abandonware games sorted by rating

Ninja Gaiden, released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and later to other platforms, is a side-scrolling action-platformer developed by Tecmo. It follows the story of Ryu Hayabusa, a skilled ninja on a quest for vengeance and justice.In the game, players control Ryu as he battles through six acts, each divided into several stage...

Alcatraz (1992) asks the question: what if Rambo got locked in prison and had to bust out while flexing dramatically the entire time? This top-down action game puts you in the very macho boots of an elite commando trying to escape America’s most infamous prison. The game is part stealth, part shoot-‘em-up, and all testosterone. You&rsqu...

Released in 1994 (long after it originally debuted on other platforms), Ant Attack! is what you get when you mix isometric graphics, giant ants, and questionable urban planning. You play a brave soul navigating a crumbling city to rescue someone — while being constantly menaced by mutant ants the size of Volkswagens. It’s surprisingly t...

Eternam is an action-adventure video game developed by Infogrames and released in 1992. It's known for its unique and innovative approach to the adventure game genre.In Eternam, players take on the role of Don Jonz, a bored and disillusioned computer programmer. The game's story begins with Don Jonz being transported into a fantasy world by his com...

Is it Breakout? Is it Arkanoid? No — it’s Bananoid, the fruitiest bat-and-ball clone you never asked for. With bananas, monkeys, and psychedelic colors, it feels like someone laced Pong with banana peels and Saturday morning cartoons. It’s not original, but it sure is bananas.

Ah yes, the game that crawled so Ultima could run. Akalabeth is a wireframe dungeon crawl where you descend into monster-infested labyrinths with the elegance of a lost spreadsheet. The graphics are so old school they could legally collect retirement. You pick a class, fight enemies like "rotworms" and "skeletons," and try not to die of confusion. ...

Karnov is a classic side-scrolling action arcade game developed by Data East in 1987. The game features a unique protagonist named Jinborov Karnovski, or "Karnov", a fire-breathing, muscle-bound, bald, shirtless strongman from the fictional land of Karnov. Initially released in arcades, Karnov was later ported to home consoles like the Nintend...

Mines of Titan (also known as Mars Saga for other platforms) is an abandoned single-player RPG with a sci-fi setting (you're going to Mars!). Mines of Titan was developed by Westwood Studios and released by Infocom in 1989 for DOS, Apple II and Commodore 64.

Get ready to drive a tank very slowly while also being very stressed. Abrams Battle Tank (1989, DOS) puts you in the commander’s seat of America’s steel behemoth, and somehow turns desert combat into a tactical crawl. It’s got strategy, explosions, and a lot of brown terrain. Not for the impatient, but if you’ve ever wanted ...

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 ...

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...

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....

In Black Gold (1989), you're in the cutthroat world of oil barons. It’s like Dallas, but with more charts and fewer cowboy hats. You build rigs, negotiate deals, and try to outmaneuver rivals who are probably less ethical than a used car dealership run by raccoons. The gameplay is surprisingly deep for its time, and while the graphics are not...