Abandonware DOS title

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).
hillstreetblues-2

Hill Street Blues

DOS1991 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. ...
uridium-2

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 ...
knightmare-2

Knightmare

DOS1986 Konami
batalia-splash

Batalia

DOS1986 The Right Brothers
Batalia (1986) is what happens when war games and spreadsheet programs fall in love. This early DOS strategy title throws you into tactical battles with graphics that would struggle to impress a calculator. But don’t be fool...
amaze-01

A-Maze

DOS1989 New Era Software
If you’ve ever thought, “What if Pac-Man got lost in a modernist art gallery?”, then A-Maze is your oddly specific dream come true. Released in 1989 for DOS, this game is a labyrinthine puzzle fest where the grap...
actionfighter-splash

Action Fighter

DOS1989 Sega
Action Fighter (1989, DOS) is Sega’s way of saying, “Why choose between car chases and aerial dogfights when you can have both?” You start in a motorcycle, grab some power-ups, and suddenly you’re flying a ...
tower-assault-03

Alien Breed: Tower Assault

DOS1994protected Team 17
Alien Breed: Tower Assault (1994) takes everything you loved about the original - creepy corridors, limited ammo, sudden death - and adds something revolutionary for the time: non-linear level design. That's right, you can now die...
vvictoryjuno-4

V for victory: Gold-Juno-Sword

DOS1993protected Atomic Games
allan-border-cricket-01

Allan Border's Cricket

DOS1993 Audiogenic
In Allan Border’s Cricket (1993), you get to live the thrill of... waiting. A lot. But when the action kicks in, it’s surprisingly engaging. Named after the Australian cricket legend, the game offers realistic mechanic...
lordsoftherealm-1

Lords of the Realm

DOSWindows XP/98/951994protected Impressions Games
Lords of the Realm is top-down kingdom simulation game set in medieval Europe (England and Germany), designed by Christopher J. Foster and David Lester, developed by Impressions Games and released 1994 for DOS, Windows and Amiga.
alien-syndrome-07

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...
microprose-soccer-05

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...
zoom-02

Zoom!

DOS1988
Zoom! is a puzzle game that desperately wants to be cool. You're a sunglasses-wearing smiley face cruising down psychedelic gridlines while dodging blobs and filling in tiles like Tron on a budget. It’s fast, weird, and occa...
time-bandit-08

Time Bandit

DOS1989 MichTron
Time Bandit is a classic top-down arcade-style video game that was released in 1982 for various home computer systems, such as the Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, and others. It was developed by MichTron. In Time Bandit, players contro...
castle-adventure-04

Castle Adventure

DOS1984freeware
Castle Adventure is what happens when a medieval fantasy RPG gets crammed into a game smaller than your average selfie. ASCII graphics? Check. Typing commands like “GET SWORD”? Oh yes. It’s part game, part digita...
hi-command-03

High Command: Europe 1939-45

DOS1992 Colorado Computer Creations
mageslayer-07

Mageslayer

Windows XP/98/951997 Raven Software
Mageslayer is an action game developed by Raven Software and published by GT Interactive in 1997 for MS-DOS. It stands out as a top-down, hack-and-slash dungeon crawler inspired by games like Gauntlet, but with an original fantasy...
chaos-engine-05

The Chaos Engine

DOS1994protected Bitmap Brothers
incursion-04

Incursion

Windows 10/11LinuxMac OS2007freeware
windwalker-1

Windwalker (Moebius 2)

DOS1989 Origin Systems
pac-girl-splash

Pac-girl

DOS1982 Magicom Multimedia
icon-ring-04

ICON: Quest for the Ring

DOS1984 Macrocom
fastfooddizzy-2

Fast Food Dizzy

DOS1989 Codemasters
lawnmover-splash

Lawn Mower

DOS1987
roadwareuropa-1

Roadwar Europa

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
nobungasambition-3

Nobunaga's Ambition

DOS1988 KOEI
raiden-05

Raiden

DOS1994 Seibu Kaihatsu Inc.
Raiden is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu and first released in arcades in 1990 and later for many home computers and consoles. Raiden follows the classic vertical scrolling shoot 'em up f...
wayne-gretzky-hockey-splash

Wayne Gretzky Hockey

DOS1989 Bethesda Softworks
lost-adventures-kroz-splash

Lost Adventures of Kroz

DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
astro-dodge-1

Astro Dodge

DOS1982 Digital Marketing Corporation
Astro Dodge (1982) is basically Frogger — in space. You control a tiny spacecraft tasked with dodging endless waves of meteors, space debris, and possibly your own questionable life choices. There’s no shooting, no exp...