Summary
Wolfensteinis 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 theCall of DutyorBattlefieldfranchises due to the heavy focus on multiplayer.
However,Wolfensteingames 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.
Updated on May 30, 2025, by Chris Harkin:The Wolfenstein franchise, although there hasn’t been much activity of late, does still appear to have a bright future. The infamous franchise that helped define and create the FPS genre and later managed to reinvent itself in order to stay relevant for future generations of gaming looks to still have some life in it. While players revisit the older games and await the next update regarding the future of the franchise, many continue to be surprised at just how many different Wolfenstein games and add-ons there have been over the years. For those wondering just how big the franchise is, here’s a rundown onevery Wolfenstein game.
There haven’t beena lot of separately released DLCsin the history of theWolfensteinfranchise. However,Spear of Destinywas a major release and a separately retailed game. It expanded uponWolfenstein 3Dand told a new story that remains an enjoyable throwback for fans today. It also served as both a prequel and sequel through different episodes toWolfenstein 3D, prompting fans to explore this when replaying the beloved entry.
While mostly forgotten itself, theSpear of Destinyplotline 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 that ofWolfenstein 3D, managed to keep the legacy of that game alive and kicking. A hugely enjoyable game in its own right,Spear of Destinyremains a fantastic old-school shooter for gamers to revisit.
13Wolfenstein 3D: Original Encounter
The Prequel Game Used For Mac
Although there were several different versions ofWolfenstein 3D, onlyOriginal Encounterreally 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 ofWolfenstein 3D,Original Encountertells 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 toWolfenstein 3D, this addition saw a few changes and was released in several different ways, even being marketed asWolfenstein 3Dfor the Macintosh.
Built similarly to theDoom RPG, thisspin-off from the mainWolfensteinfranchisewas 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 theWolfensteinfranchise 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, theWolfenstein RPGput 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 RPGbecame an impressive hit.
One ofthe very first stealth gamesand the first game in the franchise,Castle Wolfenstein, was released in 1981 and 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 Wolfensteinis 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 Wolfensteinhad many stealth options and elements that are retained in the genre to this day, even though the gameplay itself has been surpassed.Castle Wolfensteincould easily be ripe for a remake soon, since a major one has never happened.
This direct sequel toCastle Wolfensteinwas the last entry in theWolfensteinfranchise before the FPS genre became the mainstay for the series. With several improvements over the first game,Beyond Castle Wolfensteingave 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 firstCastle Wolfenstein, this title managed to expand upon the capabilities it had at the time to make something greatly improved.
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: Cyberpilotwas one of the most interesting attempts to make use of the new format. Again, this was a game that thoroughly showcasedWolfenstein’scontinuing 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: Cyberpilotmade a bold attempt to get the format to work by having players take on the role of a French Resistance Fighter who is able tohack into different machines and take control of them, all set around the same time asWolfenstein: Youngblood. Though it isn’t one of the best-remembered entries in the series,Cyberpilothas done for VR what this franchise has always done: offered a view of a different aspect of the gaming industry through the lens ofWolfenstein.
Wolfenstein 3Ddeserves credit as one of the most influential games of all time. While many today considerDoomto be the titular FPS that led to all the others in the genre, it wasWolfenstein 3Dthat got there first and was credited ashaving 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.
Swinging the franchise away from the earlier top-down perspective stealth games,Wolfenstein 3Dwas based on William Blazkowicz as he escapes from Castle Wolfenstein and engages in a variety ofmissions against the Nazis. The gameplay was revolutionary and similar in style to what the earlyDoomgames would later use, providing gamers with a look into the future.Wolfenstein 3Dhas 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.
Taking place twenty years after the events ofWolfenstein: The New Colossus,Wolfenstein: Youngbloodis 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.
Youngbloodwasn’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 onnew platforms like the Nintendo Switch, and being excellently ported there, too, it is well-worth checking out for the accessibility that comes with playing aWolfensteingame on a handheld device for one of the first times.
Wolfenstein 2009failed at a number of things, partially because it was more obsessed with other franchises such as the recently popularizedCall of Dutyseries than it was with theWolfensteingames. 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 successfulReturn to Castle Wolfensteinand 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.
Wolfenstein: The Old Bloodis a 2015 prequel toThe New Order, which kept much of the same style and flair of the hugely successful switch-up for the franchise. The main problem withThe Old Bloodis that it forgot about much of the story aspect that setThe New Orderso 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 Bloodwas well worth a look for fans of the series, and it was a great way to fill the wait while the team behind theWolfensteingames began work onThe New Colossus.The Old Bloodis 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.
