A lot of people who grew up gaming in the 80s and 90s ended up creating websites and blogs where they talk about their favorite video games. Unsurprisingly, many of these games are the same ones they grew up with. But one of the main problems with covering such games is that you’ll have a difficult time finding good images to go along with the text but to find ways to enhance photo quality with VanceAI Image Upscaler. Displays have advanced considerably over the past decade and modern ones don’t do a good job at showing old games as we used to see them back in the day. This is particularly noticeable in the case of old PC games, which used to look considerably worse than their console counterparts until about the early 2000s.

So is there anything you can do to enlarge screenshots of old PC games in order to make them look good on modern displays? Yes, fortunately, such a solution does exist and it goes by the name of VanceAI Image Upscaler Workspace. True to its name, this powerful tool can take any image, regardless of resolution, and enlarge it by up to 8 times its original size. Even more impressive is the fact that it can do so without compromising the image quality. As an added bonus, the tools is very intuitive and easy to use. Here’s how it works.

How to Enlarge Screenshots of old PC Games

Method 1: VanceAI Image Upscaler Workspace

If you are eager to get your ideal image as you expected in a short time, then you can use workspace. Worksapce's navigating is simpler and clear than product's homepage. And it gives you more options to choose on different features more than image upscaler if you demand. 

image upscaler workspace.

Method 2: Check the website of AI image upscaler supported by VanceAI technology.

1. Go to the VanceAI website and hover over the dropdown menu labeled AI Solutions to find the VanceAI Image Upscaler (=image upscaler). Now either upload the image you want to enlarge or select one of the available sample photos if you only want to test the tool at this time.

using image upscaler_step 1

2. Next, it’s time to decide by how much you want to enlarge the image. With the Free plan you can only choose between 2X and 4X, but you can gain access to two additional options (6X and 8X) if you decide to upgrade to a paid plan. Choose the desired amount and make sure to also tick the Suppress Noise and Remove Blur options because they will help improve the quality.

step 2 of using image upscaler.

3. With that out of the way, all you have to do is initialize the process, wait a few seconds for the tool to do its magic, and then download the resulting image. Simple as that. Learn more about how to increase resolution of image in one click here.

VanceAI now also launches its software version. VanceAI PC is full-featured desktop software developed by VanceAI that lets you instantly process local photos in bulk with more customization options, which will significantly simplify your workflow and boost your productivity. Free Download

VanceAI PC workspace

Upscaling models you can choose

VanceAI Image Upscaler provides 5 different image upscaling models. You can choose anyone for a try to see magic happen.

Standard

image upscaler model performance

One of the upscaling models from VanceAI Image Upscaler is the Standard model, which is called EnlargeStable. It enables you to upscale any kinds of images, including photos taken by camera, paintings, landscape photography, and so on. If you have a general photo to upscale, never hesitate to try this Image Upscaler to enlarge image online or on AI upscaler software.

Anime

image upscaler model performance

The Anime model of VanceAI Image Upscaler is the best option for anime upscaling. This model can convert old cartoon, anime, and comics to high definition and improve the details. It is divided into 3 submodels: Anime_4x_AnimeSharp, RealEsrganStable and Upconv_7. Simply choose one and start to upscale image from animation to 2K, 4k, or 8K with this AI Image Upscaler now! If you prefer software, image upscaler software is here for you.

Art & CG

image upscaler model performance

The Art &CG model of this AI Image Enlarger allows you to enlarge CG, art image, drawings or paintings online and restore the original texture instantly. This model is called Universal_UltraSharp_4x. If you want an AI art upscaler to improve image resolution to show the image details more clearly. VanceAI's online Image Upscaler can do this perfectly. And you can have AI upscaler software to upscale CG images if you need.

Text

image upscaler model performance

Legible text images can be very essential, including e-signature, e-contract, and scan files. VanceAI Image Upscaler provides you with a text model called Text_4x_TextSharpV1 to AI upscale image with blur text. If you are having trouble upscaling blurred text on a mass of paper documents, this online image enlarger from VanceAI is here for you. 

Low Resolution & Compressed

image upscaler model performance

Low Resolution & Compressed model from VanceAI online image upscaler can upscale low resolution and compressed pictures to HD in one click. If you need more delicate product photos, portraits or wallpaper, this model will always satisfy you. It will never be too late to upscale such images online with VanceAI Image Upscaler or with upscaler software for PC!

Enlarged Images of Old PC Games Examples

Now that you know what tool you need and how to use it, it’s time to see this Image upscaler in action. We’ve scoured the internet looking for images of iconic old PC games and we ran them through the AI to see what happens. Check out the results down below.

