390TB video game archive being taken offline due to skyrocketing RAM, SSD, and hard drive prices — AI-driven supply squeeze results in closure of one of the largest online video game archives

Source: Tom’s Hardware

Image credit: Shutterstock

Myrient shutdown announcement

Myrient, one of the largest online video‑game archives, has announced that it will shut down on 31 March 2026. The decision was posted on the archive’s official Telegram page.

Reasons for closure

• Insufficient funding – donations are not keeping pace with hosting costs.
• Rising operational expenses – the creator reports paying more than $6,000 per month out of pocket, a level that is not sustainable.
• Abusive download managers – users were bypassing donation messages, evading built‑in download protections, and adding paywalls, which directly violated Myrient’s policy against commercial use.

The creator emphasized that “the use of Myrient for commercial, for‑profit purposes has always been strictly forbidden. Such egregious and abusive usage of the site cannot be tolerated anymore.”

What happens next

• Download window – Users have until the end of March 2026 to download the archive’s contents. With an estimated 390 TB of data, this will require substantial storage capacity and a fast internet connection.
• Community continuity – The site’s Discord server and Telegram channel will remain active, providing a space for gamers and preservationists to discuss and coordinate future preservation efforts.
• Future prospects – While the archive’s massive collection will need significant funding to be revived, the continued community presence offers hope that it may be restored under new sponsorship.