Top-down perspective sorted by release date

Top down games were very popular in the 80s and the 90s, when graphic cards were not capable of supporting 3D, and even when 3D started to become popular, 2D games continued to be easier to develop, at least in the infancy of 3D gaming. 2D game offered the player a viewpoint that helped keeping things easily under control (think about top down party-based RPGs or hex-based strategy games).

Most popular top down applications

Dune 2000

strategyWindows XP/98/95

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

strategyDOS

Grand Theft Auto

action-adventureDOS, Windows XP/98/95

Top down applications

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The Ancient Art of War at Sea

DOS19874.1/5 Evryware
The Civil War

DOS19873.3/5 Avalon Hill
The Hunt for Red October

DOSMac19874.1/5 Oxford Digital Enterprises
Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness

DOS19874.1/5 Origin Systems

This is the first of the very popular RPG saga Ultima. The setting is the land of Sosaria, the enemy to defeat is Mondain. It's a classic cRPG. The wilderness and cities are represented from a top down perspective, while dungeons can be explored in a first person 3d view.
Wizard's Crown

DOS1987protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
X-Fighter

DOS19873.1/5 Wordworks Software
2400 A.D.

DOS19884/5 Origin Systems
Airborne Ranger

DOS19884.3/5 MicroProse Software
Annals of Rome

DOS19883.8/5 Personal Software Services
Arnhem: The Market Garden Operation

DOS19882.8/5 Cases Computer Simulations
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception

DOS19884.1/5 Westwood Studios
Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 1

DOS19884/5 SSG Strategic Studies Group
Dolphin Boating Simulator

DOS19882.9/5 Dolphine marine systems
Dungeon of Shalan

DOS19883.5/5
Encyclopedia of War: Ancient Battles

DOS19882.8/5 Cases Computer Simulations
Evets

DOS1988freeware3.5/5 SAck Enterprizes
Feud

DOS19884/5 Binary Design
Fire Power

DOS19883.4/5 Silent Software
Firezone

DOS19883.1/5 Arcadia Systems
Ikari Warriors 2: Victory Road

DOS19883.6/5 SNK Corporation
Infiltrator 2

DOS19884.1/5 Chris Gray Enterprises
Kingdom of Kroz

DOS1988freeware3.7/5 Apogee Software
Knight Exchange

DOS19883.2/5 Softdisk Publishing
Legend of the Sword

DOS19884.1/5 Silicon Software
Mad Mix

DOS19884.2/5 Topo Soft
MicroProse Soccer

DOS1988protected4.3/5 Sensible Software

MicroProse Soccer is an abandoned action-oriented soccer game, developed by Sensible Software and released by MicroProse Software in 1988. The appeal of MicroProse Soccer was its simplicity and the smooth controls. In the United States it was known as Keith Van Eron's Pro Soccer.
Mini Putt

DOS19883.8/5 Artech Studios
Moraff's Revenge

DOS19883.8/5 Moraffware
Nebulus

DOS19884.1/5 Hewson Consultants

Nebulus, also known as Tower Toppler in some regions, is a classic video game released in the 1980s. It was developed by John M. Phillips and published by Hewson Consultants. The game was initially released for various home computer systems, including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, and others. It later saw ports to different platforms. Neb...
Nobunaga's Ambition

DOS19883.7/5 KOEI