The most popular fixed screen 2D games

In a fixed-screen 2D game, the gameplay is confined to a single screen with no vertical or horizontal scrolling. The screen remains static, and the overall gameplay occurs within the boundaries of this fixed screen.
Fixed-screen games were common in the early days of video gaming, especially in arcade games. This design was largely due to technical limitations of early hardware, which made scrolling more difficult to implement. As a result, many early arcade classics, such as Pac-Man or Space Invaders, relied on fixed-screen mechanics.

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Tetris (Academysoft)

DOS1996 AcademySoft

Air Trax

DOS1983

Ah yes, Air Trax from 1983 - a game where “flight” is more of a philosophical concept. It’s clunky, it's slow, and it looks like it was coded in someone’s garage (because it probably was). But there’s charm in this pixelated mess. You guide your plane through narrow gaps while wondering why gravity has such a personal ...

Crazy Nick's Leisure Suit Larry Casino

DOS1992 Sierra On-Line

World Karate Championship

DOS1986 System 3

Acid Tetris

DOS1998freewareremake

If you ever looked at regular Tetris and thought, “What this really needs is eye-melting colors and a possible migraine,” then Acid Tetris (1998, DOS) is your jam. It’s the classic block-dropper, now with a palette that screams “I licked a glow stick at a rave.” Gameplay is mostly the same, but the visuals turn every l...

Aldo Again

DOS1989remake

Aldo Again (1989) is the platformer that dares to say, “Hey, what if Donkey Kong but with 100% more confusion?” You play as Aldo, a mustachioed man of mystery (and questionable balance) who’s trying to climb platforms, dodge hazards, and maybe figure out why he’s doing any of this. The graphics are primitive, the physics are...

Electranoid

DOS1995 Pixel Painters Corporation

Armada 2525

DOS1991

Armada 2525 is what happens when a spreadsheet decides it wants to conquer the galaxy. This is classic 4X strategy with all the bells, whistles, and menus your early '90s heart could desire. You’ll build colonies, research tech, and expand across star systems while trying to remember which of your 300 planets is building what. The AI is about...

Galactix

DOS1992 Cygnus Studios

Bolo Ball

DOS1992 Soleau Software

Bolo Ball is a DOS game from the mid-1990s. It features a physics-based gameplay where the objective is to knock opponent balls out of an arena. When you start the game, you find yourself in a 2D arena set against a starry, space-like background. You control a colorful ball, which, despite being a 2D sprite, appears somewhat three-dimensional due t...

Paganitzu

DOS1991protected Apogee Software

Paganitzu is a classic puzzle-adventure game released in 1991 by Apogee Software. Set in an ancient pyramid, the game follows the exploits of its protagonist, Alabama Smith, who must navigate through a series of increasingly complex rooms filled with traps, puzzles, and enemies. The game is divided into three episodes, each one unraveling more of t...

The all new Family Feud

DOS1989 Softie

The Astronomy Quiz

DOS1988 Softdisk Publishing

BurgerTime

DOS1982 Data East

Ah, BurgerTime. The game that asked the important question: what if we made a platformer about a tiny chef assembling giant burgers while being chased by sentient hot dogs? You guide Peter Pepper through condiment-themed nightmares, squashing enemies with falling buns and praying you don’t get cornered by a homicidal pickle. It's frantic, biz...

4 Queens Computer Casino

DOS1992 Applications Plus

This 1992 casino sim for DOS drops you into the neon-soaked carpet jungle of the Four Queens Hotel in Vegas. There’s no plot, no hero’s journey - just you, a digital bankroll, and the cold, soulless eyes of the slot machine. Blackjack, roulette, and video poker await as you attempt to cheat fate without cheating the game. The graphics a...

Caesars Palace

DOS1989 Virgin Interactive

Yie Ar Kung Fu

DOS1985 Konami

Death Sword

DOS1988 Palace Software

Death Sword (also known as Barbarian in Europe), is a fighting game developed by Palace Software, set in a fantasy world full of huge sword-wielding barbarians. Compared to modern brawlers, Death Sword gameplay may seem slow, but at the time it was considered adequate. Instead of rushing into multiple chain combos, the slow pace allow the players t...

Jetpack: Christmas Special

DOS1993

Super Stardust

DOS1996 Housemarque

Novatron

DOS1982 Verisoft

Aaargh

DOS1988 Binary Design

Aaargh (1988) is exactly what you’ll scream as your giant monster stomps through cities with all the grace of a drunk kaiju. On DOS, this arcade-ish game lets you smash stuff, roast villagers, and battle other monsters in duels that feel like two rubber suits colliding. It’s dumb, loud, and charmingly awful — the kind of game you&...