Where to find old Visual Novels (1990s)

[Arktic]

Anyone knows where to download/buy really old visual novels from the 90s AND run them on current platforms like Windows? There is just so little information on them that can be found online. 

[ittaku]

Whilst not download and play on your windows, Jast allows you to play its classic games in a browser for free

https://jastusa.com/classic-game-archive/

Asenheim has heaps more also web based.

https://tss.asenheim.org/

[OdaNova]

5 minutes ago, ittaku said:

Asenheim has heaps more also web based.

I knew of the JAST Archive, but didn't know about Asenheim. Thank you for the link.

[adamstan]

Actually those versions at JAST Archive are done by Asenheim as well - JAST decided to make them available oficially.

[Dergonu]

If you want to buy old eroge from the 90s, Japanese Amazon is a good place to start. People usually sell used versions on there. Getting digital versions of old games can prove difficult, as many companies either never got around to making them, or went under before they could. (Like Zone.) 

You will need a virtual machine of an old OS, or a computer running an old OS in order to play them, usually. A handful will be able to run on W10 with the right compatibility settings, but it’s rare. 

[Nier]

7 hours ago, Arktic said:

Anyone knows where to download/buy really old visual novels from the 90s

Try here (you need a Yahoo Japan ID): https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/list3/jp/ゲーム-アダルト/2084006448-category.html

7 hours ago, Arktic said:

run them on current platforms like Windows? There is just so little information on them that can be found online. 

Won't work, you need to buy an older machine to play them, like recently some PC-98 games from the 90's got an english translation patch, but these games won't work on Windows 10 or whatever, you need to buy a PC-98 to play these.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Nier

[bored]

google pc-98 emulator

 

[OdaNova]

On 01/07/2019 at 7:19 AM, adamstan said:

Actually those versions at JAST Archive are done by Asenheim as well - JAST decided to make them available oficially.

The more you know!

[Ramaladni]

On 7/1/2019 at 12:50 PM, Nier said:

Try here (you need a Yahoo Japan ID): https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/list3/jp/ゲーム-アダルト/2084006448-category.html

Won't work, you need to buy an older machine to play them, like recently some PC-98 games from the 90's got an english translation patch, but these games won't work on Windows 10 or whatever, you need to buy a PC-98 to play these.

No, you don't need to buy a new computer lol. Ever heard of PC-98 emulators? There's also emulators for FM Towns, MS-DOS... And like @Dergonu said, if you want to play Windows 95/98/2000/XP games, you'll probably want to play them under a VM. I've even had to emulate W7 under W10 before (mostly Mink games).

That said, there are extremely rare cases where you need native OS to actually be able to play the game...and even rarer, the actual machine. I have a friend who actually bought an old Japanese computer (not sure which) just to play one game... Well, it also makes for a nice antique to have around the house.

You can try checking the company's page to see if they're still selling it, perhaps as a digital release.. If not, they are effectively abandonware and I'd call that a gray area...but this is not the right place to ask for illegal downloads. Like the others said, try and look for used copies, but good luck with that.