EA has put 25 classic games on Steam for the first time under a new EA Classics line, and 7 of them are restored Anniversary Editions, including the Wing Commander series and Road Rash. The launch went live on November 5, 2026, and the games are also on GOG and the EA App, according to EA.
The restoration began with a lucky find. In March 2022, EA senior producer Jim Vessella found a storage vault holding almost 20,000 archival assets, among them master tapes for the Wing Commander and Road Rash franchises. GamesRadar reports that he then spent about two years working with volunteer modders to bring the games back.
Which 7 games were restored?
Each of these is sold as an Anniversary Edition:
- Wing Commander: 35th Anniversary Edition
- Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi: 35th Anniversary Edition
- Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger: 30th Anniversary Edition
- Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom: 30th Anniversary Edition
- Wing Commander Prophecy: 30th Anniversary Edition
- Privateer 2: The Darkening: 30th Anniversary Edition
- Road Rash: 30th Anniversary Edition
What was actually restored?
The video scenes got most of the work, and EA lists the details:
- Wing Commander III and IV: over 1,000 restored FMV scenes across the two games, with optional upscaled video
- Wing Commander Prophecy: over 150 restored FMV scenes, plus the Secret Ops episodes
- Privateer 2: over 100 restored FMV scenes, a Director’s Cut option, and cutscenes featuring Clive Owen, John Hurt and Christopher Walken
- Enhancement Patch on the later titles: 60 FPS gameplay, better controller and joystick support, higher resolution video
- Road Rash: a relicensed soundtrack with Soundgarden, Paw, Hammerbox, Monster Magnet, Swervedriver and Therapy?, plus windowed mode, native controller support and cloud saves
GamesRadar adds that the team digitized a large archive of media assets, about 2,500 hours of footage, and that the Road Rash soundtrack has 14 tracks. It also says the last music license was secured in mid-September 2026, days before the team would have removed that band’s songs. The two sources describe the Road Rash version differently: EA calls it the first digital release of the 1996 PC version.
What about the other 18 games?
The remaining 18 are faithful ports rather than restorations. They include Wing Commander: Privateer, Wing Commander: Academy, Wing Commander: Armada, Strike Commander, Theme Hospital, Crusader: No Remorse, Crusader: No Regret, the Ultima series from Ultima I to Ultima IX, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss and Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds.
How much does it cost?
Neither EA nor GamesRadar lists a price. EA says special pricing runs on Steam and GOG from November 5 to 19, without giving figures or currencies. Anyone who already bought a digital Wing Commander game on GOG or the EA App gets the Anniversary Edition upgrade for free on that same platform. Prices will show in your own currency on each store page, so check Steam, GOG or the EA App directly.
Who it suits
Wing Commander veterans. If you flew these games when they first came out, the Enhancement Patch and the restored cutscenes are the main reasons to return, and owners on GOG or the EA App may not need to pay again.
Road Rash fans. The relicensed soundtrack, 60 FPS option and cloud saves make this the easiest way to revisit the series on a modern PC.
Ultima and Theme Hospital players. The 18 ports are meant to run as originally released on current Windows, so they suit people who want the classics without setting up old software.
Curious newcomers. Full motion video games are an acquired taste. The discounted launch window is a low risk way to try one, but expect the pacing and design of their era.
What is still unknown?
The sources give no prices, no regional pricing and no word on whether the upgrade offer reaches Steam buyers. They also differ on which Road Rash version was restored. Console releases are not mentioned.
Your next step: open the store page for the game you want before November 19, compare the price on Steam, GOG and the EA App, and read EA’s own account of the vault find if you want the full story.
