Text-based games: ASCII, etc. sorted by release date

In the past, lots of games used ASCII characters (text) to represent the game world. These text-only video games may seem primitive and outdated and, in fact, the genre almost died with the fast evolving graphics of modern games.
A few genres traditionally linked to the beautiful world of ascii characters still survives: roguelikes (nethack, angband, etc.) and interactive fiction, for example.

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Dungeon Master's Assistant Vol 2

DOS1989protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Dungeons of Kroz

DOS1989freeware Apogee Software

Dungeons of Kroz 2

DOS1989 Apogee Software

Grand Prix

DOS1989 Wizard Games

James Clavell's Shogun

DOS1989 Infocom

James Clavell's Shogun, a text adventure game developed by Infocom and released in 1989. Infocom was known for its interactive fiction games, and "James Clavell's Shogun" was one of its later releases.This text adventure game is based on James Clavell's novel "Shogun" and follows the story of John Blackthorne, an English navigator who becomes invol...

Legend of the Red Dragon

DOS1989 Robinson Technologies

Math Cad 2.5

DOS1989

Meteors

DOS1989 Apogee Software

Myth

DOS1989 Magnetic Scrolls

Ooze: Creepy Nites

DOS1989 Dragonware Games

PKzip

DOS1989protected PKware

Rockstar!

DOS1989 Wizard Games

Scapeghost

DOS1989 Level 9 Computing

Search for the Titanic

DOS1989protected IntraCorp

Star Fleet 2: Krellan Commander

DOS1989 Interstel Corporation

Star Saga: Two - The Clathran Menace

DOS1989 Masterplay Publishing Corporation

The Fool's Errand

DOS1989freeware Synergistic Software

The Fool's Errand is a puzzle-adventure computer game created by Cliff Johnson and released in 1987 for Macintosh and later for MS-DOS. The game follows the journey of a nameless fool through a magical land inspired by Tarot cards. The story is whimsical and surreal, presented as a series of interconnected chapters that blend fairytale-like st...

The Golden Fleece

DOS1989

The Usurper

DOS1989 Sir-tech Software

Turbo Assembler (TASM)

DOSWindows XP/98/951989 Borland Software Corporation

Turbo Assembler and Tools 5.0, often referred to as TASM, is an x86 assembler for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. As a key component of Borland's suite of development tools, TASM was packaged alongside Turbo Debugger (TD), forming the Turbo Assembler/Turbo Debugger (TASM/TD) bundle. Turbo Assembler was favored for its speed and compatibilit...

Word Perfect 5

DOS1989 Corel

Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz

DOS1989 Infocom

Arj

DOS1990

ARJ is a file compression utility and file format created by Robert K. Jung. The name "ARJ" stands for "Archived by Robert Jung." It was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a compression tool for MS-DOS and other systems. ARJ offered high compression ratios and various features, such as archive encryption and error recovery.

At the Carnival

DOS1990freeware

Step right up to At the Carnival (1990), a puzzle game that mixes traditional brain-teasers with the kind of carnival theming that makes you question whether the developers had ever actually been to one. Brought to you by Cliff Johnson, the mad genius behind The Fool’s Errand, this title blends wordplay, riddles, and visual puzzles in a delig...

Boggle

DOS1990 HVB Software

It’s Boggle (1990, DOS), the digital version of everyone’s favorite game where you try to spell long words while your friend keeps shouting “DOG” over and over. The game board is a 4x4 grid of letters, and your job is to find as many words as you can before the timer runs out—or your brain melts, whichever comes first....