Founded 1996
MSN Games (The Zone)
Microsoft bought the small game site The Village in 1996 and relaunched it as the Internet Gaming Zone. It started with card and board games such as Hearts, Spades and Backgammon, and had 600,000 users by 1998. It is now MSN Games. The Internet games built into Windows were shut down in 2019 and 2020.
- Status
- Changed
- Still up; Windows Internet Games shut Jan 2020
- Homepage today
- Up HTTP 200
- Checked Nov 2, 2026
- Website
- zone.msn.com
Timeline
- Launched as the Internet Gaming Zone in 1996
- 600,000 users in 1998
- Windows XP and ME Internet games closed on 31 July 2019, Windows 7 on 22 January 2020
In the graveyard
- Windows Internet Games (MSN Games / Zone)
Closed Jan 22, 2020
Sources:Wikipedia: MSN Games
Games published or played here (000)
No game in this directory is tied to MSN Games (The Zone) by a source. The directory only lists browser games that still have an official, playable home.
Also playable or listed here (101)
These games started elsewhere, but a source shows them on MSN Games (The Zone).
Bridge Base OnlineUp bridgebase.com
Bridge Base supplied the online bridge offering in Microsoft Gaming Zone in 1998. Source: en.wikipedia.org