The best abandonware action games
Action video games are a genre of video games that emphasize physical challenges, hand-eye coordination, and reaction time. These games typically involve fast-paced gameplay, where players control a character who must navigate through a dynamic environment filled with obstacles, enemies, and other challenges. The primary focus is on the player's ability to react quickly and make split-second decisions.
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Bubble Pop
DOS1997 platform
The name screams “budget shareware,” and Bubble Pop delivers. It’s the digital equivalent of popping bubble wrap, except someone decided it needed high scores and obnoxious MIDI music. You click. Things pop. You ...
Bunny Bricks
DOS1993 baseball, block breaker
In Bunny Bricks, you play as a rabbit in sunglasses who decides that breaking bricks with a paddle and ball is the most logical response to a kidnapped pet. It's Arkanoid meets Saturday morning cartoons, complete with absurd enemi...
Horror Zombies from the Crypt
DOS1990 platform
Horror Zombies from the Crypt is a platform game released in 1990 by Millennium Interactive for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS platforms. The game is heavily inspired by 1950s horror movies, both in atmosphere and design, offerin...
Luigi and Spaghetti
DOS1992 platform
Mighty Bomb Jack
DOS1990 platform
PC*Bert
DOS1997freeware
Push-Push Penguin
Windows XP/98/95Windows 10/112004freewareremake maze
Push-Push Penguin is an expanded version of the classic Sega's 1982 arcade game Pengo, incorporating features like power-ups, a combo system, and a more diverse array of enemies, breathing new life into Sega's original concept. Ac...
Super Pac-Man
DOS1982 maze
Thexder
DOS1987 platform
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
DOS1989 platform
Street Fighter
DOS1988 fighting
Bert and the Snake
DOS1983remake
In Bert and the Snake, you are Bert. And yes, there's a snake. That’s the plot. It’s a maze game from a time when naming conventions were refreshingly honest and graphics were aggressively square. You guide your little...
Bushido
DOS1983 beat 'em up
Step into feudal Japan with Bushido, a game that tries to simulate samurai life on a machine barely capable of rendering a convincing circle. Still, there’s something charming in its ambition. You duel, you train, you try to...
Beats of Rage
DOS2003freeware beat 'em up
Beats of Rage is what happens when fans of Streets of Rage decide to stop waiting for Sega and just build their own game—with a side of King of Fighters for flavor. This DOS beat 'em up is so full of punches, kicks, and pixe...
The Castle of Dr. Malvado
DOS2001 platform
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
DOS1989 platform
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is an arcade game released in 1989 by Konami. It is based on the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The game was initially released as a coin-operated arcade game and later adapted ...
Zool 2
DOS1994 platform
The ninja ant is back—and this time, he brought a friend. Zool 2 doubles down on the sugar-fueled mayhem of the first game with more levels, more enemies, and even more inexplicable candy-based architecture. Choose between Z...
Inner Worlds
DOSLinux1996 platform
Xenocide
DOS1990
Epic Pinball
DOSMac OS1993protected pinball
James Pond 2: Codename: RoboCod
DOS1993 platform
Marble Madness
DOS1987
Marble Madness is an abandoned isometric action game designed by Mark Cerny and originally published by Atari as a successful and iconic arcade game. It was later converted for many platform in 1986 and for IBM PCs in 1987 by Atar...
3-Demon
DOS1983 maze
3-Demon from 1983 is basically Pac-Man with a taste for LSD. You’re in a first-person maze, munching dots while glowing ghosts try to ruin your day. It’s surprisingly creepy, probably because everything is neon and mov...
Frogger Jr.
DOS1984
Crime Wave
DOS1990 beat 'em up
Pinball Magic
DOS1990 pinball
Ninja Gaiden
DOS1990 beat 'em up
Ninja Gaiden, released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and later to other platforms, is a side-scrolling action-platformer developed by Tecmo. It follows the story of Ryu Hayabusa, a skilled ninja on a quest fo...
Sango Fighter
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1993freeware fighting
Spiritual Warfare
DOS1993protected maze, JRPG
Ant Attack!
DOS1994freeware maze
Released in 1994 (long after it originally debuted on other platforms), Ant Attack! is what you get when you mix isometric graphics, giant ants, and questionable urban planning. You play a brave soul navigating a crumbling city to...