Shareware: a business model
Shareware is a type of software distribution model that allows users to try a program before purchasing it. It's a marketing strategy and distribution method that was particularly popular in the early days of personal computing, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.
Shareware games were released for free with limited functionality (for example: no saving, missing levels, time limit), often via a BBS (Bulletin Board System), a floppy disc or a CD included in a printed magazine or by direct download (when internet was in its infancy). If the user liked the shareware product, they could pay to obtain an upgrade and unlock the full game. When digital distribution started to become popular, shareware games slowly faded into oblivion.
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Mission: Mainframe
DOS19873.9/5
Monopoly
DOS19853.9/5
Monster Bash
DOS1993protected3.3/5 Apogee Software
Monuments of Mars
DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac1991freeware3.3/5 Scenerio Software
Moraff's Dungeon of the Unforgiven
DOS19933.9/5 Moraffware
Moraff's Revenge
DOS19883.7/5 Moraffware
Moraff's World
DOS19913.5/5 Moraffware
Night Raid
DOS1992remake3.8/5 Argo Games
One Must Fall 2097
DOS1994freeware4.1/5 Diversions Entertainment
One-Nil Soccer Manager
DOS19923.9/5 New Era Software
One-Nil Soccer Manager is a text-based soccer management simulation game that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was developed for various home computer systems, including DOS, Commodore 64 and Amiga. In One-Nil Soccer Manager, players take on the role of a soccer team manager, making strategic decisions to guide their team to s...
Othello
DOS19864.1/5
OverKill
DOS1992freeware3.9/5 Tech-Noir
Pharaoh's Tomb
DOS19904.1/5 Micro F/X Software
Quake
DOSWindows XP/98/951996protecteddemo4.2/5 id software
Quake is a first-person shooter (FPS) video game developed by id Software and released in 1996. It is the successor to id Software's immensely popular "Doom" series and is known for its groundbreaking 3D graphics, fast-paced gameplay, and multiplayer capabilities. The game was created by a team led by John Carmack and John Romero, two of the co-fou...
Radix: Beyond the Void
DOS19954.1/5
Raptor: Call of the Shadows
DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac1994protecteddemo4.1/5 Cygnus Studios
Raptor: Call of the Shadows is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Cygnus Studios and published by Apogee Software. The game was first released in 1994 for MS-DOS and later ported to other platforms. In Raptor, players control a fighter jet through various levels filled with enemy aircraft, ground targets, power-ups and boss...
Realms of Chaos
DOSMacLinux1995protected4/5 Apogee Software
Reaping The Dungeon
DOS19934/5 Frontline Software
Redhook's Revenge
DOS19933.3/5 ImagiSoft
Return to Kroz
DOS1990freeware3.1/5 Apogee Software
Rise of the Triad: Dark War
DOS1994protected3.9/5 Apogee Software
Robotron 2084
DOS19833.9/5 Williams Entertainment
Rockstar!
DOS19894/5 Wizard Games
Round 42
DOS19862.7/5
Sango Fighter
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1993freeware3.5/5 Panda Entertainment Technology Co.
Scorched Earth
DOS1991protected4/5
Secret Agent
DOS1992protected3.9/5 Apogee Software
Secret Agent: The Escape
DOS19963.8/5 PhreAk Software
Seek and Destroy
DOS19964.2/5 Safari Software
Seek and Destroy was a shoot'em up published by the well known Epic Megagames in 1996 that tried to change the usual shoot'em up gameplay for the better. Instead of wave after wave of enemies to shoot down, you are given short missions to accomplish with your helicopter or your tank (yes, you can choose). At first, missions could seem a bit repetit...
Shadow Warrior
DOS1997protected3.9/5 3d Realms