Which Windows versions are good and bad for gaming

I have three Windows options; W7, W8.1 and W10. I can use either one of these, and 8.1 is my least favorite. The most important thing is that my programs and games works, but as long as they do work, my most liked Windows versions are in this order:

W7 Ultimate (I love it)
W10 Home (It's okay)
W8.1 Home (I don't like it but I can live with it)

All versions are 64-bit.


I am now testing out W10, but I may roll back to 8.1 which was preinstalled on this computer.
I have an old DVD with W7 Ultimate which I consider installing because I like W7 better.

I have too many games to make a list here, there are hundreds. I have got just 3 more weeks to try out W10, so I won't have enough time to test many games.

Most games seems to work with W7 and W8.1, but I'm very unsure about W10. Is W10 technically similar to W7 and W8.1 so that if a game did work on the former Windows versions, it will almost always work on W10?

For new OS compatibility, does it matter if the games are on DVD or if they are on Steam? I suspect Steam games are more likely to run on new OS but I'm unsure. Half-Life (1) on CD-ROM won't install on Windows 8.1, but the Steam version of the same game does work on both W8.1 and W10.


I've got these CIVILIZATION games:

Civ II (CD-ROM)
Civ III DeLuxe (all three III versions) (CD-ROM)
Civ III "Complete" (Steam)
Civ IV (all versions/expansion packs) (Steam)
Civ V (Steam)

I believe I need Win XP to run Civ II, but what about the other Civ games? Do they have problems with some of the Windows versions mentioned?

There should be minimal difference in compatibility (other than some games with broken DRM that the upgraded security model in newer versions of Windows doesn't allow - shouldn't be a problem for any digital purchases, or just remove the DRM.) between any of those systems for the next four years or so until Win7 is killed off (Seven for 8.1). Civ2 has issues with 64-bit, not really related to specific version of Windows.

CD-ROM version of Half-Life failing to install is likely unrelated to the format, insofar as the CD-ROM version is likely simply broken, while the Steam version has been patched to function.

DX12 and Vulkan both give fancier graphics and better performance than older graphics APIs. DX12 is Win10 only, Vulkan is Win7+.

So I take it that pretty much all games will work on Win10 if they did work on Win7 or Win8.1.

If you have a 64-bit system and want to play a 16-bit game (like Civ2), what are your options? I don't think I can install my old 32-bit XP as dual-boot on a new PC. And I'm not aware of any way to boot 64-bit Windows in 32-bit mode.

Will I have to use an old PC or is there a way to make Civ2 work on this new PC?


Thanks

Civ2 is a 32-bit game, it just has a specific bug preventing use on 64-bit systems. There's a fan made patch here which purportedly works.

Alternative would be to install 32-bit XP in a VM (e.g. using VirtualBox).

I can attest that the patch works for Civ 2 on 64 bit Windows 7. The only oddity
I have found is that you can't use <CR> in an edit box, you have to hit OK.

Zelig said:

Civ2 is a 32-bit game, it just has a specific bug preventing use on 64-bit systems. There's a fan made patch here which purportedly works.

Alternative would be to install 32-bit XP in a VM (e.g. using VirtualBox).

Click to expand...

There are more than one version of Civ2, I'm pretty sure my version is 16 bit. When I run it, there is always a task called Ntvdm.exe that starts and run alongside the Civ2 process. Ntvdm.exe is for running 16-bit programs on 32-bit Windows.

Is the patch for 16-bit Civ2, or is it for 32-bit Civ2?
Edit: It is for 32-bit Civ2 apparently.

Serutan said:

<CR>

Click to expand...

What is <CR> ?

Another way to run CIV II on a 64bit windows version ... run Windows 3.11 or Win95 inside a virtual machine ( win 3.11 could be run under dosbox too ), and run Civ II through it.

However, I guess the patch solution is simpler

Thanks for all suggestions.
I haven't got a Win95 CD, and unless Microsoft lets you download it for free then I don't see how I can get my hands on it risk free.