Welcome to Games That Weren't 64!

We cover Cancelled & Unreleased Video games for the Commodore 64 computer. A non-profit large archive dedicated to preserving lost games that were never released to the public, as well as prototypes and the odd preservation of released titles. Our aim to share history and stories from the developers, assets and more before it is too late. GTW has been preserving lost video game history since 1999, and long before that offline.

Please Browse our archive and discover the many entries that we host and have saved over the years.

Latest News and Posts

Ifigonia

Posted: by Frank Gasking

1985 Quickly

Platforms: ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 (GTW64 entry)

Our next entry into the GTW archives is a slightly controversial title due to its rather risqué advertisement that featured in the Italian press at the time. Ifigonia was an erotic/adult themed text adventure, with graphics created by artist Mauro Mazza. The game was based on a poem from 1928.

After a few adverts for the ZX Spectrum, C64 and Amstrad CPC – the game disappeared without a trace, and some even wondered if it was a hoax of some kind. One magazine (Sperimentare) showed a rather different looking cover-art case and talked about the game. We don’t think they actually review it, as the details about the title are quite vague. It is mentioned though that the graphics would be a mixture of comic-like graphics and animations throughout. Continue reading →

Posted in Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 (C64), ZX Spectrum | Tagged | Leave a comment

Podcast appearance with Mamemeister

Posted: by Frank Gasking
I had the pleasure of being a guest on the “Nice and Nasty Gaming Podcast” with Mamemeister recently! We chatted about Games That Weren’t, how I first got into gaming, and picked out three games I’d take to a desert island… and three I’d happily launch into the sun!
 
If that sounds like your thing, you can have a listen here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5hZzC1TwOxahT569p5ETyX

Or you can also listen via YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW81sZ90DG0

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GTW64 May 2025 update

Posted: by Frank Gasking

Our fifth update of the year has a number of new entries added, including a game that was once submitted to Zzap and just disappeared, beginnings of a Pacman game that never was intended for Mastertronic, and Elite’s strange Commando-themed game that would eventually be renamed to Duet. We also have some updates to existing entries (details of each update in the history notes). More for you again next month!

8 new entries added

Commando 86, Drive, Miner 2049er, Miner on Mars, Politique Economique, The Honeymooners, The Pacman Strikes Back, Twilyte

9 updates added

666 – The Number of the Beast, Airwolf 2 V1, Charlie Chaplin, Moonshadow, Rim Raiders, The Last Stuntman, Twilight Zone, Undead, Whuppie Tale

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Rare Italian bootleg of The Quill preserved!

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

Whilst at Zzap Live in May 2025, we met up with the legendary Tim Gilberts, who set up Gilsoft at the age of just 17. Tim flagged up that he had a very rare Italian bootleg of The Quill which didn’t seem to be out there and preserved called “Adventure Writer (Creator 2)”. Unfortunately it wouldn’t load for him.

booklet 1

An hour or so later, Tim excitedly informed us that the adventure creator had suddenly loaded for him – but he had no mechanism of backing up. We attempted to back up using a 1541-Ultimate 2 from Andy Spencer (Retro Computer Museum) – but it wasn’t having it. So Tim very kindly agreed to loan the tape and manual to Games That Weren’t to preserve. Continue reading →

Posted in Commodore 64 (C64), GTW64 news, Preservation | Tagged | 7 Comments

Games That Weren’t talk at Zzap Live 2025

Posted: by Frank Gasking

Just had a fantastic time at Zzap Live in Kenilworth over the two days with my friend Brian ONeill, catching up with lots of friends old and new (and a bit of gaming). Thank you everyone who came to heckle at the Games That Weren’t talk (and even kindly laugh at my crap Total Recall reference) and to Paul Drury for being a great wing man.

Well done to Chris Wilkins and the rest of the team of putting together yet another amazing event. There is now a video recording live at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlOGKwrN7uk thanks to Paul Davies (Back to 8-bit with Hermski). There is a surprise reveal for the Commodore 64 at the end ;-)

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Posted in Commodore 64 (C64), Commodore Amiga, Commodore VIC-20, General, GTW64 news, News | 2 Comments

Rock Star Goes Bizarre (C64) recovery

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

Thanks to Fliplift on the Lemon64 forums, a very rare promo edition of Rock Star Ate My Hamster on the Commodore 64 has been recovered. This was released through The Sun newspaper, and has been missing for quite some time, though a ZX Spectrum version has been recovered a while back.

rockstar1

According to Luca/Fire on the forum thread, Codemasters and The Sun ran a competition with ten runners up prizes being special editions of the game. The special edition includes 7 additional stars, with Kylie Minogue renamed as Koily Mynose instead of Bimbo Baggins. Continue reading →

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GTW64 April 2025 update

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

Our fourth update of the year has yet more Commodore 64 goodness, and a bit more of a holiday bonanza with 14 new entries (including a stack of titles intended for the Commodore MAX). Also we have 20 entry updates that you can check out too (details of each update in the history notes).

Should hopefully have a nice surprise for you all soon too – watch this space and see you next month!

14 new entries added

Ace Of Aces, Apple Eater, Avenger, Bally Football, Darts, Golf, Hall Of The Mountain King, Menagerie, Qix-type game, Racetrack Special, Sargon II, Spiders From Mars, Tornado Baseball, Windsurfing

20 updates added

Air Battle, Barbarian 3, Battlestorm, Benidorm, Commando Libya – part 2, Cosmax, Fun Flyer, Greenhouse (MAX edition), Heavy Barrel, Lauren of the 25th Century, League of Light, Lifespan, Magnum Force, Mars Cops, Midwinter, Missile Command, Paddle Mania, Pirate Attack, Sub Hunt, Vanguard

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GTW64 March 2025 update

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

Our third update of the year has more Commodore 64 goodness in the form of 4 new entries and 14 pre-existing entries updated (check ‘history’ tab for details of changes). This includes the wonderful recent Codemasters recovery of Magnum Force, an early Ocean game that transferred to Cascade,recovery of the PHM Pegasus – Advanced Battle Disk (thanks to HOK/Remember) and a mega ton of development assets added to Mag Max V1!

Enjoy and see you next month!

Mag Max V1 asset scans added

Thanks to developer Sean Townsend, over 300 items have been added to the gallery, showcasing the development of the long lost Mag Max V1 by Canvas:

Mag Max V1

4 new entries added

Concentration, Kevin in the Woods, Magnum Force, Moonshadow

13 updates added

Autoguard, Complex, Crossinvert 2, Hareraiser 2, Hårsfjärden, In The Beginning, Kukulcan V1, Moreta – Dragonlady Of Pern, PHM Pegasus – Advanced Battle Disk, Quadrillion, Sherwood Forest, Sunburst Communications titles, The Elysian Fields

Posted in Commodore 64 (C64), GTW64 news, News | Leave a comment