When one talks about the greatest first-person shooter franchises, it’s only a matter of time before Wolfenstein comes into the picture. A long-running series that puts players in the shoes of B.J. Blazkowicz as he tears through waves of Nazis in a whole host of different settings, Wolfenstein is a legendary franchise that has still remained fairly active to this day.
The history of the Wolfenstein series is a long and enlightening one, with the franchise actually starting out with a completely different concept and direction before rebranding itself to become the Nazi-killing first-person shooter that we all know and love. For players who want to know more about the rich and illustrious history of Wolfenstein, here’s a look at each game in the Wolfenstein series in the order of their release.
Updated May 30, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Wolfenstein is a video game series that needs no introduction. Along with Doom, this franchise has reigned supreme as one of the most classic and beloved first-person shooters ever made. The fact that this series received a reboot that was also wildly successful shows just how amazing Wolfenstein really was, and fans of the series can take a trip down nostalgia lane by checking out all the games in the series.
Keep in mind that Wolfenstein is a series full of twists and turns. Most people who assumed this series’ origins to be steeped in its FPS roots will be pretty surprised, with later games taking more of a story-centric focus that actually works out quite well! Regardless of which game you jump into, each and every title in the Wolfenstein series has a little something for everyone.
12 Castle Wolfenstein (1981)
- Platform(s):
- Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, MS-DOS
It’s honestly hard to believe that the much-beloved Wolfenstein series that most people consider to be the grandfather of FPS gaming… started out as a top-down action-adventure game! It’s genuinely one of the most unexpected things about the franchise that even hardcore fans aren’t aware of.
Castle Wolfenstein is a fascinating look into the early origins of the Wolfenstein series, where players take on the role of an unnamed Allied POW who is tasked with stealing the secret Nazi war plans in Castle Wolfenstein.
11 Beyond Castle Wolfenstein (1984)
Beyond Castle Wolfenstein is pretty much an extension of the first game, with players tasked to roam around another procedurally generated area — this time in the form of the Berlin Bunker — as they try to obtain a bomb and plant it outside the room where Hitler is conducting a meeting.
Beyond Castle Wolfenstein did feature a number of gameplay improvements that promoted stealth gameplay, featuring gameplay innovations that allowed players to hide bodies and stealth-kill soldiers with a dagger. These simple changes were pretty meaningful back in the day… but it was the innovations made in the next game in the series that truly cemented Wolfenstein as one of the most popular video game franchises of all time.
10 Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
- Platform(s):
- DOS, PC-98, SNES, Jaguar, Classic Mac OS, 3DO, Apple IIGS, Game Boy Advance, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Mobile
The legendary Wolfenstein 3D set the stage for a genre that would become one of the most popular categories in gaming history, full to the brim with some of the most iconic stages and enemies in gaming history. It’s a fun game that you can still get some mileage out of even today!
Roaming through Castle Wolfenstein as the iconic B.J. Blazkowicz — the first appearance of this character in the series — and laying waste to the Nazis that captured him is still a power trip that won’t really get old anytime soon. There’s a reason why this game has been ported to almost every platform imaginable, with each and every player loving the act of killing Nazis time and time again.
9 Return To Castle Wolfenstein (2001)
- Platform(s):
- PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2
An old-school 3D FPS that any fan of classic PC shooters should definitely check out, Return to Castle Wolfenstein was a bold step for the series that tried to take the game in a new direction. It was an admirable effort to try and revitalize the series, although some felt that the gameplay was still way too generic to really warrant this game being a worthy successor to one of the greatest FPS games of all time.
Stepping into the familiar shoes of B.J. Blazkowicz and mowing down waves upon waves of Nazis was still entertaining, but now the game actually gave a proper excuse for B.J. to kill these villains with a plot that was surprisingly decent and engrossing. Given the plot-heavy focus of later games in the series, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Return to Castle Wolfenstein served as a blueprint for the future of the series.
8 Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (2003)
- Platform(s):
- PC
Initially planned as an expansion pack for Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory was instead converted into a free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter that turned into a rather forgettable chapter in the Wolfenstein series.
