Abandonware DOS title

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.

shadow-warrior-1

Shadow Warrior

DOS1997protected 3d Realms
line-wars-02

LineWars

DOS1990 Safari Software
monuments-of-mars-02

Monuments of Mars

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1991freeware Scenerio Software
Monuments of Mars (1991) is one of those puzzle-platformers where patience is less a virtue and more a survival tool. You’re stranded on Mars, exploring alien ruins filled wi...
paganitzu-03

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 mu...
monopoly-04

Monopoly

DOS1985
legend-of-the-red-dragon-04

Legend of the Red Dragon

DOS1989 Robinson Technologies
Legend of the Red Dragon (1989) isn’t so much a traditional game as it is a slice of online history. This BBS door game allowed players to log in, fight monsters, flirt with ...
bass-tour-01

Bass Tour

DOS1992
Think of Bass Tour (1992) as the road trip version of virtual fishing. More simulation than arcade, it lets you travel, pick locations, study conditions, and obsess over bait types...
rockstar-splash

Rockstar!

DOS1989 Wizard Games
aspetra-jrpg-02

Aspetra

DOS1996
Welcome to Aspetra, a 1996 DOS game that tried to cram an epic sci-fi RPG into your beige box PC — and mostly succeeded! Think “Star Trek meets budget constraints.&rdqu...
beyond-titanic-01

Beyond the Titanic

DOS1986 Apogee Software
Before Titanic was a movie with a lot of weeping, there was Beyond the Titanic, a text adventure where surviving the iceberg is just the beginning. The game takes the historic disa...
the-big-three-03

The Big Three

DOS1989 SDJ Enterprises
dungeonkroz-splash

Dungeons of Kroz

DOS1989freeware Apogee Software
Ah, Dungeons of Kroz, the glorious mess of ASCII characters that somehow became addictive. Created by Apogee in 1989, it’s a fast-paced dungeon adventure where every symbol m...
meteor-mission-1

Meteor Mission

DOS1995
dungeons-of-kairn-02

Dungeons of Kairn

DOS1989
If Dungeons of Kairn were a person, it’d be that quiet D&D player who never smiles and always plays lawful evil. Released in 1989, this obscure DOS crawler delivers all t...
moraffrevenge-2

Moraff's Revenge

DOS1988 Moraffware
tubular-worlds-04

Tubular Worlds

DOS1994
druglord-01

Druglord

DOS1991
In Druglord, you’re back on the mean streets, older, wiser, and with slightly better ASCII. Think of it as Drug Wars’s bigger, nastier cousin. You start broke, deal wit...
hugo3-06

Hugo 3: Jungle of Doom

DOS1992protecteddemo Gray Design Associates
Hugo 3: Jungle of Doom shifts the setting to a more exotic environment, adding variety to the familiar formula. Released in 1992, it introduces new challenges, new puzzles, and a s...
monster-bash-04

Monster Bash

DOS1993protected Apogee Software
If you thought childhood was all about sunshine and puppies, Monster Bash begs to differ. This 1993 side-scroller throws you into the shoes of Johnny Dash, a slingshot-toting kid w...
aldo3-03

Aldo's Assault

DOS1991
Think of Aldo's Assault as what happens when Mario forgets his plumber license and joins a bootleg army. This 1991 DOS gem throws you into a side-scrolling frenzy of ladders, barre...
xixit-1

Xixit

DOS1995 Optik Software
Xixit is a puzzle game that feels like it is constantly trying to outwit you, presenting challenges that require both logic and a bit of creative thinking. It does not rely on flas...
defender-boston-05

Defender of Boston: The Rock Island Mystery

DOS1992
In this 1992 DOS RPG, you play as an agent of the Faunus Foundation, protecting the world from cosmic horrors. Set in 1921, the game combines detective work with Lovecraftian eleme...
xenophage-03

Xenophage: Alien BloodSport

DOS1996freeware Argo Games
Xenophage: Alien BloodSport is a fighting game that leans heavily into its bizarre premise, featuring grotesque alien combatants battling it out in brutal arenas. It is unapologeti...
subhunt-02

Subhunt

DOS1997
capture-the-flag-01

Capture the Flag

DOS1993
No guns. No glory. Just two invisible players navigating a weird Tron-like maze to steal each other’s flag. Capture the Flag is what you get when someone says “let&rsqu...
maddog-williams-04

The Adventures of Maddog Williams in the Dungeons of Duridian

DOS1992freeware Game Crafters
The Adventures of Maddog Williams in the Dungeons of Duridian is a title that feels like it was generated by rolling dice on a fantasy word table, and somehow that’s part of its ...
epic-baseball-04

Epic Baseball

DOS1995 MicroLeague Multimedia
If you’ve ever wondered what baseball would look like if someone crammed the entire sport into a DOS machine and sprinkled a bit of 90s attitude on top, Epic Baseball has you...
round-42-03

Round 42

DOS1986
egatrek-03

EGA Trek

DOS1988remake
A loving parody of science fiction tropes, EGA Trek takes obvious inspiration from Star Trek and runs with it, humor first. You command a starship, making decisions that range from...
overkill-04

OverKill

DOS1992freeware Tech-Noir