Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter
Serious Sam Classic: The Second Encounter is a high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS and Gamespot's Game of the Month February 2002!
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Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter on Steam
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Serious Sam is a high-adrenaline single-play and 16-player co-operative arcade-action FPS and Gamespot's Game of the Year 2001!
Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is a action, fps and classic game
developed by Croteam
and published by Devolver Digital.
Released on August 30th 2019 is available only on Windows.
It has received 3,133 reviews of which 3,008 were positive and 125 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.2 out of 10. 😍
The game is currently priced at 5.89€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
Minimum
- OS *: Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 5), Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system
- Processor: AMD K6-3 400MHz, Pentium II or Celeron-A 300MHz
- Memory: 64MB
- Graphics: full OpenGL compliant 3D accelerator
- Hard Drive: 600MB free hard disk space
- Sound: 100% Windows compatible sound card
Steam Price & Best Deals
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Basically, you just forget about the story and kill everything in front of you. You collect weapons and ammo in Ancient Egypt and kill whatever creatures you come across. That's pretty much the whole game. There’s no complicated story or mind-bending puzzles. The thing that makes the game fun is that you’re constantly in combat. At a time when FPS games were moving toward being more focused on story and atmosphere after Half-Life, Serious Sam does the exact opposite. It has a special place for people who like the old-school arcade FPS style of games like DOOM and Quake. I also find Serious Sam somewhat similar to Duke Nukem. Sam's personality, jokes, and general attitude constantly reminded me of Duke Nukem. As you progress through the levels, the number of enemies increases a lot. Especially after the Dunes level, the game really starts to speed up and the fights become much more chaotic. In open areas, you suddenly find yourself dealing with dozens, sometimes even hundreds of enemies. The enemy AI isn't as advanced as in modern games, but that's not really the point of the game. Each enemy has its own type of attack. Kleer Skeletons throw chainballs at you from a distance and jump at you when they get close, while Sirian Werebulls simply charge straight at you and try to ram you. One of the most annoying enemies is the Kamikaze; it runs toward you while constantly screaming and blows itself up when it gets close enough. Having different enemies attacking at the same time makes the fights even more chaotic and forces you to keep moving. Co-op is also well designed for playing these huge battles with friends, but the online side is completely dead. I checked at different times and didn't see a single active player. The weapon variety is also pretty good. You start with the Schofield .45 and gradually move on to more powerful weapons. The Double Barrel Coach Gun is very effective at close range, while the XPML21 Rocket Launcher is great against large groups of enemies. Since you also need to manage your ammo, choosing the right weapon becomes important. Despite being released in 2001, the graphics still look pretty good. The large maps and open areas were quite impressive for their time. The fact that a huge boss like Ugh-Zan III is shown on such a massive scale during the finale is especially impressive and shows how technically successful the game was. Croteam managed to achieve this with its own Serious Engine despite having a limited budget. I had a lot of fun with the large battles and the way the game constantly keeps you moving. If you’re not looking for a complicated story or complex mechanics, Serious Sam’s pure arcade FPS experience is still very good even today. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys this type of game.
Play it on Serious, the way it was intended, and you realize that its purely about crowd control. You cant super shotgun or spam the BFG your way out of this like its DOOM. First few levels have a low level kill count that will make you confident that youve mastered the game until Metropolis and onwards where the devs were at their most sadomasochistic. No flamethrower or chainsaw or sniper or bomb too so its just you and your skill (side note i had no issues playing on modern hardware idk what ppl are on about)
I'm a very serious gamer. I take pride in playing only the most serious and strategic of games such as Call of Duty and Among Us. Serious Sam is like both of those games but with the seriousness turned up to 11. This is no baby game, it's only for the toughest of gamers who only play serious games with no jokes or baby stuff.
