The best 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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Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2
DOS1990
Romance of the Three Kingdoms II is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by Koei. It was released in 1989 for various platforms, including the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), MS-DOS.In Romance of the Three Kingd...
Star Control
DOS1990protected shoot 'em up
Doomdark's Revenge
DOS1985 first-person party-based RPG
Doomdark's Revenge is a strategy and role-playing video game developed by Mike Singleton and originally released in 1985 for DOS and various home computer systems, including the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64. It is th...
Checkers for Windows
Windows 3.x1997 board game
King's Bounty
DOSMac OS1990 turn-based tactics
King’s Bounty is a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements, originally released in 1990 by New World Computing. It was created by Jon Van Caneghem, also known for the Might and Magic series. This game is often regarded as...
Star Command
DOS1988protected space exploration, turn-based tactics
Desert Rats
DOS1986 turn-based tactics, wargame
Global Thermo War
DOS1985 board game
Carrier Strike: South Pacific 1942-44
DOS1992protected wargame, turn-based tactics
If you ever wanted to command the Pacific fleet without getting wet, Carrier Strike is your game. Set during WWII, it’s a turn-based wargame where numbers, radar, and weather reports matter more than reflexes. You’ll p...
Dark Legions
DOS1994protected board game
Psion Chess
DOSMac OS1985 chess
Combat Chess
Windows XP/98/951997protected chess
Over the Reich
Windows XP/98/95Windows 3.x1996 wargame
Red sky at morning
DOS1993
Cultures
Windows XP/98/952000protected sandbox strategy, real-time strategy
Ante-Up at The Friday Night Poker Club
DOS1990 cards
In Ante-Up at The Friday Night Poker Club, you’re not saving the world or slaying dragons — you’re just trying to win a few bucks from a room full of poker-faced digital strangers. Released in 1990, it’s pe...
Kasparov's Gambit
DOS1993 chess
Warzone 2100
Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS1999freeware real-time strategy
Power Dolls
DOS1994 real-time tactics
Dark Reign: The Future of War
Windows XP/98/951997protected real-time strategy, real-time tactics
Laser Squad
DOS1992 turn-based tactics
Laser Squad is an abandoned turn-based strategy/tactical game designed by Julian Gollop (the mind behind the X-COM series). Laser Squad was developed by Target Games Limited and released by MicroLeague Multimedia in 1992 for DOS a...
Metal Marines
Windows 3.x1993 turn-based tactics
Battle Isle 93: The Moon of Chromos
DOS1993 turn-based tactics
A game with a name like Battle Isle 93: The Moon of Chromos clearly means business. Released in 1993, it’s an expansion-slash-standalone with new missions, harder AI, and an even more hostile moon. You’ll manage resour...
Strip Poker: A Sizzling Game of Chance
DOS1985NSFW cards
Dominus
DOS1994 real-time tactics, real-time strategy
V for Victory: D-day Utah Beach
DOS1991protected wargame, turn-based tactics
Empire: Wargame of the Century
DOS1987 wargame
Battle for Atlantis
DOS1990 board game
Fancy a war under the sea? Battle for Atlantis (1990) asks the age-old question: what if submarines had grudges? This top-down, action strategy title throws you into a deep-sea turf war with clunky controls and a soundtrack that f...
La Grande Armee
DOS1991 wargame, turn-based tactics
Star Saga: Two - The Clathran Menace
DOS1989 board game