The Oregon Trail - Play game online (2024)

Oregon Trail is an educational game that simulates the hardships of the Oregon Trail, teaching players about history, geography, and decision-making.

Oregon Trail can help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they make decisions that affect the survival of their virtual family. Oregon Trail game is a fun and engaging way for students to learn about American history and geography.

In this historical educational strategy video game, you’ll be transported back to the year 1848, leading a covered wagon party from Independence, Missouri, to the fertile Willamette River and valley in Oregon.

Your leadership skills will be tested as you make choices about supplies, resource management, and your route while overcoming various challenges and setbacks.

Historical Beginnings

The Oregon Trail has a rich historical background. It was initially created as a text-based game in 1971 and later published by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) in 1975.

The game was re-imagined and released in its graphical form in 1985 for the Apple II. The year is 1848, and you’ll assume the role of a wagon leader guiding a group of settlers from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon’s Willamette Valley via a covered wagon.

You’ll make pivotal decisions on supplies, resource management, and the route you take while navigating treacherous rivers and facing unpredictable events such as storms and disease.

The Oregon Trail - Play game online (1)

Creating an Educational Icon

The game was the brainchild of a dedicated team at MECC led by game designer R. Philip Bouchard. Over a ten-month period from 1984 to 1985, they crafted this educational masterpiece. The Oregon Trail marked a pivotal shift for MECC, transitioning from games and software on mainframe computers to home computers.

It was MECC’s first product primarily aimed at home consumers rather than schools.

The game made history by being one of the first educational video games of its kind, blending entertainment and learning seamlessly.

The Oregon Trail - Play game online (2)

The Journey

When you start on your journey to Oregon, you’ll face a series of challenging decisions. You start by selecting your character’s profession: banker, carpenter, or farmer.

Each choice comes with its own difficulty level and an initial sum of money to begin your journey. Then, you’ll name your character and the four members of your party.

You’ll need to purchase essential supplies like oxen, food, clothing, ammunition, and spare wagon parts from Matt’s General Store.

The journey is divided into sixteen segments, each concluding at a landmark, such as a river crossing or a fort. These landmarks offer various choices, like acquiring supplies, conversing with fellow travelers, or deciding how to cross a river.

You’ll need to make critical choices when navigating rivers, including fording, caulking, or paying for a ferry. The state of the river and weather conditions affect your chances of crossing without any hiccups.

Along the way, the prices for supplies rise, and you’ll need to make the right decisions to ensure your party’s survival.

The Oregon Trail - Play game online (3)

Surviving the Trail

The journey between landmarks involves traveling for days over hundreds of miles. You’ll receive updates on the date, weather conditions, the health of your party, available food supplies, distances to the next landmark, and the distance covered.

Embrace the spirit of the pioneers on a treacherous journey to the Wild West.

Random events can occur, like storms causing delays or party members falling ill. The player can control the pace of travel, the amount of daily food rations, rest periods, trade with other parties, and even hunt for food.

The hunting component is presented as a mini-game where you control a character who shoots animals for food. Careful resource management and strategic choices are key to success on the trail. The game concludes when your party either reaches Willamette Valley or when all members succumb to illness or injury.

Your performance is scored based on several factors, creating a sense of competition and replayability.

The Oregon Trail: A Legacy Preserved

The Oregon Trail has left an indelible mark in the world of education and gaming. It gained immense popularity in schools during the 1980s and 1990s, serving as an effective teaching tool.

The game’s enduring legacy has earned it a place in the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Generations of players have experienced the trials and tribulations of the trail, making it a cultural landmark.

Play The Oregon Trail online

The Oregon Trail game is accessible online, without the need for downloads or emulators.

You can relive the experience in your web browser, making it a convenient option for both desktop and mobile devices. Play The Oregon Trail online, in a web browser.

The Oregon Trail - Play game online (4)

Conclusion

The Oregon Trail is not just a video game, it’s a piece of educational history.

With its roots dating back to the 1970s, the game has introduced countless players to the trials and tribulations of westward expansion in the 19th century.

