Do You Need To Play The Older Wolfenstein Games Before The New Ones?

As an avid fan of the iconic Wolfenstein franchise spanning over 30 years, I‘m often asked by new players if they need experience with the classic older Wolfenstein games before jumping into the recent rebooted titles like The New Order and The New Colossus.

After researching the timeline, story connections, gameplay styles, and analyzing opinions from the Wolfenstein gaming community, I believe the new Wolfenstein games were intentionally designed to welcome new players. Here‘s a detailed look at why you can absolutely enjoy the new Wolfenstein releases first, and go back to the classics later if you choose.

Wolfenstein‘s Complex Timelines Across Decades of Games

Wolfenstein has one of the longest and most complex timelines in FPS history spanning over 30 years and 10+ game releases and expansions across multiple developers, stories, and alternate timelines.

Here‘s a brief overview of the major Wolfenstein games in order of release:

As this table shows, there are distinct divisions between the older World War 2 era games, and the newer alternate history rebooted games taking place in the 1960s.

The New Wolfenstein Games Were Designed For New Players

According to various interviews with developers at MachineGames, The New Order was deliberately created to welcome new players into the Wolfenstein franchise regardless of their experience with older games.

For example, narrative designer Tommy Tordsson Björk explained their approach in a 2014 interview:

"We designed it from the ground up to be a game that anyone can play, regardless if you‘ve played a Wolfenstein game before or not. A lot of work was put into making sure that this was an entry point into the franchise." (Source: IGN)

This "entry point" design philosophy continued with each subsequent reboot installment like The Old Blood, The New Colossus, and Youngblood. Each provides brief story recaps about protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz and the Nazis winning WW2 to provide just enough context before thrusting players into the Nazi-dominated 1960s alternate reality.

The New Games Provide Story Recaps and Limited References to Older Games

While the new Wolfenstein games were created for new players, MachineGames did include some small references, Easter eggs, and connections to the older games as fan service. However, these nostalgic throwbacks are subtle and not required knowledge to enjoy or understand the new game stories.

For example, The New Order begins with a 1946 prologue mission referencing Wolfenstein‘s original World War 2 setting. And old game characters like Caroline Becker occasionally appear. The New Colossus lets you actually play through the Wolfenstein 3D level as an arcade game Easter egg.

Longtime fans will appreciate these history nods, but none of them are crucial to the new games‘ stories which focus on B.J.‘s new struggle against the Nazi regime in the 1960s alternate timeline.

Most Players Recommend Starting With the New Wolfenstein Games

In discussion forums and communities like Reddit, most Wolfenstein players agree the new games are the best starting point for new players, with the option to go back to the old ones later if desired.

As Reddit user u/Vash63 explains:

"The new order was designed as a reboot. It‘s absolutely not required to play the old ones first."

And u/Raineko agrees:

"You can jump right into The New Order, no problem."

There is consensus among fans that starting with The New Order provides the most accessible and enjoyable initial Wolfenstein experience for new players. The old games can wait until you‘re invested in the recent story and gameplay style.

The New Games Have More Modern and Accessible Gameplay

Part of the reason most players recommend starting with the new Wolfenstein games is their more modern and intuitive FPS gameplay compared to the old games which feel extremely dated by today‘s standards.

The New Order offers smooth and cinematic first-person shooting with dual-wielding, cover mechanics, stealth gameplay and easy weapon switching. Meanwhile, the classic Wolfenstein 3D basically only lets you run through primitive mazes while blasting enemies.

Unless you have major nostalgia for early 90s FPS design, the new Wolfenstein games offer vastly superior gameplay and control options that make jumping in much easier for most new players.

Play the New Games in Release Order for Story Continuity

If you plan on playing all of MachineGames‘ new parallel timeline Wolfenstein titles, it‘s strongly recommended to stick to their release order for story continuity:

1. Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014)
2. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015 prequel)
3. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (2017)
4. Wolfenstein: Youngblood (2019)

Moving chronologically through this sequence allows you to experience B.J.‘s full journey and background details that recur across the games. Certain story elements, references, and characters will resonate better playing in release order versus skipping around.

Conclusion: Jump Into the New Wolfenstein Games First

In closing, as both a hardcore Wolfenstein fan and an advocate for welcoming new FPS players, I firmly endorse jumping straight into the recent rebooted titles first and playing the old games later if desired. MachineGames intentionally built the new Wolfensteins for first-time players with self-contained stories and improved gameplay. You‘ll have the most enjoyable introduction to B.J.‘s war against the Nazi regime by starting with The New Order and playing forward from there. Feel free to go back to the classics like Wolfenstein 3D later to appreciate the retro history of this iconic franchise.