Community Playlist 📄 Deserted Island Picks 🏝️ + Steam Key Giveaway

[AstroBob]

Hi Folks,

It’s hard to believe, but LaunchBox is turning 12 years old next week! 🎉 We wouldn’t have made it this far without all of you — the amazing community that continues to support, share, and shape the journey with us. From jaw-dropping custom themes to thoughtful feature suggestions, it’s your passion that keeps this project thriving. 💛

Visit our event page below for full details on all the happenings throughout the week: 

🔗 https://www.launchbox-app.com/celebrate/

To celebrate, we’re bringing you another community playlist challenge — and this one’s a classic hypothetical:

 

If you could only take one game to a deserted island… what would it be? 🏝️🎮

 

There’s no right or wrong answer — but what game would you pick? (Remember, you only get to play that one game on this island. Nothing else!)

Just let us know your choice. We’re looking for charm, humor, nostalgia, or even brutal honesty. (No judgment if it’s The Sims and you just want to build shacks and woohoo coconuts. 🌴)

 

ℹ️ Here's How It Works:

• From Monday, August 26th to Saturday, August 29th, we want to hear your pick.
• Choose a single game, and post below, telling us why it’s your ultimate island companion
• By posting, you’ll be entered into a draw to win a Steam key for a game of your choice! 🔑✨
• Once the event wraps, we'll be including the submissions into a Big Box Game Discovery playlist, so everyone can enjoy all the wonderful picks

 

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🕹️ How Can I Enter?

Once the event goes live, post one game in this thread that you’d bring to your deserted island, and explain why.

📝 Please limit your entry to a single post.

 

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❓Does it matter if someone already submitted my game of choice?

Not at all! Multiple people can submit the same game — we just want to hear your reason why. The more passion the better!

 

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🔄 How Will Winners Be Selected?

We’ll pick a few posts from all unique entries submitted during the event. The winners will be contacted via direct message on the forum.

 

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💬 Can I Post More Than Once?

Feel free to chat or comment on other people’s picks, but only your first post with your game submission counts as an entry. Submitting multiple games won’t improve your odds, so keep it to one!

 

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We can’t wait to see what games you all pick — whether it’s a 100-hour RPG, a cozy farming sim, or a chaotic party game. Let’s build the ultimate Desert Island Playlist together! 🏝️🕹️

 

Happy Gaming,

The LaunchBox Team

[AstroBob]

I'll get us started.

My pick would be Sonic Mega Collection Plus on the PS2. 

 

Why? It’s basically a time machine on a disc. You get seven classic Sonic games, a host of (questionable) Game Gear games, bunch of extras, and even some weirdly charming Genesis deep cuts like Flicky and Comix Zone. I get the highs of Sonic 2, the weird maze of Blue Sphere, and the sheer “what even is this” chaos of Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. There’s enough variety to match every mood — speedruns, puzzles, nostalgia binges — all wrapped in a glorious retro wrapper.

And who could forget the museum? That music alone is enough to justify bringing it along. Plus, let’s be honest — hearing the SEGA jingle echo across a tropical beach? Pure bliss.

[mooken]

Crysis.

Mainly because I don't trust my ability to start a fire the traditional way and stay alive, so at least I can turn the settings on max, melt the GPU, and hopefully that's enough to keep me warm at night. 

[PadeMoNiuM Prods]

My ultimate island companion: Link’s Awakening

Honestly, if I could only take one game with me to this deserted island… it would be Link’s Awakening. Why? Because it brings back the best of our 90’s memories, and if I’m stuck on an island, I might as well play a game that lets me explore another one!

Between the poetry hidden in every corner, the music rocking me like the waves around me, and the little puzzles that keep me busy for hours, it’s a true gem of nostalgia. Every boss, every dungeon, every secret reminds me why video games can be pure magic.