The combination of historical context, strategic decision-making, and resource management makes it a compelling and enduring experience.

  1. no do not play this game it is not a good game

    Reply

  2. it is the best game

    Reply

  3. I love Oregon Trail but everytime I die of cholera I accidently get sent to 19th century Sweden. Great game tho

    Reply

    1. hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

      Reply

  4. the game is awesome had an amazing time playing with the class. definitely a game i’d play for fun

    Reply

  5. How do you get to your saved game?

    Reply

  6. This game is honestly the best pastime for me, plus it’s supposed to be educational, meaning that especially in social studies, when I’m done with my work, On the trail I go!

    Reply

  7. this game is so fun and for anyone wondering the best class is banker

    Reply

  8. This might be the easiest game ever. It is so fun. 5 stars.

    Reply

    1. jimmy is my most expendable man, he has so far gotten 4 diseases broken 3 limbs and almost died

      Reply

  9. Oregon trail so much fun

    Reply

    1. real man this game is fun

      Reply

  10. I win the game

    Reply

  11. This game is so fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

    Reply

  12. you are soooo lucky… I literally always die at 1,399 miles!! AAGHHHH!!

    Reply

  13. This game is too fun bro idk what else to say

    Reply

  14. Billy died

    Reply

  15. This game is great for class

    Reply

    1. Timmy died

      Reply

    2. I think our class will be playing this game for the rest week (I mean on Thursday and Friday), and Next week a lot of exciting stuff is happening, so Friday is probably the last day of me playing Oregon trail. (Wednesday problem too)

      Reply

    3. your so right it is so fun!!!!

      Reply

    4. yeah

      Reply

    5. I’m in class

      Reply

    6. How?????

      Reply

  16. What is the worst disease in this game.

    Reply

    1. Timmy died

      Reply

    2. Death. Death is the worst thing you can get in the game. You have no chance at survival.

      Reply

    3. cholera

      Reply

  17. I made it to the top ten BTW i’m in school in festus and i’m in 6th

    Reply

    1. OMG now way same

      Reply

  18. BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

    1. It’s a good game, but like why cant you move the character?

      Reply

  19. Good Game. I named everyone after Nordic countries. My best friend named all of her characters after the diseases in the game. Dysentery got Dysentery.

    Reply

    1. If you name them diseases, they would probably be cursed with diseases!

      Reply

      1. Your name is really similar to mine!

        Reply

    2. THats funny

      Reply

      1. The Oregon Trail

        Reply

    3. that’s cool

      Reply

  20. This game is fun and Hard. Tip: don’t go as banker at all.

    Reply

    1. will I did

      Reply

    2. I won twice as banker.

      Reply

      1. If you go as a farmer you get TRIPLE the PIONTS.

        Reply

    3. why?????

      Reply

  21. idk so fun tho but Timmy always die first

    Reply

  22. Amazing game we play during social studies in school, Its beter than spending 30 minutes of my life learning about how world war 2 started LOL BEST GAME EVER, FOR ONCE I DON’T ALMOST DIE BECAUSE I’M BOARD (:

    Reply

    1. Lol

      Reply

  23. I love this game! We’re learning about the Oregon trail and Canals in History so this game really goes into depths of how people got there! Me and my friend will start at the same time to see who can get there first. When I get told I have free time I go straight to Oregon trail. Also I personally like to start in March because I got told by my other friend that’s the best time to start! Pro tip: Don’t ever forge the river unless it’s lower than 2.5 ft because you will lose A lot of supplies and possibly people. I’ll put in my friends to see what will happens sometimes just for fun!

    Reply

  24. IGreat game except I always die from Cholera. My friend said for everytime I get Cholera I owe her a dollar (because im scared of Cholera) I now owe her 30$

    Reply

    1. lol

      Reply

  25. This game is actually pretty cool. The only reason I know about it is because I needed to finish the game for an assignment lol.

