Top-down perspective sorted by release date
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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Welltris
DOS1989 Sphere
Welltris is a puzzle video game designed by Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris. Released in 1989, Welltris offers a fresh take on the block-dropping mechanics of Tetris, expanding the gameplay into a 3D environment. Similar to Tetris, geometric pieces fall into the well. However, instead of stacking vertically, the blocks slide down the wa...
Windwalker (Moebius 2)
DOS1989 Origin Systems
Ys: The Vanished Omens
DOS1989 Nihon Falcom
Ys: The Vanished Omens (also known as The Ancient Land of Ys) is an abandoned top-down open-world action RPG designed by Masaya Hashimoto, developed by Nihon Falcom and released by Kyodai Software Marketing for DOS in 1989. Ys: The Vanished Omens was published (earlier) for quite a few other home computers and console.
Atomix
DOS1990 Softtouch
Atomix is a tile-based puzzle game released in 1990 by Thalion Software for platforms like Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64. The objective of Atomix is to assemble molecular structures by moving individual atoms around a fixed grid. Players must slide atoms into place, but they only stop when they hit an obstacle, making positioning a...
Bad Blood
DOS1990 Origin Systems
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where leather vests are apparently immune to radiation, Bad Blood lets you wander the wasteland deciding whether to be a brute, a brainiac, or a mutant with questionable fashion sense. Dialogue-heavy and surprisingly progressive for 1990, it’s Fallout before Fallout was cool — minus the polish and plus a ...
Battle for Atlantis
DOS1990
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 feels like someone drowning in MIDI. Still, there’s charm in the chaos, and blowing up enemy vessels has a certain ...
BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks' Revenge
DOS1990 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...
Beverly Hills Cop
DOS1990 Tynesoft Computer Software
Take Eddie Murphy’s swagger, remove the charm, add some DOS chiptunes, and you get Beverly Hills Cop—a game adaptation that asks: “What if being a wisecracking detective meant stiff animations and random driving segments?” It’s a mash-up of shooting, driving, and wondering what just happened, loosely held together by t...
Billy The Kid
DOS1990 Level 9 Computing
Saddle up, pardner. Billy The Kid puts you in the dusty boots of the infamous outlaw himself. This is the Wild West, DOS-style — pixel pistols, wanted posters, and dialogue that might make a cactus wince. Whether you’re shootin’ varmints or causin’ a ruckus, justice is whatever you can code in QBasic.
Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes
DOS1990 Command Simulations
In Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes, you’re not just playing a wargame — you’re being handed a clipboard, a stack of orders, and a freezing cold battlefield in 1944. This 1990 DOS title lets you relive one of WWII’s most intense moments, complete with turn-based tactics, historical accuracy, and menus that make Excel look ...
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday
DOS1990protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Centurion: Defender of Rome
DOS1990 Bits of magic
Centurion: Defender of Rome is a turn-based strategy game set in ancient Rome times. As a centurion of the Roman Empire, you will fight against the enemies of Rome in real time battles in every corner of Italy and Europe, you'll be a gladiator, race chariots, fight naval battles and more.
Cloud Kingdoms
DOS1990 Logotron
Command HQ
DOSMac OS1990 Ozark Softscape
Command HQ was developed by Microplay Software. It was one of the early real-time strategy (RTS) games and focused on global warfare, allowing players to control armies, fleets, and economies in various historical and futuristic scenarios.
Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars
DOS1990 id software
Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars is a platform video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software in 1990 as shareware for MS-DOS. The game follows the adventures of an eight-year-old genius named Billy Blaze, who uses his homemade spaceship to travel to various alien planets to save the Earth from alien invaders known as V...
Commander Keen 2: The Earth Explodes
DOS1990protected id software
Commander Keen 3: Keen Must Die!
DOS1990protected id software
Conflict
DOS1990 Mastertronic
DarkSpyre
DOS1990 Event Horizon
Dawn Raider
DOS1990 Softstar Entertainment
Death by Backgammon
DOS1990
Decision at Gettysburg
DOS1990 TigLon Software
Dragon Lord
DOS1990 Spotlight Software
Dungeon Explorer
DOS1990
Escape from Hell
DOS1990 Electronic Arts
Fountain of Dreams
DOS1990 Electronic Arts
Frontline
DOS1990 Cases Computer Simulations
Full Metal Planete
DOSMac OS1990 Hitech Productions
Future Classics Collection
DOS1990
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...