💣 Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter I decided to start with the classic version before moving on to the HD edition — I’ll leave that for later. The classic is the one I first experienced back in childhood, and I remember it very clearly. I had a childhood friend, and our families were close too, so we often spent time together. When we were visiting his family, I first saw Serious Sam on his computer. I even stayed overnight once, and we ended up playing the game almost all night long. We finished it surprisingly fast — I clearly remember how we took turns fighting the final boss. Those are very warm childhood memories that still come back to me whenever I think about this game. ⚔️Atmosphere & First Impressions Even today, the game still feels surprisingly atmospheric and not that old. It’s pleasant visually, pleasant in tone, pleasant in vibe. Yes, it’s old in body — but not in spirit. This isn’t some wildly unique gameplay concept. Games like DOOM, Quake, and Unreal already offered the same core idea: run, shoot, lots of enemies, lots of weapons. A timeless and foolproof formula. But Serious Sam adds something extra — a very simple, yet cool sense of lore and identity. It perfectly captures that late 90s / early 2000s energy: a charismatic, unstoppable action hero destroying aliens with style, confidence, and cheesy one-liners. Sometimes even jokes like “It’s not the size, it’s how you use it” (yes, the final boss). 🗺️ Setting & Level Design The setting is Ancient Egypt, and honestly… I feel like I’ve already been there — does that count as traveling? 😄 Pyramids, temples, statues, obelisks, hieroglyphs, deserts — everything looks bright, colorful, and alive. It’s very visually appealing. The levels are technically corridor-based, but very wide and massive corridors. The scale is huge — sometimes even grandiose — although not all of that space is fully utilized. You’ll constantly see: • temples and ancient buildings • statues and ruins • pyramids in the distance • deserts, catacombs, underground corridors Special mention to the skyboxes: sunny maps, sunsets, night skies full of stars — they still look great, especially considering this is a 2001 game. 🎬 Story (Simple but Effective) There is a story, very minimal, set in the far future — with a big twist: Serious Sam Stone travels back in time to defeat alien hordes and save Earth. That’s it. Simple. Effective. 🧟♂️ Enemies — The Soul of the Game Enemies deserve a section of their own. • Headless soldiers with various guns • The iconic screaming suicide bomber (the true symbol of Serious Sam) • Charging bulls you dodge like a matador • Skeletal dogs (or whatever those things are) • Harpies, scorpions • Walking dinosaur-like monsters with lasers and rockets • Strange four-legged creatures I later saw something similar to in Ben 10 and even Mortal Kombat You will never be bored. 🔫 Weapons Plenty of weapons: • Shotguns • Miniguns • Rocket launchers • Grenade launchers • Laser weapons • And my personal favorite — the mortar Pure chaos, pure fun. 💥Difficulty & Gameplay Feel On higher difficulties, the game becomes a real challenge. Honestly, it turns into a save/load simulator — but that was pretty standard for shooters of that era. Still, the combat loop is incredibly satisfying. 👥 Multiplayer & Extras • There is multiplayer • Even split-screen on one screen (on PC!) How practical that is — questionable. But it exists. We tried it back in the day… not for very long 😅 🎵 Sound & Music Rock music accompanies the carnage. It’s not super memorable, but it fits the tone and does its job. ✅ Pros: ✔ Timeless, fast-paced classic shooter gameplay ✔ Huge enemy variety with iconic designs ✔ Massive, memorable Egypt-themed levels ✔ Still atmospheric even today ✔ Charismatic main character ✔ Tons of weapons and pure chaos ✔ Legendary cult status ❌ Cons: ➖ Gameplay doesn’t evolve much — pure run-and-gun ➖ Large spaces sometimes feel underused ➖ Difficulty relies heavily on saving/loading ➖ Story is extremely simple 📝 Conclusion Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is more than just a game — it’s a cult phenomenon. It represents an entire era of shooters: loud, fast, unapologetically over-the-top, and fun. It may be old, but it still plays well, still feels good, and still delivers exactly what it promises: pure action and nostalgia. For me, this first entry will always be special. Like first love — you never forget it. ⭐ Rating: 8.5 / 10 Why so: • It's not a perfect game from a modern game design perspective • But as a 2001 classic, with the vibe, charisma, scale and recognizability — it still works • Plus a strong nostalgia and "pure fan" factor 🎮 Fun Facts: • Released in 2001, during the golden age of classic shooters • Developed by Croteam, a Croatian studio • The screaming suicide bomber became one of the most iconic enemies in gaming • The game supports split-screen multiplayer on PC, which was very rare • Serious Sam became a cult figure comparable to Doomguy • Later HD versions reworked visuals, but many fans still prefer the classic • The Egypt setting was chosen to maximize open-space combat • Multiplayer sniper duels were surprisingly popular back in the day
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Frequently Asked Questions
Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is currently priced at 5.89€ on Steam.
No, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 5.89€ on Steam.
Yes, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter received 3,008 positive votes out of a total of 3,133 achieving an impressive rating of 9.19.
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Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter was developed by Croteam and published by Devolver Digital.
Yes, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is playable and fully supported on Windows.
No, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is not playable on MacOS.
No, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is not playable on Linux.
No, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is not playable on Steam Deck.
This information about Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is not available yet.
No, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter does not support VR.
Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter offers both single-player and multi-player modes.
Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter offers both Co-op and PvP modes.
No, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter does not currently offer any DLC.
No, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Yes, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter supports Remote Play Together. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.
Yes, Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter.
Data sources
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 15 September 2026 09:30 UTC |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 18 September 2026 18:17 UTC |
| Steam price | 30 September 2026 11:03 UTC |
| Steam reviews | 24 September 2026 13:49 UTC |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Serious Sam Classic: The First Encounter compatibility
Game modes
Multiplayer
Features
Online players
14
Developer
Croteam
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Release
30 Aug 2019
Platforms
Remote Play