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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Bush Buck: Global Treasure Hunter
DOS1991 Pc globe
God of Thunder
DOSWindows XP/98/951993freeware Adept Software
God of Thunder is a classic computer game developed by Adept Software and released in 1993. It's a puzzle platformer with a fantasy theme. In the game, you control Thor, the Norse god of thunder, on a quest to save Midgard (Earth) from the evil god Loki and his minions.The gameplay involves navigating through various levels filled with obstacles, e...
Qix
DOS1989 Taito
240 Racing
DOS1998
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to drive very fast in what looks like a PowerPoint presentation with a need for speed, 240 Racing from 1998 delivers the thrill. With blocky graphics and a frame rate that politely walks rather than runs, it’s a racing game that screams “DOS never dies.” The cars handle like shopp...
Skate or Die
DOS1988 Electronic Arts
Skate or Die is an abandoned sports game, developed and released by Electronic Arts in 1988 for DOS and a number of other platforms. Skate or Die is a multi-sport kind of game, including every kind of unconventional "sport" done on skateboard. A sequel, Ski or Die, was released an year later.
Action Fighter
DOS1989 Sega
Action Fighter (1989, DOS) is Sega’s way of saying, “Why choose between car chases and aerial dogfights when you can have both?” You start in a motorcycle, grab some power-ups, and suddenly you’re flying a jet and blowing things up. It's like Spy Hunter had a Red Bull and watched Top Gun. The controls are twitchy, the pace i...
SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony
DOS1991 Maxis
SimAnt is a life simulation and strategy game developed by Maxis, released in 1991, and part of the "Sim" series. Created by Will Wright, SimAnt focuses on simulating the life of an ant colony. In SimAnt, you play as the black ant colony in a backyard and household environment, competing against the red ants, environmental hazards, and even hu...
Star Control
DOS1990protected Toys for Bob
Heroes of Might and Magic
DOSWindows XP/98/951995protected New World Computing
Machiavelli the Prince
DOS1995protected Holistic Design
WinRisk
Windows 3.x1992
Pacific General
Windows XP/98/951997protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Tangled Tales
DOS1989 Origin Systems
Jurassic Park
DOS1993 Ocean Software
Blades of Exile
Windows 3.xMac OSWindows XP/98/951997freeware Spiderweb Software
Blades of Exile is a classic role-playing video game developed by Spiderweb Software. It's the third installment in the "Exile" series. The game was released in 1997 for Mac OS, and later for Windows in 1998. In Blades of Exile, players control a party of adventurers who explore the underground world of Exile/Avernum, a vast network of caves and du...
Planet's Edge
DOS1991protected New World Computing
Ms Pac PC
DOS1995remake Magicom Multimedia
Scavengers of the Mutant World
DOS1988 Interstel Corporation
Extreme Pinball
DOS1995 Epic MegaGames
Command Adventures: Starship
DOS1995 Future Vision
Commander Keen 4: Secret of the Oracle
DOS1991protected id software
007: License to Kill
DOS1989 Quixel
Before James Bond was saving the world with cinematic flair, he was crashing pixelated helicopters in 007: License to Kill. This top-down action game takes the movie and crams it into six bite-sized missions of explosions, awkward flying, and questionable hit detection. You’ll drive, swim, fly, and die - a lot. The controls are about as smoot...
7 colors
DOS1991 Gamos
7 Colors is one of those puzzle games that sounds simple on paper but ends up consuming your entire afternoon before you even realize it. Released in 1991 for DOS, it throws you into a digital turf war where the weapon of choice is… color. You pick a hue, spread it across the board like a rapidly multiplying fungus, and try to outmaneuver yo...
Hard Nova
DOS1990 Malibu Interactive
Hard Nova is a sci-fi role-playing game (RPG) developed by Malibu Interactive and published by Electronic Arts. Released in 1990, it is available on platforms such as the DOS, Amiga, Atari ST. Hard Nova is set in a distant future where players navigate through various star systems. The player takes on the role of a mercenary leader in charge of a s...
Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams
DOS1991 Origin Systems
Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams is an abandoned science fiction RPG designed by Jeff George, developed by Origin Systems and released in 1991 for DOS. Martian Dreams uses the Ultima VI engine to depict Mars in a top down perspective.
V for victory: Velikiye Luki
DOS1992protected Atomic Games
Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz
Windows XP/98/951999 Wargaming West
Now with 27% more diplomacy and 300% more frustration! Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz (1999) takes everything from the original game and throws in extra scenarios, improved AI, and more ways to accidentally cause a Cold War. Want to play as Italy and change the course of history? Go for it. Just don’t expect your allies to be, you know, allied. ...
A Nightmare on Elm street
DOS1989 Westwood Studios
Forget Freddy’s razor glove for a second - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1989) for DOS is terrifying in its own way. Mostly because of the controls. You play as a teen trying to stay awake and alive while navigating dreamscapes full of death and digitized screams. The gameplay is a mix of exploration and survival, wrapped in graphics that look l...
Sargon V: World Class Chess
DOS1991 Activision
Dark Legions
DOS1994protected Silicon Knights