The best 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).

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Kick off 2

DOS19904.1/5 Anco Software

Bush Buck: Global Treasure Hunter

DOS19914.1/5 Pc globe

Gauntlet

DOS19864.1/5 Mindscape

J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan

DOS19974.1/5 Papyrus Design Group

King's Table: The Legend of Ragnarok

DOS1993protected4.1/5 Imagitec Design

Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament

DOS19954.1/5 Supersonic Software

Wild West World

DOS19914.1/5 Software 2000

WinRisk

Windows 3.x19924.1/5

Death Rally

DOS1996freeware4.1/5 Remedy Entertainment Ltd.

Galaxy

DOS19814.1/5 Microcomputer Games Inc.

Rockford: The Arcade Game

DOS1987protected4.1/5 Arcadia Systems

Mech War

DOS19924.1/5

Railroad Tycoon Deluxe

DOS19934.1/5 MicroProse Software

Hexxagon

DOS19934.1/5 Argo Games

It Came from the Desert

DOS1990freeware4.1/5 Cinemaware

It Came from the Desert is an abandonware action-adventure game developed by Cinemaware and released in 1990 for PC (DOS) and Amiga. It Came From the Desert is an action-adventure game with a peculiar flavor: it's set in the 50s, in the USA, and it's based on those old monster movies like Them! (also involving killer ants).

CD-Man v2.0

DOS19924.1/5 Creative Dimensions

Grand Theft Auto 2

Windows XP/98/9519994.1/5 DMA Design

Grand Theft Auto 2 is the second chapter in the successful Grand Theft Auto series. GTA 2 is an abandoned top-down action-adventure / driving hybrid game developed by DMA Design and released by Rockstar Games in 1999 for various platforms, including PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Color. GTA2 is set in a fictional city called "Any...

Ys: The Vanished Omens

DOS19894.1/5 Nihon Falcom

Ys: The Vanished Omens (also known as The Ancient Land of Ys) is an abandoned top-down open-world action RPG designed by Masaya Hashimoto, developed by Nihon Falcom and released by Kyodai Software Marketing for DOS in 1989. Ys: The Vanished Omens was published (earlier) for quite a few other home computers and console.

Gal Pani X

Windows XP/98/952000freewareNSFW4.1/5

Gal Pani X is an action-puzzle game reminiscent of the classic arcade Qix, developed by D2 and released in 2000 for Windows. Gal Pani X is an adult-themed Doujin game: it was made by fans and wasn't for profit.

Battle Isle 2200

DOS1994protected4.1/5 Blue Byte Software

Sid Meier's Pirates!

DOS1987protected4.1/5 MicroProse Software

Fields of Glory

DOS1993protected4.1/5 MicroProse Software

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...

No Greater Glory

DOSMac1991protected4.1/5

Rodent's Revenge

Windows 3.x19914.1/5 Microsoft

Z

DOS1996protected4.1/5 Bitmap Brothers

Z is a real-time strategy game developed by The Bitmap Brothers and originally released in 1996 for MS-DOS. It's known for its fast-paced gameplay, humorous style, and distinctive art design.In Z, players control a robot army across various battlefields, aiming to conquer territories and defeat enemy forces. The game features a tongue-in-cheek narr...