There’s nothing really notable to mention about Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory — the game featured no story or single-player mode whatsoever, with its multiplayer being the only draw for players to download the game. Suffice to say, it’ll be very challenging for players to experience the game as it was intended right now, so players are better off just skipping this entry instead.
7 Wolfenstein RPG (2008)
- Platform(s):
- Mobile
The idea of one of the most beloved fast-paced shooters turning into an RPG title is something that could’ve been an absolute disaster, but props should be given to id Software for making this idea a reality… and a pretty entertaining one at that.
Just like Doom RPG, Wolfenstein RPG was an excellent reimagining of the franchise that had a greater emphasis on humor and story — a combination that proved to be rather successful for the game in many ways. The ideas this game plays around with are pretty neat and make the moment-to-moment gameplay pretty engaging indeed.
6 Wolfenstein (2009)
- Platform(s):
- PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Regardless of how surprisingly good the Wolfenstein RPG might’ve been, there was no denying the fact that long-time fans of the series wanted their favorite FPS franchise to feature more games that catered to this genre — something that was accomplished with the release of Wolfenstein in 2009.
Serving as a loose sequel to Return To Castle Wolfenstein, Wolfenstein was a reasonably competent shooter… but didn’t really achieve anything groundbreaking and ended up being a commercial failure. This sent the franchise into a downward spiral that was finally stopped with the release of the next title.
5 Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014)
- Platform(s):
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
A new and fresh chapter in the Wolfenstein series that pulled no punches when it came to treating the narrative with as much care and precision as the gunplay itself, Wolfenstein: The New Order was a fantastic return to form for the series… and B.J. Blazkowicz himself.
Set in an alternate history where the Nazis won World War II, The New Order sees players become part of the Resistance as they fight against General Deathshead and help liberate America from the oppressive rule of the Nazis. The fast-paced gameplay and incredible graphics of this title are the major reasons why this game was such a smashing success!
4 Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015)
- Platform(s):
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Given the massive success of The New Order, it was only a given that MachineGames would build upon this excellent foundation and allow players to experience the modern gameplay of Wolfenstein once again.
This is exactly what Wolfenstein: The Old Blood set out to achieve. A prequel to the events of The New Order, The Old Blood is a fitting addition to the modern legacy of Wolfenstein… although one has to admit that the game does end up feeling like an elaborate expansion pack to The New Order at times as opposed to its own thing.
3 Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017)
- Platform(s):
- PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Players who wanted a fitting sequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order would have to wait three more years until the launch of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus — a new chapter in Blazkowicz’s tale as he continued to fight against Nazi oppression and liberate America from this Aryan tyranny.
Everything was bigger and better in The New Colossus, with everything from the story to the gunplay receiving a significant overhaul as the player still accomplished the same-old task of mowing down Nazis throughout a whole host of levels. However, while Wolfenstein: The New Order was a step in the right direction, The New Colossus ends up going overboard with its ideas and culminates in a rather half-baked journey that doesn’t do justice to the journey that preceded it.
2 Wolfenstein: Youngblood (2019)
Given the excellent quality of The New Colossus, fans expected the next chapter in the modern Wolfenstein series to be just as good, if not better. However, Wolfenstein: Youngblood ended up taking the series in a direction that was derided by many.
While Blazkowicz was an intriguing character in his own right, his daughters did not connect with players nearly as well. Along with this, the RPG mechanics coupled with shallow co-op gameplay turned Wolfenstein: Youngblood into an absolute chore to get through at times.
1 Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot (2019)
- Platform(s):
- PC, PlayStation 4
Wolfenstein’s attempt to try out VR gameplay did not turn out to be the success that some of its earlier FPS titles were, with Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot being an abysmally short and unpleasant playing experience.
While it might understandably be challenging to integrate VR into modern games, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot ends up implementing this gameplay as an on-the-rails shooter, which strays from the elements that made Wolfenstein what it was.
