Summary
Despite being around for over 50 years, there has been a severe lack ofDoctor Whovideo games. This is because the BBC is so protective of the license, but it also has to be said that most of those launched are critical and commercial failures.
Despite being a brand seemingly ripe to lure in a rabid fanbase,Doctor Whogames have a reputation for being pretty disappointing across the board. That said, there are a few diamonds in the rough that fans may want to take a second look at, especially some of the more recent games.
Updated August 02, 2025:The specifications have been added forevery Doctor Who gamelisted in this dicussion.
The first officially licensedDoctor Whogame was launched in 1983 for BBC Micro. While the console is far from one of the greatest in history, it certainly had its charm and could make some decent games for the time.The First Adventurewas not one of those games.
Even when judging it by the standards of the time, The First Adventure is an ugly-looking, poorly-made series of four minigames that players could be done within 15 minutes. They weren’t even original, with each game beingDoctor Who-themed versions of classics such asPac-Man,Frogger, andBattleship.
Launched in 1985 for the Commodore 64, BBC Micro, and Amstrad CPC,The Mines of Terroris a 2D platforming adventure. Players must wander around a simplistic mine environment, playing as The 6th Doctor and a robot cat named Splinx, who exists only in this game.
Reviews from the time are somewhat mixed on it. It was likely an average title on the whole. However, it hasn’t aged well, given that in 1985, a certain other 2D platformer was launched -Super Mario Bros.
Return To Earthis a game that fits in with many of the terrible TV/Movie tie-in games of the PS2/early Xbox 360 era. This is where developers slap together a mediocre 3D-platforming game with little care or attention to the property they’re making it for.
The difference withReturn To Earthis that this was launched in 2010 for the Wii when that gameplay style was dying out. The graphics are horrible for the time, and the gameplay is tedious and frustrating. This was the first properly open 3DDoctor Whogame fans had received by this point, so it was an incredible disappointment.
An oddity compared to all the otherDoctor Whogames,Doctor Who And The Warlordis a text-based adventure. In hindsight, this may have been the best track for these early games. The most significant part of the show’s charm is its writing. This genre would allow that to come to the forefront.
Unfortunately,Doctor Who And The Warlorddoesn’t quite meet the mark. The writing is ok, and it was relatively on par with the show at the time, but the show was far from its peak in 1985, to begin with. On top of that, the puzzles aren’t very engaging or challenging, so there’s nothing particularly worthwhile to play through.
Launched in November 2013 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the show,Doctor Who: Legacyis a match-3 game for mobile. On the surface, it sounds quite interesting, featuringall kinds of charactersfrom the show’s past and (then) present —even some rather obscure ones.
The publishers presented it as an RPG experience, but it’s not really. In the loosest possible sense of the term “RPG,” there is leveling up, but it’s all inconsequential. Like many match-3 games launching around this time, it’s like any other game in the genre, but with aDoctor Whocoat of paint.
ADoctor WhoMMORPG sounds like something that surely doesn’t exist, right? That’s exactly whatWorlds In Timewas. Made for Flash and launched in 2012, this was an MMO set in the world ofDoctor Whowith the ability to create characters from many of the show’s numerous alien races.
It’s not as impressive as it sounds. Being made in Adobe Flash heavily limited what was possible, and while the missions appear exciting, they’re just a series of basic minigames. All of the minigames were easy and simple formulas players could probably find full games for free on Zylom or such sites at the time.
One of the most high-profileDoctor Whogames in recent memory,The Eternity Clocklaunched in 2012 for PC, PS3, and PS Vita. It’s a somewhat interesting multiple-choice action-adventure game, but its execution was ultimately disappointing.
The puzzles had variety, even if most weren’t particularly original. The difference in the gameplay between The Doctor and River Song is a nice touch. On the other hand, it got repetitive and boring very fast and included strange music choices.I Am The Doctoris a great track, but hearing it on a 10-15-minute loop is infuriating.
9Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth
Gamefaqs: 2.97/5
Launched at the same time asReturn To Earth,Evacuation Earthwas the counterpart for the DS and was superior in every way. Firstly, it was a pure puzzle game, one of the few genresDoctor Whofits seamlessly into. Additionally, the writing does a decent job of capturing the lead characters.
The problems come in the puzzles themselves. They move towards the good side of logic-puzzle games, but they’re no Professor Layton. Even for a game aimed at children, the puzzles are disappointingly easy throughout which isn’t good when they’re the entire game.
On the surface,Destiny Of The Doctorssounds like a fan’s dream game. It features all of the then seven Doctors with full voice acting (imitators voicing the Doctors who had passed), and the bulk of the gameplay involved exploring the huge depths of the TARDIS in first-person in full 3D.
While these factors alone may keep many fans happy, those who want a bit more from the gameplay may be disappointed. The gameplay consists of wandering to and from places while the story happens around them. Players must avoid monsters along the way, but the game’s health is a number that counts down from 9999, rapidly increasing when standing near monsters. It’s not challenging, but everything else may keep fans interested.
Launched in 2010 for mobile platforms,The Mazes Of Timeis an isometric puzzle game. In it, players must navigate maze-like levels, solve puzzles and avoid enemies. Both The Doctor andAmy Pondmust complete each level with different capabilities.
This simple set of mechanics makes for a surprisingly decent puzzle game. While it likely won’t stump players who know what they’re doing, it does have some challenges and solid mechanics around which puzzles are built.
