The most popular shareware games

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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The Aethra Chronicles

DOS19943.9/5

The Aethra Chronicles is not a well know fantasy RPG, but it deserves some praise. It was developed by only one person (Micheal Lawrence) and, as the title implies, was intended to be the first volume of a saga. Unfortunately, volume two and three were never made. For a shareware game, Aethra was pretty solid and is still loved by the ones who play...

Return to Kroz

DOS1990freeware3.1/5 Apogee Software

Blades of Exile

Windows 3.xMac OSWindows XP/98/951997freeware4.1/5 Spiderweb Software

Hugo 3: Jungle of Doom

DOS1992protected3.8/5 Gray Design Associates

Scorched Earth

DOS1991protected4/5

Xatax

DOS19944/5 Pixel Painters Corporation

Bolo Ball

DOS19923.3/5 Soleau Software

Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine

DOS1991protected4/5 id software

Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine is a science fiction action oriented platform game designed by Tom Hall, developed by id Software and released by Apogee Software in 1991 for DOS only. Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine is part of the Commander Keen game series, specifically it's the second episode of Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy.

Commander Keen 2: The Earth Explodes

DOS1990protected4/5 id software

Mission: Mainframe

DOS19873.9/5

Beyond the Titanic

DOS19863.8/5 Apogee Software

Dark Designs 2: Closing the Gate

DOS19904/5 Softdisk Publishing

LineWars

DOS19904/5 Safari Software

Ack-Ack Attack!

DOS1995remake4.2/5 PLBM Games

Hugo 2: Whodunit?

DOS1991protecteddemo3.5/5 Gray Design Associates

Hugo 2: Whodunit? is an old school graphic adventure game designed by David P. Gray, developed by Gray Design Associates and released in 1991 for MS-DOS only. Hugo 2: Whodunit? is the second installment of the Hugo game series.