Do I need to play Myst before Riven to understand what is going on, or can I get away with just getting Riven?

Part of my hesitation with Myst is because I am running Win7 x64, and at this time it looks like it's not compatible. I would really like to start playing the Myst series and it's my understanding Riven is one of the best in the series.

Riven starts like right after Myst ends. You may be able to get into Riven first, but the story and setting probably won't make as much sense unless you have.

I'd recommend Myst before Riven if you can get it running. I have a Win7 X64 system, and RealMyst didn't work for me, but I haven't checked the thread for the latest workaround, so have a look at what the community has figured out. the reason I would still advise playing Myst first is anecdotal: I played it for the first time when it was released in the early 1990s, and the impact its combination of story and puzzles had on me made me a gamer for life. Can you play Riven without Myst and get it? Yes, sort of. But it's better the other way around. Good luck!

Riven is definitely the best of the series. Actually, Riven is the best game ever made, period!, but that's probably just me ;)

If you plan to do the whole series, games (and maybe the books), then yes, you should probably start with MME (or realMyst), although playing Riven first won't ruin things for you since after playing both, regardless of order, you'll have a pretty good idea on how events from both games fit in the timeline.

MME worked for me without any issues on W7 64 bit, but some folks have had trouble with it, so i guess it's up to you if you're willing to give it a shot.

The order of playthrough is:

MYST
Riven
Exile
Revelation
End of Ages.

The plot of Myst 1 sets the stage for all events that follow, save Riven. I would still tell you to play MYST first.

I prefer MYST IV over Riven, though Riven is awesome.

There is a reason the full title is "Riven: The Sequel to Myst". If it came before, it would be "The Prequel to Myst"

I could never find Uru so I didn't include it.

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It's right here on GoG, and its multiplayer version is up at mystonline.com for free. I think it NEEDS to be included in the timeline, because playing EoA without playing Uru might leave you a bit confused and angry :)

That's exactly how I felt when I finished MYST V.

I bet everyone who's gone straight from Revelation to Myst V felt the same way. The storyline makes no sense without first playing Uru / MOULa.

The important thing to note is that Cyan didn't make Exile or Revelation. End of Ages is a sequel to Uru and you aren't playing Atrus's 'friend' from the first 4 games, you're playing as whoever you played in Uru. I'm not sure whether I'm misunderstanding what you're saying or not. It seems like you're saying Myst sets the stage for all events that follow apart from Riven? I would argue that the plot of Myst is more important to Riven than it is to Exile.

Myst Masterpiece runs fine on Win7 64 Bit :

Uninstall QuickTime
Install Quicktime 6.52
Run Myst using Windows XP SP2 Compatibility Settings.

greets