The best abandonware action games
Action video games are a genre of video games that emphasize physical challenges, hand-eye coordination, and reaction time. These games typically involve fast-paced gameplay, where players control a character who must navigate through a dynamic environment filled with obstacles, enemies, and other challenges. The primary focus is on the player's ability to react quickly and make split-second decisions.
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Budokan: the Martial Spirit
DOS1989 fighting
Ah, Budokan, the game where patience and discipline meet awkwardly slow combat and the occasional flying kick. You play as a martial arts student training in various dojos, culminating in a tournament that’s less Enter the D...
Paperboy 2
DOS1991
Paperboy 2 is the sequel to the much acclaimed coin-op arcade hit Paperboy in which you have to deliver newspapers to subscribers while avoiding every kind of obstacle. Paperboy 2 is an isometric action game developed by Tengen an...
Time Slaughter
DOS1996freeware fighting
Cap Man
Windows XP/98/951999 maze
Magic Pockets
DOS1992 platform
Magic Pockets is a platform game developed by The Bitmap Brothers and published by Renegade Software. It was released in 1991 for the Atari ST, Amiga, and MS-DOS platforms. In Magic Pockets, players control a character known ...
Metal Mutant
DOS1991 platform
Bubble Ghost
DOS1988 maze
Your uncle is dead, but his ghost can still blow out candles. That’s the premise. Bubble Ghost is a quirky physics puzzler where you guide a delicate bubble through haunted rooms by gently blowing on it—yes, literally ...
Prehistorik
DOS1991protected platform
J-Bird
DOS1983remake
ZZT
DOS1991freeware maze, action puzzle
ZZT (1991, DOS) looks like it was drawn by an enthusiastic ASCII artist with too much time and not enough colors. And yet, it’s brilliant. Part action game, part puzzle adventure, part game creation tool, ZZT is the reason s...
Captain Dynamo
DOS1993 platform
Gauntlet
DOS1986 maze, dungeon crawl
Ultra Mortal Kombat Vendetta
Windows XP/98/952001freeware fighting
Iron Blood
DOS1996 platform
Mageslayer
Windows XP/98/951997 maze
Mageslayer is an action game developed by Raven Software and published by GT Interactive in 1997 for MS-DOS. It stands out as a top-down, hack-and-slash dungeon crawler inspired by games like Gauntlet, but with an original fantasy...
Primal Rage
DOS1995 fighting
Mortal Kombat 3
DOS1995protected fighting
Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting action game developed by Midway Manufacturing Company and released by GT Interactive Software in 1995 for DOS and Windows as well as for many other platforms. Mortal Kombat 3 is the third chapter of t...
Super Mario Fusion: Revival
Windows 10/112011freewareremake platform
Super Mario Fusion: Revival is a freeware fan-made game project that aims to combine elements from various classic video games, primarily the Super Mario series and the Sonic the Hedgehog series, into a single game. It's esse...
Bad Dudes VS Dragon Ninja
DOS1988protected beat 'em up
Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the president? If that line doesn’t make you want to punch a ninja through a hotdog stand, nothing will. Bad Dudes VS Dragon Ninja is peak 80s: mullets, muscles, and more side-scrolling be...
World Karate Championship
DOS1986 fighting
Commander Keen 4: Secret of the Oracle
DOS1991protected platform
Pyramids of Egypt
DOS1989 maze
Super Solvers: Challenge of the Ancient Empires
DOS1990 platform, reveal the picture
Duck Tales: The Quest for Gold
DOS1990 platform
Mario and Luigi
DOS2001remake platform
Tristan Pinball
DOS1991 pinball
Risky Woods
DOS1992protected platform
Arkanoid
DOS1988 block breaker, action puzzle
Arkanoid is a classic arcade video game that was first released in 1986 by Taito. It is a breakout-style game, which means that the primary objective is to break a wall of bricks or blocks by bouncing a ball off a paddle at the bo...
The Great Giana Sisters
DOS1987remake platform
The Great Giana Sisters is a platform video game developed by Time Warp Productions and published by Rainbow Arts. It was originally released in 1987 for the Commodore 64 and other platforms, and later unofficially ported to MS-DO...
Nicky Boom
DOS1992 platform