Abandonware DOS title

The best abandonware rpg games

In a Role-Playing Game (RPG), players control one or more characters in a fictional world, be it fantasy-oriented, contemporary, sci-fi, etc. RPGs follow up on traditional tabletop role-playing games features, including narrative threads full of obstacles and enigmas, character development, combat systems, or complex inventories.
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Mission: Mainframe

DOS1987 board game
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Yendorian Tales: The Tyrants of Thaine

DOS1997 first-person party-based RPG
In The Tyrants of Thaine, the graphics get a modest upgrade, but the soul remains pure: this is RPG comfort food. You’re once again cast as the world's most overworked adventurer, battling evil regimes, looting crypts, and i...
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Daemonsgate

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinuxMac OS1993protected sandbox RPG
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Anvil of dawn

DOS1995protected dungeon crawl
Anvil of Dawn is what happens when 1995 tries to reinvent the fantasy RPG and ends up creating something strangely beautiful. It’s first-person, it’s real-time, and it’s dripping with atmosphere — from mood...
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Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse

DOS1994protected action RPG
In Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse (1994), you’re not some grizzled barbarian or pointy-hatted wizard - no, you’re a noble corsair with charm, a sword, and a knack for getting into magical messes. This is Dungeons & Dr...
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Darkstone

Windows XP/98/951999protected dungeon crawl, action RPG
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Larn

DOS1986freeware dungeon crawl, roguelike
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Return to Krondor

Windows XP/98/951998protected
If you liked Betrayal at Krondor, Return to Krondor is that younger cousin who tries real hard to live up to the family name. It's got 3D graphics (for 1998), turn-based combat, and a plot that’s practically marinated in Ray...
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The Magic Candle 2: The Four and Forty

DOS1991 sandbox RPG, top-down party-based RPG
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Avalon

DOS1998freeware JRPG
In Avalon (1998, DOS), you are a wizard, possibly a hero, definitely confused. This fantasy RPG drops you into a world of magic, mayhem, and menu navigation straight out of a Tolkien-themed tax return. The graphics aim for epic an...
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Alien Fires 2199 AD

DOS1988 action RPG
Released in 1988, Alien Fires 2199 AD looks and plays like someone tried to translate a fever dream into a sci-fi RPG. You control some dude with a chin of steel and a crew that seems perpetually confused. The interface is clunky,...
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Dragons of Flame

DOS1989protected action RPG
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Phantasie 1

DOS1987protected top-down party-based RPG
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Questron 2

DOS1988protected
Questron II is a role-playing game (RPG) developed by Westwood Associates and published by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) in 1988. It serves as the sequel to the original Questron (1984) and builds upon its predecessor’s f...
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Aleshar World of Ice

DOS1997
Aleshar: World of Ice is what happens when someone says, “Let’s make an RPG, but crank the realism to 11.” Set in a cold, brutal land where your sword arm is only as strong as your calorie intake, this 1997 DOS c...
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Wizardry 2: The knight of diamonds

DOS1982 dungeon crawl, first-person party-based RPG
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Hack

DOS1984freeware dungeon crawl, roguelike
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Yendorian Tales: Book I - Chapter 2

DOS1996 first-person party-based RPG
Despite the baffling title (Book I – Chapter 2, yes, really), this is a charmingly earnest old-school RPG. Think “Ultima clone with extra oatmeal” and you're close. Yendorian Tales throws you into a world full of...
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Fairy Tale Adventure 2: Halls of the Dead

DOSWindows XP/98/951997 action RPG
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Drakkhen

DOS1989
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Incursion

Windows 10/11LinuxMac OS2007freeware roguelike, dungeon crawl
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Omega

DOSLinux1988freeware roguelike
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Ruins of Cawdor

DOS1995 first-person party-based RPG, dungeon crawl
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Zeitgeist

Windows XP/98/951996 third-person shooter, first-person shooter, rail shooter
Zeitgeist — also known as Jupiter Strike in some markets — is a PlayStation-era space shooter that boldly says: "Let’s do Star Fox, but with less personality and more techno music." You’re piloting a sleek ...
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Bloodwych

DOS1989 dungeon crawl, first-person party-based RPG
Step into a dungeon, take a left at the creepy skeleton, and say hello to Bloodwych, the 1989 DOS game that proves co-op first-person dungeon crawling can be both confusing and oddly addictive. It's got split-screen multiplayer (y...
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Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM) v1.1

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1996freeware dungeon crawl, roguelike
ADOM is what happens when a rogue, a wizard, and a hungry troll walk into a dungeon and never come out. Released in 1996, this roguelike classic is brutal, brilliant, and unapologetically text-heavy. Permadeath is the norm, the st...
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Ishar 3: The Seven Gates of Infinity

DOS1994protected first-person party-based RPG
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NetHack - Falcon's Eye

Windows XP/98/952001freeware dungeon crawl, roguelike