Abandonware DOS title

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).
ragnarok-2

Ragnarok

DOS1993freeware4.1/5 Gray Design Associates
conquest-of-japan-02

Conquest of Japan

DOS19924.1/5 Impressions Games
mageslayer-07

Mageslayer

Windows XP/98/9519974.1/5 Raven Software
grandest-fleet-03

The Grandest Fleet

DOS19944.1/5 Quantum quality productions
qixtaito-2

Qix

DOS19894.1/5 Taito
spacewar-splash

Spacewar

DOS19854.1/5
Spacewar is one of the earliest digital computer games and is often considered the first interactive video game. It was created in 1962 by Steve Russell, Martin Graetz, and Wayne Wiitanen at the MIT. The game was developed on the PDP-1 minicomputer; this is a DOS port, released in 1985.Spacewar! features two spaceships, controlled by players, that ...
dnd_text-02

DND

DOS19844.1/5
darksun1-4

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands

DOS1993protected4.1/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
atomix-1

Atomix

DOS19904.1/5 Softtouch
dominium-02

Dominium

DOS19924.1/5 Microids
shard-of-spring-03

Shard of Spring

DOS1987protected4.1/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
merchantprince-1

Merchant Prince

DOS19934.1/5 Holistic Design
total-annihilation-kingdoms-02

Total Annihilation Kingdoms

Windows XP/98/951999protected4.1/5 Cavedog Entertainment
timesoflore-4

Times of Lore

DOS19894.1/5 Origin Systems
Times of Lore is an abandoned action RPG designed by Chris Roberts, developed and released by Origin Systems in 1989 for DOS and many more 8 bit and 16 bit platforms. Compared to Ultima (the much more popular franchise also by Origin) Times of Lore is a washed down RPG, more similar to a NES game. In fact, Roberts was inspired by The Legend of Zelda.
ultima7part2-9

Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle

DOS19934.1/5 Origin Systems
After the well received Ultima 7 The Black Gate, Origin decided that their Ultima engine could be used for one more game. Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle begins right after The Black Gate ends. This time the Avatar travels to a whole new land, far away from the usual Britannia. Serpent Isle brings its own charm to the series; exploring new lands...
speedball2-4

Speedball 2

DOS19924.1/5 Bitmap Brothers
emperor-fading-suns-04

Emperor of the Fading Suns

Windows XP/98/9519964.1/5 Holistic Design
blades-exile-02

Blades of Exile

Windows 3.xMacWindows XP/98/951997freeware4.1/5 Spiderweb Software
checkers-for-windows-02

Checkers for Windows

Windows 3.x19974.1/5
enterpreneur-04

Entrepreneur

Windows XP/98/9519974.1/5 Stardock Entertainment
dreamweb-hotel1

Dreamweb

DOS1994freeware4.1/5 Creative reality
Dreamweb is a top-down point and click adventure set in a dark, cyberpunk city. You play as Ryan who has strange, violent, dreams. A top down perspective and the sheer number of items your character can pick up are just two of the peculiarities of this game. Dreamweb was developed by Creative Reality and published by Empire Interactive for DOS in 1...
battletechcrescent-8

BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks' Revenge

DOS19904.1/5 Westwood Studios
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks' Revenge is a turn-based strategy game developed by Westwood Associates and published by Infocom in 1990. It is the sequel to "Crescent Hawk's Inception" and is set in the BattleTech universe, a fictional universe where noble houses and mercenary groups vie for power using giant robotic vehicles known as BattleMe...
panzerl-general-2-08

Panzer General 2

Windows XP/98/951997protected4.1/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
great-war-14-18-02

The Great War: 1914 - 1918

DOS1993protected4.1/5 Blue Byte Software
castle-wolfenstein-04

Castle Wolfenstein

DOS19844.1/5 Muse Software
hunt-for-red-october-01

The Hunt for Red October

DOSMac19874.1/5 Oxford Digital Enterprises
warriors-of-legend-07

Warriors of Legend

DOS19934/5 Synergistic Software
nuclearwar-1

Nuclear War

DOS19894/5 New World Computing
Nuclear War is an abandoned turn-based strategy game designed by Eric Hyman and Jon Van Caneghem. Nuclear War was developed and released by New World Computing in 1989 for Amiga and, later, for DOS, and it's loosely based on a card game of the same name. Nuclear War took a satirical approach to the grim possibility of a global nuclear war and succe...
planetsedge-8

Planet's Edge

DOS1991protected4/5 New World Computing
pyramidsegypt-4

Pyramids of Egypt

DOS19894/5 Ideas From the Deep