The most popular abandonware strategy games
Games based on strategy allow for reasoning and planning of one’s moves and actions. The gameplay may be based on player’s turns (Turn-based Strategy) or it may be in real time (Real-Time Strategy, RTS). These games focus on strategy and tactics rather than action, sometimes with the addition of financial or logistic features.
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Syndicate
DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1993protecteddemo real-time tactics
Syndicate is a cyberpunk-themed tactical action game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1993. The game is set in a dystopian future where corporations, called syndicates, have replaced governments, ruling the world with violence and control. Syndicate is a blend of real-time strategy and action. Players take ...
The Battle of the Bulge: Tigers in the Snow
DOS1982protected wargame, turn-based tactics
Seal Team
DOS1993 real-time tactics
Battle Chess 4000
DOS1992protected chess
Set in the far-off future of 1992, Battle Chess 4000 brings space-age flair to intergalactic checkmate. Now your queen is a laser-wielding dominatrix and your pawns might be robots with trust issues. It’s chess... with ray guns. Honestly, it feels like someone spiked Kasparov’s orange juice with pure sci-fi nonsense. Strategy still matt...
Heirs to the Throne
DOS1992 kingdom simulation
Playhouse Strip Poker
DOS1988NSFW cards
Metal Marines
Windows 3.x1993 turn-based tactics
Star General
Windows XP/98/95DOS1996protected turn-based tactics, wargame
Star General is a turn-based strategy game developed by Catware and published by SSI (Strategic Simulations, Inc.). It was released in 1996 for MS-DOS and later for Windows. The game is set in a science fiction universe where players take command of one of five different factions, each vying for control of the galaxy.In Star General, players comman...
221B Baker Street
DOS1986 board game
You are Sherlock Holmes, and someone has committed a crime, possibly because they couldn’t handle the game’s UI. 221B Baker Street is a detective board game where your mind is your only weapon. And also a notepad, because keeping track of clues is half the game. You wander through foggy London, asking yourself how such elegant mystery-s...
Battle of Antietam
DOS1985protected wargame, turn-based tactics
Civil War buffs, rejoice. Battle of Antietam (1985) lets you relive one of the bloodiest days in American history... via pixelated dots and turn-based tension. There’s no flash here—just raw, old-school strategy where every misstep feels like a historical footnote. Think of it as digital Gettysburg reenactment, minus the itchy uniforms....
Roadwar Europa
DOS1987protected turn-based tactics
Blood & Magic
DOS1996 real-time strategy
From the people who brought you Dungeons & Dragons, here's Blood & Magic (1996), the RTS that nobody remembers but definitely deserves a second glance. You summon golems from magical “blood forges” because apparently swords and fireballs weren’t metal enough. The gameplay is surprisingly chill for something with “Blo...
Cannon Fodder
DOS1994protected real-time tactics
Cannon Fodder, released by Sensible Software in 1993, is a military-themed action game that cleverly blends strategy with real-time tactics. Players control a small squad of soldiers through various missions, facing enemies and obstacles in a top-down perspective. The game's distinctive style is marked by its dark humor and satirical take on war, m...
Sargon V: World Class Chess
DOS1991 chess
Crusade in Europe
DOS1985 wargame, turn-based tactics
V for Victory: D-day Utah Beach
DOS1991protected wargame, turn-based tactics
Emperor of the Fading Suns
Windows XP/98/951996 4x
Patton vs. Rommel
DOS1987 wargame, turn-based tactics
Bobby Fisher teaches chess
DOS1994 chess
Ever wanted to get chess lessons from a genius who could crush your soul with a bishop and a glare? Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1994, DOS) is your chance. Based on the classic book, the game patiently walks you through strategies, tactics, and the kind of mental warfare that made Bobby a legend—and probably a very intense dinner guest. It&rs...
Gengis Khan 2: Clan of the Gray Wolf
DOS1992 kingdom simulation
Jagged Alliance
DOS1994protected turn-based tactics
Air Force Commander
DOS1992 real-time tactics
In Air Force Commander (1992), you don’t just fly planes - you run the whole air force. Think of it as being a general with a spreadsheet addiction. Assign squadrons, manage budgets, and try not to start World War III. It's dry in places, but the micromanagement will scratch an itch you didn’t know you had. A game where you’ll spe...
Unnatural Selection
DOS1993 real-time tactics
Chess
DOS1981 chess
Renegade Legion Interceptor
DOS1990protected wargame, turn-based tactics, board game
Rings of Medusa
DOS1990 real-time strategy, kingdom simulation
Rings of Medusa is a strategy / RPG developed by the German studio Starbyte Software. It was released in 1989 for various platforms including the Commodore 64, Amiga, and MS-DOS. In Rings of Medusa, players assume the role of a hero tasked with defeating the evil sorceress Medusa who has taken control of the city of Olympus. The game world is ...
Roadwar 2000
DOS1987protected turn-based tactics
Burntime
DOS1993 action RPG, real-time strategy
Dracula in London
DOS1988 board game
Anacreon: Reconstruction 4021
DOS1987freeware 4x
Welcome to the future, where space empires are managed entirely via text and colored dots. Anacreon puts you in charge of an interstellar civilization and lets you conquer galaxies with the graphical intensity of an Excel spreadsheet. Micromanagement is the name of the game. You will harvest resources, move fleets, and wonder if your colonists are ...