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).
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Nobunaga's Ambition 2
DOS1989 KOEI
CHAMP Ms. Pac-man
DOS1994remake ChamProgramming corp.
Tangled Tales
DOS1989 Origin Systems
SkiFree
Windows 3.x1991
MicroProse Soccer
DOS1988protected Sensible Software
MicroProse Soccer is an abandoned action-oriented soccer game, developed by Sensible Software and released by MicroProse Software in 1988. The appeal of MicroProse Soccer was its simplicity and the smooth controls. In the United S...
Blue Angel 69
DOS1989NSFW
Caution: subtlety not included. Blue Angel 69, released in 1989 for DOS, is basically what happens when a programmer tries to mix erotic art with a tile-based puzzle game and ends up somewhere between genius and “please don&...
Fountain of Dreams
DOS1990 Electronic Arts
Dragon Lord
DOS1990 Spotlight Software
Star General
Windows XP/98/95DOS1996protected Catware, Inc.
Star General is a turn-based strategy game developed by Catware and published by SSI (Strategic Simulations, Inc.). It was released in 1996 for MS-DOS and later for Windows. The game is set in a science fiction universe where play...
Shamus
DOS1984 Synapse Software
Shamus is a maze action game developed by William Mataga and published by Synapse Software in 1982. The game became popular on various home computer platforms of the early 1980s. In Shamus, players control a detective navigating t...
V for Victory: D-day Utah Beach
DOS1991protected Atomic Games
Conflict in Vietnam
DOS1986 MicroProse Software
Phantasie 1
DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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 Bl...
Emperor of the Fading Suns
Windows XP/98/951996 Holistic Design
Ogre
DOS1986 Origin Systems
High Command: Europe 1939-45
DOS1992 Colorado Computer Creations
Reunion
DOS1994 Dinamic Multimedia
In Reunion, you return to a solar system that’s moved on without you—like showing up to your own birthday party two centuries late. Your mission? Rebuild civilization, survive political drama, and master a UI that seem...
NetStorm: Islands at War
Windows XP/98/951997
Bubble Trouble
Windows XP/98/951998
Here comes another bubble game—but this one packs a punch. Bubble Trouble is a frantic shoot-’em-up where you pop evil bouncing bubbles before they bounce you out of existence. It’s part arcade mayhem, part refle...
Fidelity Chessmaster 2100
DOS1989 The Software Toolworks
Gauntlet
DOS1986 Mindscape
Uridium
DOS1988 Graftgold
Uridium is a classic shoot 'em up video game that was originally developed by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson Consultants in 1986 for various home computer platforms (including MS-DOS). In Uridium, players control a ...
Xenon
DOS1988 Bitmap Brothers
Xenon, released in 1988, was a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by The Bitmap Brothers. Xenon was initially released for the Commodore 64, and later, it was ported to other platforms, including DOS, the ZX Sp...
War in Middle Earth
DOS1989 Synergistic Software
War in Middle-earth is a real-time strategy game developed by Synergistic Software and published by Melbourne House. It was released in 1988 for various platforms including the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC.The game i...
Chess
DOS1981 International PC Owners
UnReal World v. 3.20
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1992freeware
The Magic Candle 3
DOS1992 Mindcraft Software
Challenge of the Five Realms
DOS1992protected MicroProse Software
Alien Syndrome
DOS1989 Sega
Alien Syndrome (1989) is a top-down shooter where you save hostages, shoot aliens, and scream internally because you’re always out of time. It’s frantic arcade action at its finest—like Contra had a baby with Gau...