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).

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Rampart

DOS1992 Atari

Rampart is an abandoned mix of strategy and shooter game designed by Dave Ralston and John Salwitz, developed by Atari and released by Electronic Arts in 1992 for DOS. Rampart was converted from the original arcade version to a number of platforms, including Amiga, Atari ST, C64, Game Boy, Genesis, Lynx, NES, SEGA Master System, SNES. Rampart is a ...

BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception

DOS1988 Westwood Studios

Qix

DOS1989 Taito

2400 A.D.

DOS1988 Origin Systems

Bicycle Bridge

DOS1992

Marble Cooking

DOS1994NSFW Negative

IBM 9-Hole Miniature Golf

DOS1983 SoftSide Magazine

Sky Shark

DOS1989 Toaplan

007: License to Kill

DOS1989 Quixel

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

Epic Pinball

DOSMac OS1993protected Digital Extremes

DND

DOS1984

V for Victory: D-day Utah Beach

DOS1991protected Atomic Games

MegaTraveller 1: The Zhodani Conspiracy

DOS1990 Paragon Software

MegaTraveller 1: The Zhodani Conspiracy is a science fiction role-playing game (RPG) released in 1990. The Zhodani Conspiracy is the first installment in the MegaTraveller series and was developed by Paragon Software.MegaTraveller 1 takes place in the Traveller universe's Third Imperium, a vast interstellar empire. The plot revolves around a c...

Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed

DOS1992protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is a CRPG developed by SSI Strategic Simulations Inc. and released in 1992 for DOS only. Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is the sequel to Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday and it's based on a campaign setting created by TSR in the late 80s. The game uses the Gold Box engine, common to much of the RPGs developed by SSI.

Prophecy: the Fall of Trinadon

DOS1989 Activision

Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse

DOS1994protected Cyberlore studios

It Came from the Desert

DOS1990freeware 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).

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands

DOS1993protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Darklands

DOSLinuxWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1992protected MicroProse Software

Darklands was a unique historical isometric RPG that mixed real historical data from medieval Germany during the 15th century with a touch of folklore and fantasy. Unfortunately it was also the only Microprose RPG of that kind and beauty. The original game box contained a huge manual with info on european folklore (including the live...

Gary Grigsby's War in Russia

DOS1993protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Vlad Tepes Dracula

Windows XP/98/951997 ComputerHouse

Nobunaga's Ambition

DOS1988 KOEI

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 monsters. Players explore dungeons, caves, and other environments in a quest to reach the bottom level of the dungeon, d...

Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor

Windows XP/98/951997 Westwood Studios

Lords of the Realm

DOSWindows XP/98/951994protected Impressions Games

Lords of the Realm is top-down kingdom simulation game set in medieval Europe (England and Germany), designed by Christopher J. Foster and David Lester, developed by Impressions Games and released 1994 for DOS, Windows and Amiga.

SimLife

DOSMac OSWindows 3.x1992 Maxis

SimLife is an abandoned simulation game focused on managing a ecosystems and experimenting with genetics. SimLife was designed by Ken Karakotsios, developed and released by Maxis in 1992 for DOS and later also published for Macintosh, Amiga, Windows 3.x and Amiga.