    Reply

  26. My Name is Mr. Burns

    Reply

  27. I haven’t played this game in decades. I wanted to relive the experience. I went as a Carpenter and got 3rd in top ten. Left in March. I have a good memory. I put the name as Nathan W. Bond who was my ancestor who actually travelled the Oregon Trail in 1953. He Homesteaded around 600 acres in Linn County on the banks of Santiam River.

    Reply

    1. nice dude you are good at the game

      Reply

    2. Yah this game is awesome

      Reply

    3. wow that’s really amazing! I wish my ancestors traveled the Oregon trail!

      Reply

    4. That is crazy

      Reply

    5. My friend beat your record and got third place. We had to do this for an assignment.

      Reply

  28. I love this game and I to play it and put my friends names in it just to see who dies first!

    Reply

    1. i also enjoy doing that

      Reply

    2. Same I love playing this with my friends at school and adding each other into the game

      Reply

    3. honestly me too

      Reply

  29. pro tip: do not try to ford the first river. this mistake WILL kill bill gates and captain falcon.

    Reply

  30. i think that 90% of the uses of the words ‘dysentery’ and ‘typhoid’ is just this game alone.

    Reply

  31. it was very easy to get to the end but the when I got to the top ten leaderboard it did not load me in to it.

    Reply

  32. it made me shine bright like a diamnanananodjngjurogijrtgiourjtgjn 🐺

    Reply

  33. our teacher made us play this it is really fun!

    Reply

    1. same

      Reply

    2. eh im my opinion its not that fun but we all have different opinions

      Reply

  34. wagon is love wagon is life once i got the cold i’m dead inside…

    Reply

  35. the wagon is love the wagon is life.

    Reply

  36. LOL BEST GAME!!!

    Reply

  37. Anyone else playing this in school?

    Reply

    1. Yep! (I now like to play on free time i try to get first place :>).

      Reply

      1. playing it at school 2 really good game

        Reply

    2. My teacher requires us to win this game for homework lol
      We’re learning about the oregon trail in a big unit before state testing so this is his way of letting us have fun and chill lol

      Reply

    3. Yes 6th period history!

      Reply

  38. this game is the best

    Reply

  39. i love this game

    Reply

  40. its okey

    Reply

  41. its a hack it didn’t save my game

    Reply

  42. Made it top 100 super good I’m so smart and made it in 99th place made me so happy and left my family behind we all died

    Reply

  43. This game made me sad very sad amd me cry cry ma family cry cry and died on the trail

    Reply

  44. I always die after the Snake River Crossing.

    Reply

  45. I used to be in top 10 and this game is fun

    Reply

  46. I finished four times, every time I made it into the top ten, and once in the top five. also finished in 5 minutes

    Reply

  47. I made it to top five and finished in 5 minutes

    Reply

  48. I love this game but I still can’t figure out how to save it, I skipped the tutorial thing of how to figure out how to save it but now I can’t figure out how. I could probably look it up but I’m too lazy, LOL

    Reply

  49. i love this game and also 8A was here

    Reply

  50. top ten in like 10 minutes too easy

    Reply

    1. i got top ten in five minutes

      Reply

    2. top ten in 2 minutes to easy and I got 7th and 8th place beat that!

      Reply

  51. all my family died, I’m so bad but i can’t stop playing this amazing game. 😭

    Reply

  52. i made top ten and saved yet it never said i made it once i ended the run

    Reply

  53. good gayme

    Reply

  54. I always place first place

    Reply

  55. This is the best game that I have ever played! I love this game! Woohoo!

    Reply

    1. hello Aphmaus ultimate fan TwT

      Reply

  56. I win every time

    Reply

  57. Awsome game indeed

    Reply

  58. great game

    Reply

  59. SCOTLAND FOREVER!!!!!!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

    Reply

  60. how to play it? someone please tell me

    Reply

    1. bestle i sugjest the banker buy max foood 5 pairs of clothes 4 oxen and three of each weal part and maybe like 17 boxes of amo

      Reply

    2. if you can’t figure out how to get past the naming part you have to type yes or no if your names are correct.

