The most popular turn based games
In direct contrast with real-time games, turn-based games gameplay is based on the players taking turns to do what needs to be done: move in a dungeon, play cards, attack enemy units.
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President Elect: 1988 Edition
DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
President Elect: 1988 Edition is a political simulation game developed by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) and released in the mid-1980s. The game simulates U.S. presidential elections and allows players to take on the role of campaign managers in an effort to help their candidate win the election. Players can simulate U.S. presidential elect...
Patton vs. Rommel
DOS1987 Electronic Arts
Win, Lose or Draw
DOS1988 Softie
SimHealth
DOS1994 Thinking Tools Inc.
Oubliette
DOS1983
Battle Isle 2200
DOS1994protected Blue Byte Software
With Battle Isle 2200 (1994), the series goes full 3D cinematic—with cutscenes so dramatic you’d think they were auditioning for a soap opera in space. The gameplay is classic hex strategy, but now with upgraded visuals and FMV actors who clearly missed their calling in daytime TV. It’s grand, slow-burning, and surprisingly tense....
Yuppi's Revenge
DOS1988 Ariolasoft
AlphaMan
DOS1995
Ever wondered what would happen if a roguelike and a B-movie had a radioactive baby? AlphaMan is the answer. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where mutant banana slugs might be your best friend—or your worst enemy—you play a survivor with a bad attitude and worse fashion sense. The goal? Stop the evil Doomsday Bomb. The method? Whatever ...
Ancients 1: Deathwatch
DOS1991 Farr-Ware Software
In Ancients 1: Deathwatch, you gather your pixelated party and set off to cleanse a city of evil, or at least try not to get mugged by slimes. It's a dungeon crawler in classic DOS fashion — grid movement, turn-based battles, and interface menus with all the elegance of a fax machine. Released in 1991, it’s as old-school as they come, r...
3D-Maze
Windows 3.x1991
Ah, 3D-Maze. If you used Windows 3.x, you probably saw this lurking in the corner of your screen savers like a digital minotaur. Released in 1991, it’s not quite a game, but everyone played it anyway. You walk endlessly through a tiled labyrinth while a floating smiley face pops up to say hello or possibly curse your ancestors. There’s ...
Ogre
DOS1986 Origin Systems
Renegade Legion Interceptor
DOS1990protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Star General
Windows XP/98/95DOS1996protected Catware, Inc.
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...
Robot Rascals
DOS1987 Ozark Softscape
The Civil War
DOS1987 Avalon Hill
The Perfect General
DOS1991 White Wolf Productions
The Perfect General is a turn-based strategy military game developed by White Wolf Productions and released in 1991 by Quantun Quality Production. The Perfect General gameplay is quite simple compared to other wargames, but it's based on a solid set of rules and let the players progress at their own pace through missions and scenarios. The Perfect ...
8088 Othello
DOS1985
There’s something oddly poetic about 8088 Othello, a 1985 take on the classic board game that feels like it was programmed by someone who had a personal vendetta against flashy graphics. The visuals are almost nonexistent, the sound is silent protest, and yet - somehow - it works. This is Othello in its purest form: black versus white, brain ...
Phantasie 1
DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
L'Empereur
DOS1991 KOEI
Hack
DOS1984freeware
Death Knights of Krynn
DOS1991protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Bobby Fisher teaches chess
DOS1994 Mission Studios
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...
Premier Manager 2
DOS1993 Realms of Fantasy
Demon's Winter
DOS1989protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Metal Marines
Windows 3.x1993 Namco
Black Monday
DOS1987 Starsoft Development
Black Monday (1987) combines economic panic with the thrill of—wait for it—spreadsheet navigation. It's like Wolf of Wall Street without the fun, drugs, or DiCaprio. You’re managing a business during a financial collapse, and everything is falling apart faster than your patience. Charts, graphs, bad decisions—it’s all ...
Dark Queen of Krynn
DOS1992protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
NetHack - Falcon's Eye
Windows XP/98/952001freeware
Blue Angel 69
DOS1989NSFW
Caution: subtlety not included. Blue Angel 69, released in 1989 for DOS, is basically what happens when a programmer tries to mix erotic art with a tile-based puzzle game and ends up somewhere between genius and “please don’t open this at work.” You match symbols, unlock pictures, and get rewarded with increasingly risqué p...
221B Baker Street
DOS1986 Datasoft
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...