And let’s be honest: if Link can save Koholint Island, then I can definitely survive here with a coconut and a bit of imagination ^^

 

[DMas]

Your on an deserted island, alone, scared, and hoping someone out there will find you.  Your mind is racing thinking over and over and over who, where, how, and when you will....be able to play the one game that will save you.  You look in your hands, clenching the game box tight.  You must find a way to keep going and to play.....Final Fantasy VII.

 

You need a game where it just "pulls you in"!  A game that keeps your mind occupied from the cold, hunger, pain and suffering you are up against!  You need a game that you can replay over and over again!  A game with multiple experiences, endings, joys, and loves!  No, a one and done game will not do here! 

You want a game where you say to yourself, ok I will play for an hour then you look up at the sky and .... 

Holy crap where did the day go!!!!!!!!  It matters not!   You need to get that hamster in the wheel spinning faster and faster to keep the power going!  I do not care hamster if your tired or hungry!  I need you to keep going because I need to play another hour(s) of Final Fantasy VII!

You start to hear a helicopter in the background and you can hear the screaming in the air..."We found you!  We are here to rescue you!!".

You pause and you say to yourself...."Do I need rescuing?  Can they not see that I am working towards a different ending here and I cannot stop till this is done, and the other endings are all done!"  No, the helicopter will need to wait...till then, keep going my hamster.....gaming awaits!

 

Edited Monday at 04:21 PM by DMas

[karnevil717]

I will always remember a set of games. Growing up we were broke. On Christmas one year, a Santa on a firetruck dropped off a sega genesis and Sony Playstation. The game was Spyro the Dragon. Best platformer.

[DemmyTree]

Power wash simulator, stuck on an island i assume the sand would get everywhere, you'd probably miss the days where you could just clean up and the ding once its been cleaned, will be a relaxing sound amongst the waves and birds of the ocean.

[zyute]

For me it would have to be No Man's Sky due to the vast exploration opportunities it offers. You can lose yourself by exploring the vast expanse of the universe and never see all of it. There are many different playstyles it provides to me whether I want to scan and discover unknown creatures, build my own settlements, hunt for rare ships and weapons, along with many more options. With the difficulties of being stranded this would provide a distraction and allow me to cope with being stranded.

[Morente]

Top choose Just one game is really hard.

 

I'd say it's Thief 2 for me. 

It's the only game that is always installed on my PC basically since release. That's mainly due to the vast amount of fan missions that is available and there are still missions released today. Thus the requirement for Thief 2 would be to take about 60GB of Fan missions with me as well but even if that wouldn't fly it's still a great game to replay in a different way and just immerse myself in the atmosphere.

I sometimes put on the soundtrack to sleep to so it's fulfilling multiple purposes at once!

[MarianS3]

My choice would be the bundle of American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2 with all their map DLCs 🚛. For me, it would be like having a collection, similar to Capcom Classic Collection or SNK Arcade Classic, but with this bundle of simulators.

Why these games? Simple, I love driving trucks, exploring their landscapes, taking long or short trips depending on the cargo, enjoying the variety of official trucks, trailers, weather, and the well-represented cities of each map. They also have that ASMR vibe that lets you play calmly and relaxed 😌. You can even turn on the in-game radio, with plenty of stations like rock, jazz, pop, etc., to keep you company on the road 🎶. Without a doubt, it would be the perfect game to take with me to a deserted island 👌

[4nder50n98]

My game is Chrono Trigger

Why Chrono Trigger Is My Favorite Game

Because Chrono Trigger isn't just a game. It's a journey through time — both literally and emotionally. From the moment I hear the first notes of its soundtrack, I'm transported back to that magical era when games still had pixelated souls and giant hearts.

It's my favorite because it did something few games have ever done: it made me genuinely care about every single character. Crono, Lucca, Marle, Frog, Robo, Ayla, even Magus — each one with their own pain, secrets, and transformations. I didn’t just play with them. I lived with them.

