Abandonware DOS title

The best 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).
2400ad-4

2400 A.D.

DOS1988 Origin Systems
Ah, 2400 A.D. A game where you can rebel against a robot police state… by slowly walking around in beige. Released in 1988, it’s what happens when you mix Orwellian dystopia with MS Paint aesthetics. You’ll snea...
starcontrol3_003

Star Control 3

DOS1996protected Legend Entertainment
240racing-1

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 politel...
ultima1-3

Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness

DOS1981 Origin Systems
Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness is a seminal role-playing video game developed by Richard Garriott and released by California Pacific Computer Company in 1981. It is the first game in the long-running and influential Ultima se...
jamesbondlicence-3

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...
4play-01

4Play

Windows XP/98/95Windows 3.x1995NSFW
4Play was a risqué trivia and multi-player board-style game released in the mid-1990s. Designed as a party game, it combined trivia questions, mini-games, and challenges that often leaned toward suggestive or adult the...
air-traffic-controller-02

Air Traffic Controller

DOS1985 Cascoly Software
Welcome to the most stressful job in the world - rendered in glorious 1985 DOS graphics! Air Traffic Controller lets you experience the thrill of herding aircraft without the luxury of coffee breaks or radar resolution. It’s...
apb-5

APB

DOS1989 Atari
In APB (1989), you’re a cop in a little squad car with a huge attitude problem. Your job? Pull over criminals, avoid donuts, and try not to smash into every tree, wall, and pedestrian. It’s basically Grand Theft Auto i...
ascii-sector-02

Ascii Sector

Windows 10/11LinuxDOS2007freeware
Ascii Sector is what happens when someone takes Privateer, removes the graphics, and replaces them with pure ASCII and sheer willpower. It’s open-world space sim meets roguelike: you trade, fight, explore, get stabbed in sha...
bass-tour-01

Bass Tour

DOS1992
Think of Bass Tour (1992) as the road trip version of virtual fishing. More simulation than arcade, it lets you travel, pick locations, study conditions, and obsess over bait types like you're preparing for a National Geographic s...
beyond-castle-wolfenstein-04

Beyond Castle Wolfenstein

DOS1985 Muse Software
Before Doomguy started ripping and tearing, there was Beyond Castle Wolfenstein. A stealth game where sneaking is mandatory, disguises are fashionable, and stabbing Nazis is encouraged. It’s the sequel to Castle Wolfenstein,...
buckrogersmatrix-05

Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed

DOS1992protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
This sequel takes the same D&D-in-space formula and tries to go bigger, bolder, and... okay, maybe just more complicated. Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed continues the galactic struggle with improved combat depth and a slightly mess...
chess88-1

Chess88

DOS1984
command-hq-04

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 s...
keen2-splash

Commander Keen 2: The Earth Explodes

DOS1990protected id software
conflictmiddleeast-splash

Conflict

DOS1990 Mastertronic
d-zone-01

D-Zone

DOS1992
darksun2-3

Dark Sun 2: Wake of the Ravager

DOS1994protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
decisive-civil-war-1-03

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 1

DOS1988 SSG Strategic Studies Group
decisive-civil-war-2-08

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 2

DOS1989 SSG Strategic Studies Group
elona-02

Elona

Windows 10/112007freeware
Elona (short for Eternal League of Nefia) is a free roguelike RPG developed by Japanese indie developer named Noa in 2007. Its gameplay combines elements of open-world exploration, dungeon crawling, and life simulation. It has com...
empire-deluxe-07

Empire Deluxe

DOSWindows 3.x1993 White Wolf Productions
Empire Deluxe is a classic turn-based strategy game that was originally released in the early 1990s. Developed by Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky of White Wolf Productions and published by New World Computing, it is a successor...
escapefromhell-splash

Escape from Hell

DOS1990 Electronic Arts
feud-03

Feud

DOS1988 Binary Design
frontlines-impressions-03

Front Lines

DOS1994 Impressions Games
gapper-03

Gapper

DOS1986
global-effect-05

Global Effect

DOS1992 Millennium Interactive
grandmonsterslam-2

Grand Monster Slam

DOS1989 Golden Goblins
Grand Monster Slam is an action sports game developed by Golden Goblins and published by Rainbow Arts in 1989. The game was released for a variety of platforms, including the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. The gam...
wcs_italy90-splash

Italy 1990

DOS1990 Tiertex Design Studios
lords-of-the-realm-2-02

Lords of the Realm 2

DOSWindows XP/98/95Windows 10/11Mac OS1996protected Impressions Games
Lords of the Realm II is a medieval-themed real-time strategy (RTS) and turn-based strategy game developed by Impressions Games and published by Sierra On-Line. Released in 1996, it is the second game in the "Lords of the Realm" s...