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).

Most popular top down applications

Dune 2000

strategyWindows XP/98/95

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

strategyDOS

Grand Theft Auto

action-adventureDOS, Windows XP/98/95

Top down applications

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Spy Hunter

DOS19843.7/5 Midway Manufacturing Company
V for victory: Velikiye Luki

DOS1992protected3.9/5 Atomic Games
Tracon: Air Traffic Control Simulator

DOS19893.5/5 Wesson International
Tracon for Windows

Windows 3.x19934.1/5 Wesson International
Bandit Kings of Ancient China

DOS19893.9/5 KOEI
Pizza Tycoon

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinuxMac1994protected4.1/5 Software 2000
Galaxy

DOS19814.1/5 Microcomputer Games Inc.
Virtual Pool

DOS19954.3/5 Celeris
Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes

DOS19903.6/5 Command Simulations
Hard Nova

DOS19903.8/5 Malibu Interactive
Moraff's Revenge

DOS19883.8/5 Moraffware
Commander Keen 3: Keen Must Die!

DOS1990protected4.1/5 id software
Lords of the Realm

DOSWindows XP/98/951994protected4/5 Impressions Games

Lords of the Realm is top-down kingdom simulation game set in medieval Europe (England and Germany), designed by Christopher J. Foster and David Lester, developed by Impressions Games and released 1994 for DOS, Windows and Amiga.
Legend of the Silver Talisman

DOS1996freeware3.9/5 Inter-Active Arts
Dungeon Crawl

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1997freeware4/5

Dungeon Crawl (also known as Linley's Dungeon Crawl from the name of the original programmer: Linley Henzell) is a classic roguelike: an RPG with permadeath, procedural generation and high replayability. Dungeon Crawl was released on 1997 but it's not maintained anymore. The spiritual successr of Crawl is DCCS (Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup).
Guerrilla War

DOS19873.5/5 SNK Corporation
Minesweeper

Windows 3.x19924.1/5 Microsoft
Carrier Strike: South Pacific 1942-44

DOS1992protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Extreme Pinball

DOS19954.2/5 Epic MegaGames
UnReal World v. 3.20

Windows XP/98/95Mac1992freeware4.1/5
Conan: the Cimmerian

DOS19914.2/5 Synergistic Software
Alien Breed: Tower Assault

DOS1994protected4.2/5 Team 17
Action in the North Atlantic

DOS19893.8/5 General Quarters Software
Dogs of War

Windows XP/98/9519964.3/5 Software Engineering
Phantasie 3: The Wrath of Nikademus

DOS19874.1/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Sword Quest 2: Tale of the Talisman

DOS19933.6/5
Full Metal Planete

DOSMac19903.9/5 Hitech Productions
AlphaMan

DOS19953.6/5
Ant Attack!

DOS1994freeware3.7/5 Dataware
Lords of Midnight: The Citadel

DOS19954.3/5 Maelstrom Games