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).

Most popular top down games

Dune 2000

strategyWindows XP/98/95

Civilization 2

strategyWindows XP/98/95

CD-Man v2.0

actionDOS

Top down games

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Panzer General 2

Windows XP/98/951997protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
2400 A.D.

DOS19884/5 Origin Systems
Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams

DOS19914/5 Origin Systems

Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams is an abandoned science fiction RPG designed by Jeff George, developed by Origin Systems and released in 1991 for DOS. Martian Dreams uses the Ultima VI engine to depict Mars in a top down perspective.
Galaxy

DOS19814/5 Microcomputer Games Inc.
240 Racing

DOS19984/5
APB

DOS19894/5 Atari
Battle Isle 93: The Moon of Chromos

DOS19934/5 Blue Byte Software
Boston Bomb Club

DOS19914/5 Silmarils
Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed

DOS1992protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is a CRPG developed by SSI Strategic Simulations Inc. and released in 1992 for DOS only. Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is the sequel to Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday and it's based on a campaign setting created by TSR in the late 80s. The game uses the Gold Box engine, common to much of the RPGs developed by SSI.
Burntime

DOS19934/5 Max Design
Caesars Palace

DOS19894/5 Virgin Interactive
Capitalism Plus

DOSWindows XP/98/951997protected4/5 Enlight Software
Carrier Strike: South Pacific 1942-44

DOS1992protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
CHAMP Ms. Pac-man

DOS1994remake4/5 ChamProgramming corp.
Clash of Steel

DOS1993protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine

DOS1991protected4/5 id software

Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine is a science fiction action oriented platform game designed by Tom Hall, developed by id Software and released by Apogee Software in 1991 for DOS only. Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine is part of the Commander Keen game series, specifically it's the second episode of Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy.
Dawn Raider

DOS19904/5 Softstar Entertainment
Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 1

DOS19884/5 SSG Strategic Studies Group
Empire Deluxe

DOSWindows 3.x19934/5 White Wolf Productions
Feud

DOS19884/5 Binary Design
Fooblitzsky

DOS19864/5 Infocom
Gapper

DOS19864/5
Hill Street Blues

DOS19914/5 Krisalis

Hill Street Blues is an old DOS "driving" game developed by Krisalis in 1991. The gameplay it's similar to a Grand Theft Auto clone (we're talking about GTA 1 or 2) in which you are the police and you have to apprehend criminals. Hill Street Blues is a rare example of game based on a TV series.
Indenture

DOS1995remake4/5
King's Bounty

DOSMac19904/5 New World Computing
Lawn Mower

DOS19874/5
Mech War

DOS19924/5
Monday Night Football

DOS19894/5 Park Place Productions
Monopoly

DOS19854/5
Motor City

DOS19944/5 Max Design