The most popular text-based games

In the past, lots of games used ASCII characters (text) to represent the game world. These text-only video games may seem primitive and outdated and, in fact, the genre almost died with the fast evolving graphics of modern games.
A few genres traditionally linked to the beautiful world of ascii characters still survives: roguelikes (nethack, angband, etc.) and interactive fiction, for example.

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Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur

DOS19894/5 Infocom

Ascii Sector

WindowsLinuxDOS2007freeware3.9/5

Uplink: Hacker Elite

Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS2001protected4/5 Introversion Software Limited

Uplink is a computer hacking simulation game released in 2001 by Introversion Software. The game allows players to take on the role of a hacker for hire and engage in various hacking activities.In Uplink, players perform tasks such as hacking into systems, stealing data, and covering their tracks. The game features a realistic representation of hac...

Questprobe featuring The Hulk

DOS19843.9/5 Adventure International

Trinity

DOS19864.1/5 Infocom

EGA Trek

DOS1988remake3.3/5

NewsMaster

DOS19863.6/5

Myth

DOS19894.1/5 Magnetic Scrolls

Wishbringer

DOS19853.7/5 Infocom

IBM Assistant 2.0

DOS19864.1/5 IBM

Monopoly (Adam Stevens)

DOS19983.9/5

1893: A World's Fair Mystery

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS20033.6/5

1893: A World's Fair Mystery is an interactive fiction game developed by the American studio Illuminated Lantern and released in 2002. Set during the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the game combines historical fiction with mystery-solving gameplay.In 1893: A World's Fair Mystery, players take on the role of a detective investigating ...

Amulet of Yendor

DOS19853.6/5 Keypunch Software

Bank Streek Writer Plus

DOS19863/5

TomeNET

Windows XP/98/95Linux2003freeware4.3/5

Moonmist

DOS19863.8/5 Infocom

Time and Magik: The Trilogy

DOS19884.1/5 Level 9 Computing

Demon's Tomb: The Awakening

DOS19893.3/5 Silhouette Software

Classic Hangman

DOS19833.6/5 Norland Software

James Bond 007: A View to a Kill

DOS19853.9/5 Angelsoft

Kingdom of Kroz

DOS1988freeware3.7/5 Apogee Software

Star Trek: First Contact

DOS19883.6/5 Simon & Schuster Interactive

Football Fanatic

DOS1998freeware4/5

Plundered Hearts

DOSMac OS19873.9/5 Infocom

Rules of Engagement 2

DOS19933.9/5 Omnitrend Software

Borland Reflex 2.0

DOS19863.7/5 Borland Software Corporation

Borland Reflex was a relational database management system (RDBMS) developed by Borland International, a software company that was prominent in the 1980s and 1990s. Reflex was released in the mid-1980s as a graphical database software primarily targeted at business and professional users.