Top-down perspective sorted by release date

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).

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Kingdom of Kroz

DOS1988freeware3.7/5 Apogee Software

Knight Exchange

DOS19883.2/5 Softdisk Publishing

Legend of the Sword

DOS19884/5 Silicon Software

Mad Mix

DOS19884.3/5 Topo Soft

MicroProse Soccer

DOS1988protected4.2/5 Sensible Software

MicroProse Soccer is an abandoned action-oriented soccer game, developed by Sensible Software and released by MicroProse Software in 1988. The appeal of MicroProse Soccer was its simplicity and the smooth controls. In the United States it was known as Keith Van Eron's Pro Soccer.

Mini Putt

DOS19883.8/5 Artech Studios

Moraff's Revenge

DOS19883.7/5 Moraffware

Nebulus

DOS19884.1/5 Hewson Consultants

Nebulus, also known as Tower Toppler in some regions, is a classic video game released in the 1980s. It was developed by John M. Phillips and published by Hewson Consultants. The game was initially released for various home computer systems, including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, and others. It later saw ports to different platforms. Neb...

Nobunaga's Ambition

DOS19883.7/5 KOEI

Omega

DOSLinux1988freeware3.8/5

Questron 2

DOS1988protected3.8/5 Westwood Studios

Rack 'em

DOS19883.5/5 Artech Studios

Rambo 3

DOS19883.6/5 Ocean Software

Rambo III is an action video game based on the 1988 action film of the same name, featuring the iconic character John Rambo, portrayed by Sylvester Stallone. The game was developed and published by various companies for different platforms, including Sega for its consoles and Ocean Software for home computers. The game follows the plot of the ...

Scavengers of the Mutant World

DOS19883.9/5 Interstel Corporation

Skate or Die

DOS19884.3/5 Electronic Arts

Skate or Die is an abandoned sports game, developed and released by Electronic Arts in 1988 for DOS and a number of other platforms. Skate or Die is a multi-sport kind of game, including every kind of unconventional "sport" done on skateboard. A sequel, Ski or Die, was released an year later.

Speedball

DOS19884.2/5 Bitmap Brothers

Star Command

DOS1988protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Star Goose!

DOS19884.1/5 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 shooter that combines elements of shoot 'em up gameplay with exploration and power-up mechanics.

Super Battleship

DOS19883.3/5

Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny

DOS19884.1/5 Origin Systems

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny is a role-playing video game developed and published by Origin Systems in 1988. It is the fifth installment in the highly influential Ultima series, created by Richard Garriott. Initially released for the Apple II and Commodore 64, it was later ported to DOS, Atari ST, Amiga, and other platforms. The story pi...

Uridium

DOS19883.9/5 Graftgold

Uridium is a classic shoot 'em up video game that was originally developed by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson Consultants in 1986 for various home computer platforms (including MS-DOS). In Uridium, players control a spaceship known as the Manta, and the objective is to destroy a series of enemy spacecraft, as well as ground-based inst...

Visions of the Aftermath: The Boomtown

DOS19883.3/5 Mindscape

Visions of the Aftermath: The Boomtown is an abandoned simulation game with role-playing elements developed by Mindscape and released in 1988 exclusively for DOS. Visions of the Aftermath is one of the few early examples of games involving survival in a post-apocalyptic environment.

Vulcan: The Tunisian Campaign

DOS19883.8/5 Cases Computer Simulations

Xenon

DOS19883.9/5 Bitmap Brothers

Xenon, released in 1988, was a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by The Bitmap Brothers. Xenon was initially released for the Commodore 64, and later, it was ported to other platforms, including DOS, the ZX Spectrum and Amiga.In Xenon, players control a futuristic tank-like craft and navigate through levels filled with enemy ve...