      Reply

      1. If the names are the right then type yes
        If there not right then type no

        Reply

  61. it is SOO Fun anyway

    Reply

  62. Yeah everyone died even the baby my friend thinks dying is cool she’s also playing

    Reply

  63. How do I get to the in game menu to save?

    Reply

    1. There is no way to save while on the trail. So at the end of each route it will save the game, and you will start from the last saved check point.

      Reply

  64. I LOVE THIS I WIN ALMOST EVERY TIME

    Reply

  65. this is a great game to play and is really fun game to play but it is really not the game for me if i wanted to play a game this is not the game that I will get on and play because this game is just not fun to me and is not the game that I will have fun on in my free time

    Reply

  66. How do i save game

    Reply

    1. First, save the game directly within the game, in the game menu. Then click on the floppy disk icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. This action will save the game state in the browser’s memory.

      When you reload the game, the saved state will be automatically loaded, allowing you to resume from your saved position.

      Reply

    2. First, save the game directly within the game, in the game menu. Then click on the floppy disk icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. This action will save the game state in the browser’s memory.

      When you reload the game, the saved state will be automatically loaded, allowing you to resume from your saved position.

      Reply

  67. How to win: Go in March, Be a Banker, Buy 5 yoke, 2000 lbs food, 5 sets of clothes, 50 boxes of ammo, 3 of each part, and ferry or float every river, and change pace to grueling.

    How to lose: Be a banker, Go in June, buy 10 yoke, 3 of each part, change pace to grueling, change meals to bare bones, and ford every river.

    Reply

    1. gonna lose every game now :0

      Reply

    2. Totally worked
      i’v already won 5 times in a row thanks u duh man!

      Reply

  68. This game is AWESOME. The sheer excitement of wondering whether you will make it across the river is terrifying and amazing. This game is a national treasure and will hold a place in the hearts of gamers forever. The mechanics for the time were breathtaking and still are. No remaster or reboot of the game can ever compare to the original. This game is truly an absolute masterpiece of human creation. you can also play it in class and the teachers don’t care, since it’s about history. It is a true and amazing wonder of the world.

    Reply

  69. FRFRFR BEST GAME ONGOD🔥

    Reply

  70. flipin hecken cool game

    Reply

  71. I love this game. I play it all the time in class. Don’t tell my teachers!!! LOL🔥

    Reply

    1. Same 🙂

      Reply

  72. Good game, and I enjoy playing as my friends and decimating their perfect save files!:)

    Reply

    1. Don’t worry at all, this issue with overwriting save files will be resolved soon. 😛

      Reply

    2. i’m always first

      Reply

      1. I can not see my top ten on the board but amazing game.

        Reply

    3. I enjoy putting my friend’s names into it, and then seeing how long it takes until they die XD. Dark, I know.

      Reply

  73. This is an awesome game.

    Reply

    1. Yes so awesome I made it into the top ten

      Reply

      1. I made it once i think

        Reply

        1. Made it four times

          Reply

    2. the game is good
      i beat it 2 times

      Reply

      1. so did I!

        Reply

    3. Agreed

      Reply

      1. i beat it 5 times, once in five minutes and top five every time

        Reply

        1. I was able to die before the Kansas River on purpose

          Reply

    4. thank you I’d love to make other game for you guys and hope you will like it

      Reply

    5. Yes, you’re right.

      Reply

    6. I tried saving my data but it didn’t save I think its a hack

      Reply

    7. This game is boring

      Reply

    8. Mr bently made us do it and its fun and i rilly liked it

      Reply

    9. You got that right

      Reply

      1. Best game

        Reply

    10. The top ten never saves though

      Reply

      1. lol

        Reply

        1. lol

          Reply

      2. its fun

        Reply

    11. Awesome! Made it to the top ten!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

The Oregon Trail - Play game online (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Barbera Armstrong

Last Updated:

Views: 6543

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Barbera Armstrong

Birthday: 1992-09-12

Address: Suite 993 99852 Daugherty Causeway, Ritchiehaven, VT 49630

Phone: +5026838435397

Job: National Engineer

Hobby: Listening to music, Board games, Photography, Ice skating, LARPing, Kite flying, Rugby

Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.