Abandonware DOS title

The most popular top down games

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).
marble-cooking-05

Marble Cooking

DOS1994NSFW Negative
godofthunder-2

God of Thunder

DOSWindows XP/98/951993freeware Adept Software
God of Thunder is a classic computer game developed by Adept Software and released in 1993. It's a puzzle platformer with a fantasy theme. In the game, you control Thor, the Norse god of thunder, on a quest to save Midgard (Earth)...
solar-winds-2-02

Solar Winds 2: Galaxy

DOS1993 Stone Interactive Media
jamesbondlicence-3

007: License to Kill

DOS1989 Quixel
Before James Bond was saving the world with cinematic flair, he was crashing pixelated helicopters in 007: License to Kill. This top-down action game takes the movie and crams it into six bite-sized missions of explosions, awkward...
stargoose-1

Star Goose!

DOS1988 Logotron
Star Goose is a classic video game developed by Logotron and released in 1988 for various home computer systems of that era, including the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. It is a top-down, vertically scrolling shoo...
templeapshai-4

Temple of Apshai Trilogy

DOS1985 Epyx
The Temple of Apshai Trilogy is a series of classic role-playing games developed by Automated Simulations (later known as Epyx) in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These games were among the earliest examples of computer-based RPGs...
decisive-civil-war-2-08

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 2

DOS1989 SSG Strategic Studies Group
By 1989, SSI doubled down with Vol. 2, offering more battles, more maps, and the same demanding mechanics. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll feel right at home; if you didn’t, this won’t change your mind. The seri...
chess88-1

Chess88

DOS1984
With Chess88, you’re entering the elite club of DOS chess nerds who appreciate ASCII art and precision time controls. Compared to its 1981 predecessor, it’s a leap forward—kind of like going from a stone tablet t...
puzznic-2

Puzznic

DOS1990 Taito
Taito’s Puzznic (1990) takes the idea of matching tiles and injects a surprising amount of strategy. You slide blocks to align pairs, but each move requires forethought—or you’ll trap yourself faster than a Tetri...
hack-5

Hack

DOS1984freeware
psychopinball-splash

Psycho Pinball

DOS1995 Codemasters
Released in 1995, Psycho Pinball is what happens when traditional pinball eats too much sugar and loses its mind. It’s loud, colorful, and gleefully unhinged, with four distinct tables full of traps, ramps, and absurd bonuse...
alqadim-5

Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse

DOS1994protected Cyberlore studios
In Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse (1994), you’re not some grizzled barbarian or pointy-hatted wizard - no, you’re a noble corsair with charm, a sword, and a knack for getting into magical messes. This is Dungeons & Dr...
sim-earth-3

SimEarth

DOSWindows 3.x1990 Maxis
SimEarth is a simulation in which you can shape and mold a planet in almost every way you can imagine. In SimEarth our planet is simulated as a whole: life, climate, atmosphere are all aspects of a single Gaia-like Earth. SimEarth...
evets-5

Evets

DOS1988freeware SAck Enterprizes
antix-05

Antix

DOS1985remake
Antix (1985) is Snake, but with a death wish. Created by the same mad genius behind Tetris, this game takes the familiar snake-trail mechanic and cranks it to eleven. You’ve got to avoid walls, your own tail, and existential...
netstorm-02

NetStorm: Islands at War

Windows XP/98/951997
ultima7part2-9

Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle

DOS1993 Origin Systems
As sequels go, Serpent Isle is less “more of the same” and more “everything is different, good luck.” Shipwrecked on a strange new land, you’ll deal with political intrigue, bizarre magical phenomena,...
fleet-command-03

Fleet Command

DOS1999protected Sonalysts
ZAngband-02

ZAngband

Windows 10/11Mac OSDOSLinux1999freeware
Zangband is a variant of the popular roguelike game Angband. Zangband, short for Zelazny Angband, was developed by Chris Weisiger and first released in 1994. The game features a fantasy world with diverse races, classes, and ...
keen5-4

Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine

DOS1991protected id software
In Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine, Keen infiltrates a massive space station engineered to obliterate planets like it’s swatting flies. This is Keen at his most tech-savvy, with blinking lights, metallic corridors, ...
grandest-fleet-03

The Grandest Fleet

DOS1994 Quantum quality productions
pango-02

Pango

DOS1983remake
gauntlet-1-02

Gauntlet

DOS1986 Mindscape
In Gauntlet, four brave souls (or just you with an overworked space bar) hack, slash, and gobble food like medieval Pac-Men. This 1986 dungeon crawler is basically a family reunion gone wrong: everyone wants treasure, no one share...
pinball-illusions-02

Pinball Illusions

DOS1995 Digital Illusions
telengard-2

Telengard

DOS1985freeware Avalon Hill
Telengard is one of the earliest computer role-playing games, released in 1982 for various home computers like the Commodore 64, Apple II, and TRS-80 and later for PC. It was developed by Daniel Lawrence and was heavily inspired b...
bloodstone-2

Bloodstone: an Epic Dwarven Tale

DOS1993 Mindcraft Software
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a grumpy bearded guy swinging an axe and saving the world before second breakfast, Bloodstone: an Epic Dwarven Tale is your jam. Released in 1993 for DOS, this RPG tosses you into a world wher...
railroad-tycoon-deluxe-07

Railroad Tycoon Deluxe

DOS1993 MicroProse Software
spacecrusade-splash

Space Crusade

DOS1992 Gremlin Graphics / Gremlin Interactive
ultima2-08

Ultima 2: Revenge of the Enchantress

DOS1983 Origin Systems
Ultima 2 asks the pressing question: what if you mixed time travel with fantasy and a truly mean sorceress named Minax? The answer is chaos. You’ll bounce between eras—from prehistoric landscapes to futuristic space co...
billy-the-kid-01

Billy The Kid

DOS1990 Level 9 Computing
Saddle up, pardner. Billy The Kid puts you in the dusty boots of the infamous outlaw himself. This is the Wild West, DOS-style — pixel pistols, wanted posters, and dialogue that might make a cactus wince. Whether you’r...