Doom (1993)

First off we have the original Doom, the game known for pioneering the FPS genre and for being able to run on pretty much any type of electronic device you can think of. From Apple Watches and printers to ATMs and everything in between. Despite the recent and very successful reboot of the series, the original Doom remains one of the old PC games most often talked about to this day. And one of the titles most often featured whenever you’re talking about the history of PC gaming. Or just gaming in general. There have been various reworks of the game over the years designed to run on higher resolution displays, but if you want to use screenshots of the actual original, you’re going to need to enlarge image to properly refine them.

enlarge-screenshots-of-old-pc-games5

StarCraft (1998)

From one of the founders of first-person shooters we jump to one of the most influential real-time strategy games of all time - StarCraft. Similar to some of the other titles covered in this article, StarCraft ended up getting a remastered version many years after launch, however, the original still has a special place in the hearts of many fans of old PC games. StarCraft came out during a time when most games didn’t have a zoom function, which meant you couldn’t really get a good up-close look at the units. Thanks to this image upscaler online from VanceAI, that’s no longer the case, as can be seen in the image below that shows a Terran Battlecruiser. As an FYI, the game is free now on Battle.net so make sure to check it out if you haven’t already.

enlarge-screenshots-of-old-pc-games2

X-COM: UFO Defense (1994)

Better known as UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe, at least back in the 90s when it came out, X-COM: UFO Defense is an amazing turn-based tactics game that ended up creating its own genre. The original X-COM is one of the main reasons why we wanted to see if we could enlarge screenshots of old PC games with no loss in quality because most of the images available are really small. X-COM has a very long and storied history dating back to the early 90s and stretching all the way to present day. We’ve had a number of successful (and some not so successful) X-COM sequels and spin-offs over the years but we sometimes still like going back to the original regardless. The graphics haven’t aged particularly well, as you might imagine, but the gameplay remains very solid even compared to modern titles.

enlarge-screenshots-of-old-pc-games3

Fallout (1997)

Most gamers are familiar with recent entries in the series, such as Fallout 4 or the ill-received Fallout 76, but some may not know that the very first installment launched all the way back in 1997. While Bethesda holds the Fallout license these days, for more than a decade the IP was propriety of Interplay, a company that still exists but is rarely even mentioned these days. The Fallout games, on the other hand, continue to be extremely popular and might continue to have a bright future ahead now that Bethesda is owned by Microsoft. As far as the Classic Fallout PC games are concerned, they’re a bit rough around the edges but still a blast to play even now. The 1950s vibe that the series is famous far is definitely present in the originals as well, which absolutely deserves you to enhance photo online with the aid of VanceAI.

enlarge-screenshots-of-old-pc-games4

Gothic (2001)

We just couldn’t write an article about how to enlarge old PC games without mentioning Gothic, despite the fact that it wasn’t as popular as the other titles we covered. At least not in the US. But what the original Gothic lacked in popularity, it more than made up for in revolutionary game design. Gothic was one of the only true open-world RPGs of the early 2000s with no loading screens between areas, a feature that’s still lacking in many modern-day RPGs. In addition, the game also featured a day and night cycle, robust factions system, NPCs with jobs and schedules, deeply immersive world, and so much more. The sequel is even better but only because it had such a solid foundation to build upon. Gothic turned 20-years-old earlier this year and has a remake in the works as we speak.

enlarge-screenshots-of-old-pc-games1

Final Thoughts

We’ve had a lot of fun writing about how to enlarge screenshots of old PC games and we hope you enjoyed reading this article. We wanted to enlarge images of classic games because most of the available ones tend to be awfully small, but keep in mind that this was just a little demonstration. AI image upscale works just as well with any other types of images you throw at it. Depending on the original image, you can enlarge by up to 8X without fearing loss of quality. But in the case of old PC games screenshots, it’s probably better to stick to 4X at the most because there’s a lot of pixilation that becomes more evident the more you enlarge the image.

As far as the pricing is concerned, AI upscaler offered by VanceAI uses a very fair model where you can test out any of its tools for a limited time before having to upgrade to a paid plan. Premium packages start at only $9.90 per month and unlock access to not only more features but also the ability to work with larger images and faster processing speeds. But the best part is that a subscription includes access to all the tools developed by the company for a single price of $9.90/mo, or $19.90/mo if you’re going with the Pro plan. Not a bad deal given that there are already 9 tools available, with more coming in the near future.

Related article: How to Use VanceAI Image Upscaler for Platforming Games

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Amaya Hamilton
Amaya Hamilton
A passionate content writer. Mostly likes to write about technology and social media related topics. You can see more of my work over on my own blog Amaya Hamilton.