The story of Chrono Trigger is a masterpiece. Traveling across different eras — from prehistory to a post-apocalyptic future — each timeline carries weight and consequences. Your choices matter. And the fact that the game has multiple endings just proves how far ahead of its time it really was. In 1995, it was already doing what many RPGs in 2025 are still trying to figure out.

The combat is dynamic and strategic, with tech combos between characters that still make me smile when I remember them. And the battle system with no transition screens? Amazing. Smooth. A gift to the player’s patience.

And of course, the soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda (with help from Nobuo Uematsu) is simply legendary. There are tracks in Chrono Trigger that I still listen to today — not just out of nostalgia, but because they’re genuinely beautiful, emotional, and timeless.

But ultimately, what makes Chrono Trigger my favorite game is that it reminds me of something rare: that games can be art, they can be poetry, they can be precious memories. It made me feel something that no other game has ever quite matched.

 

 

[Mr. RetroLust]

Super Mario Bros. 2

I just loved this game the moment I saw it. There is no other game for me that reflects a dreamy world so well, and I guess I would need to dream away stuck on that awesome island. I can play this any day and never get bored with it, till now that is.

[RyuHazuki]

Choosing just one game is really tough, but I think I’d take Sensible World of Soccer. It’s the game I grew up with, and even today it feels unique—thousands of teams, endless leagues, and that perfect mix of fun and strategy. It’s more than just a football game, it’s a piece of my childhood, and I’d never get tired of it.

 

Edited yesterday at 01:47 AM by RyuHazuki

[Superciuk]

 

If I had to pick only one game, it would definitely be Dungeon Master for the Amiga (1987).

First of all, nostalgia plays a huge role. I used to spend entire days with it when I was younger, completely absorbed in its atmosphere. Those memories alone make it special.

But beyond nostalgia, the game itself has an incredible depth. It’s full of surprises, challenges, and clever mechanics that always keep you on your toes. There’s so much to discover and so many ways to avoid succumbing to the dangers within its dungeon.

Edited 22 hours ago by Superciuk

[Kefka2b]

Man that would be a tough decision.

I would go with Star Ocean 2 on PSX:

1 of my all time favourites, the music is incredible for a start, just classic Enix. The combat was incredibly good , fast-paced, aggressive and real-time, but also required strategic planning. 

It is the perfect universe (quite literally) to get lost in on a deserted island with plenty of time on your hands and time you will need to beat the game 100%, as you will need to play it several times to enjoy the full cast of characters and unlock all the personal events, go through the end game optional dungeon, reach level 255 etc...

The crafting system, the skills, the arts, everything is so deep and interesting.

Just thinking about it now just reminds me of of that first encounter between Claude and Rena in that village on Expel 25 years ago, the eerie music, little did I know of the incredible adventure I was embarking on.

[chapas]

I would take with me the "The Secret of Monkey Island"

Because when I'm stuck on an island, I’ll need Guybrush Threepwood’s mighty pirate wits to find the X on that island.

[Buzzkill616]

For me it would be Grand Theft Auto 5 since there is so much to do you would never get bored. 

 

[apetresc]

I'd go with Chessmaster 11, as probably the strongest chess engine available on the Launchbox DB. I feel like any video game, no matter how good, would eventually get boring after enough years of nothing else. But I'll never come close to exhausting everything there is to know about chess.

[drphobus]

For me its an easy answer  Titan Quest (prefer PC) with all dlc if possible.

why

Simply I have been playing this over 10 years now. Its the ultimate fidget spinner. there are so many characters with all sorts of play mechanics. Easy to start but mastering is hard. As for Titan Quest 2 not released yet so cant say if it will beat the OG. While it may not be for everyone, it's gaming version of comfort food. for me at least.

[Habaek]

Tetris. 
Tetris has been a nice, chill game for me since before I can remember. I can lose myself in this game for hours or put it down after only a few minutes depending on what I have going on. 
I feel like this would be a perfect game without any type of internet connection where I could play regardless of how much time I might have to put into it. 

There's never really a point where I wouldn't mind going back to it for another round.