more of the ahead-of-its-time gameplay they got from the first game.
The story this time was the opposite of the first game. Instead of attempting to escape Castle Wolfenstein, players attempt to break into the bunker of Hitler himself. This helped bring a sense of completion to the story of these early entries, as well as upping the stakes for the sequel. While much of the gameplay remained the same from the first Castle Wolfenstein, this title managed to expand upon the capabilities it had at the time to make something greatly improved.
Is Beyond Castle Wolfenstein Worth Playing?
If you really want to play one of the franchise’s pre-3D efforts, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein is the one to pick. That said, it is primarily just an artifact of a bygone era.
7
Wolfenstein 3D
One Of The First FPS Games And A Wildly Entertaining Ride
Wolfenstein 3D deserves credit as one of the most influential games of all time. While many today consider Doom to be the titular FPS that led to all the others in the genre, it was Wolfenstein 3D that got there first and was credited as having popularized the FPS genre. The many additions and different versions of this game, and the way it manages to still be a lot of fun to play today, showcase just how iconic it and the franchise around it really are.
8 Best Years For First Person Shooters In Gaming History
First-person shooters are as popular as ever, but they were especially noteworthy during these particular years.
Swinging the franchise away from the earlier top-down perspective stealth games, Wolfenstein 3D was based on William Blazkowicz as he escapes from Castle Wolfenstein and engages in a variety of missions against the Nazis. The gameplay was revolutionary and similar in style to what the early Doom games would later use, providing gamers with a look into the future. Wolfenstein 3D has no right to remain as fascinating as it is today, but it is still great to look back on it as more than just a piece of gaming history.
Is Wolfenstein 3D Worth Playing?
Wolfenstein 3D is by far the most influential game in the series, and it holds up pretty well considering its age. You are not going to mistake it for a modern shooter, but you can still have fun even if you never grew up with the game.
6
Wolfenstein (2009)
A Long-Awaited Sequel For A New Era Of Gaming
Wolfenstein 2009 failed at a number of things, partially because it was more obsessed with other franchises, such as the recently popularized Call of Duty series, than it was with the Wolfenstein games. The shifting trends of the gaming industry took control of the production process for this game. As such, it was a bit of a stylistic mess.
Nevertheless, it successfully put together a sequel to the hugely successful Return to Castle Wolfenstein and managed to garner some interest for the franchise at a time when that was an incredibly difficult feat to accomplish. It’s not the most intriguing game to return to now, but it’s still a reasonably memorable part of the franchise’s history.
Is Wolfenstein 2009 Worth Playing?
If you already have it? Sure, play it. Wolfenstein is a very solid FPS. Unfortunately, the game is delisted nowadays, so you cannot just buy it. GOG, please fix that.
Everything after this point is 100% worth playing.
5
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Great Gameplay That Focuses A Bit More On Stealth
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a 2015 prequel to The New Order, which kept much of the same style and flair of the hugely successful switch-up for the franchise. The main problem with The Old Blood is that it forgot about much of the story aspect that set The New Order so far apart from other FPS games. As a result, it’s a nice addition to the franchise, but nothing special was created.
Even so, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood was well worth a look for fans of the series, and it was a great way to fill the wait while the team behind the Wolfenstein games began work on The New Colossus. The Old Blood is a short but highly amusing adventure that added to the world of the franchise as it is known today. The gameplay remains as enjoyable now, making it worth exploring for fans of the franchise.
