Abandonware DOS title

The most popular grid-based movement games

Grid-based movement in video games refers to a movement system where characters or objects can only move along a predefined grid or set of discrete positions. The game world is divided into a grid, composed of squares or tiles, and the movement is typically restricted to the cardinal directions (up, down, left, and right).

Grid-based movement has been widely used in various types of games, including turn-based strategy games, role-playing games (RPGs), and tactical games. This movement system allows for precise positioning and strategic planning, as the player must consider the grid layout and plan their movements accordingly.
One of the advantages of grid-based movement is that it simplifies navigation and collision detection, as the game engine can easily determine valid movement paths and detect collisions with other objects on the grid.

hardnova-9

Hard Nova

DOS19903.7/5 Malibu Interactive
magiccandle3-5

The Magic Candle 3

DOS19923.9/5 Mindcraft Software
wasteland-1

Wasteland

DOS1988protected3.9/5 Interplay Productions
mordor-dephts-dejanol-07

Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol

Windows 3.x1995protected4/5
Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol is fantasy RPG game released in 1995 for Windows 3.x, but it runs flawlessy even Windows XP (see this faq if you want to play Mordor in a virtual machine). Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol is a mix of first-person and top-down perspective dungeon crawler; the game shows the dungeon in by both perspectives at onc...
buckcountdown-04

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday

DOS1990protected4.2/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
secret-silver-blades-03

Secret of the Silver Blades

DOSMac OS1990protected4.1/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Secret of the Silver Blades is a fantasy RPG set in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons universe, developed and released by SSI Strategic Simulations Inc. in 1990 for DOS, Macintosh, Amiga and Commodore 64 systems. Secret of the Silver Blades is part of the Pool of Radiance series and uses the same "GoldBox" engine with isometric turn-based combat ...
legendsilvertalisman-1

Legend of the Silver Talisman

DOS1996freeware3.9/5 Inter-Active Arts
nethack-falcon-eye-02

NetHack - Falcon's Eye

Windows XP/98/952001freeware3.8/5
dungeon-crawl-dos-03

Dungeon Crawl

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1997freeware4/5
Dungeon Crawl (also known as Linley's Dungeon Crawl from the name of the original programmer: Linley Henzell) is a classic roguelike: an RPG with permadeath, procedural generation and high replayability. Dungeon Crawl was released on 1997 but it's not maintained anymore. The spiritual successr of Crawl is DCCS (Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup).
magiccandle-1

The Magic Candle

DOS19894/5 Mindcraft Software
The Magic Candle: Volume 1 is the first chapter of a series of fantasy old school RPGs. The Magic Candle was developed and released by Mindcraft Software in 1989 for DOS but was also published for Apple II and Commodore 64. The whole Magic Candle series is very similar to some of the early Ultima games in every aspect: turn-based combat, top-down v...
mm-world-of-xeen-06

Might and Magic: World of Xeen

DOSMac OS1994protecteddemo4/5 New World Computing
Might and Magic: World of Xeen is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) released in 1994, which is a combination of two games: Clouds of Xeen and Darkside of Xeen. These games were part of the Might and Magic series, a franchise of RPGs developed by New World Computing. World of Xeen represents the merging of these two games into a single, interconnect...
poolradiance-5

Pool of Radiance

DOSMac OS1988protected4.1/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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Realms of Arkania 1: Blade of destiny

DOS1992protected4.1/5 Attic Entertainment Software
deathknightskrynn-1

Death Knights of Krynn

DOS1991protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
timesoflore-4

Times of Lore

DOS19894.1/5 Origin Systems
Times of Lore is an abandoned action RPG designed by Chris Roberts, developed and released by Origin Systems in 1989 for DOS and many more 8 bit and 16 bit platforms. Compared to Ultima (the much more popular franchise also by Origin) Times of Lore is a washed down RPG, more similar to a NES game. In fact, Roberts was inspired by The Legend of Zelda.
circuitsedge-2

Circuit's Edge

DOS19904.1/5 Westwood Studios
Circuit's Edge is a cyberpunk-themed role-playing game developed by Westwood Associates and published by Infocom. It was released in 1990 for various platforms including DOS, Amiga, and Commodore 64.Set in a dystopian future, Circuit's Edge takes place in the fictional city of Rhoes Island, a dark and gritty urban landscape filled with crime, corru...
dragon-wars-08

Dragon Wars

DOS1990protected3.7/5 Interplay Productions
bardstale2-3

The Bard's Tale 2: The Destiny Knight

DOS19884/5 Interplay Productions
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Dark Queen of Krynn

DOS1992protected4.1/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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Hired Guns

DOS19934.1/5 DMA Design
Hired Guns is an abandoned game developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in 1993 for DOS and Amiga platforms. Hired Guns is a sci-fi RPG in which you control four mercenaries in four individual simultaneous first person sub-screens tasked with destroying all the bad guys from a single planet.
thelegacy-5

The Legacy: Realm of Terror

DOSLinuxMac OS1993protected3.9/5 Magnetic Scrolls
The Legacy: Realm of Terror is a first-person view survival horror RPG set in the modern world, in a haunted house. The Legacy was developed by Magnetic Scrolls and published by MicroProse Software in 1993.
unreal-world-roguelike-09

UnReal World v. 3.20

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1992freeware4.1/5
angband-03

Angband

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1992freeware4/5
bloodwych-4

Bloodwych

DOS19893.8/5
Bloodwych is an abandoned RPG set in the fantasy world of Trazere. Two players can play at the same time in split screen mode, a feature that was unusual at the time, especially for an RPG. Bloodwych was released in 1989 by Image Works for DOS, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, ZX Spectrum.
stonekeep-02

Stonekeep

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1995protected4/5 Interplay Productions
Stonekeep is a first-person role-playing game (RPG) developed by Interplay Entertainment. It was released for MS-DOS in 1995 and later for other platforms such as Windows and Macintosh.The game is set in the fantasy world of Britannia, where the player takes on the role of a hero named Drake. The story revolves around the protagonist's quest to def...
neverwinternights-splash

Neverwinter Nights

DOS1991protected4/5 Beyond Software
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Ishar: Legend of the Fortress

DOS1992protected3.8/5 Silmarils
Ishar: Legend of the Fortress is a first-person grid-based RPG developed by Silmarils and released in 1992 for DOS, Amiga and Atari ST. Ishar: Legend of the Fortress is the second game, part of the Ishar game series (the first being Crystals of Arborea). Ishar is a classic RPG like Wizardry or Might & Magic and it plays the same way, but the en...
pools-of-darkness-06

Pools of Darkness

DOSMac OS1991protected4.2/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Pools of Darkness is a computer role-playing game (CRPG) developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). It is the fourth entry in the "Gold Box" series of Dungeons & Dragons games, which are based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) ruleset. The game was released in 1991 for MS-DOS and later ported to other platform...
treasuresfrontier-1

Treasures of the Savage Frontier

DOS1992protected4.1/5 Stormfront Studios