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).
navy-seal-02

Navy Seal

DOS19894/5 Cosmi Corporation
pango-02

Pango

DOS1983remake4/5
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Reaping The Dungeon

DOS19934/5 Frontline Software
socrates-chess-03

Socrates

DOS19934/5
sorcerer-lord-01

Sorcerer Lord

DOS19874/5 Personal Software Services
star-general-combo-02

Star General

Windows XP/98/95DOS1996protected4/5 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 players take command of one of five different factions, each vying for control of the galaxy.In Star General, players comman...
birth-of-the-federation-05

Star Trek: Birth of the Federation

Windows XP/98/9519994/5 MicroProse Software
Star Trek: Birth of the Federation is a turn-based strategy video game set in the Star Trek universe. The game was developed by MicroProse Software and published by Infogrames for Windows in 1999. Players take on the role of one of five major Star Trek races: the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, the Ca...
taking-of-beverly-hills-02

The Taking of Beverly Hills

DOS19914/5 Off The Wall Productions
traders-02

Traders

DOS19924/5 Linel
uncover-it-02

Uncover It

DOS1994NSFW4/5
ZAngband-02

ZAngband

WindowsMacDOSLinux1999freeware4/5
Zangband is a variant of the popular roguelike game Angband. Zangband, short for Zelazny Angband, was developed by Chris Weisiger and first released in 1994. The game features a fantasy world with diverse races, classes, and monsters. Players explore dungeons, caves, and other environments in a quest to reach the bottom level of the dungeon, d...
lordrings1-2

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I

DOS19904/5 Interplay Productions
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I is an abandoned fantasy top-down DOS RPG game set in the The Lord of the Rings universe. The Lord of the Rings I was developed and released by Interplay Productions in 1990. The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I is based on the popular The Lord Of The Rings book by J.R.R. Tolkien and it's focused on the f...
pizza-tycoon-5

Pizza Tycoon

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinuxMac1994protected4/5 Software 2000
angband-03

Angband

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1992freeware4/5
dungeon-crawl-dos-03

Dungeon Crawl

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1997freeware4/5
Dungeon Crawl (also known as Linley's Dungeon Crawl from the name of the original programmer: Linley Henzell) is a classic roguelike: an RPG with permadeath, procedural generation and high replayability. Dungeon Crawl was released on 1997 but it's not maintained anymore. The spiritual successr of Crawl is DCCS (Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup).
piratesg_006

Pirates! Gold

DOSWindows 3.xMac1993protectedremakedemo4/5 MicroProse Software
Pirates! Gold is an open world game designed by Paul Murphy, developed and released by MicroProse Software in 1993 for DOS, Windows 3.x, Mac and also Sega Genesis and Amiga CD32. Pirates! Gold is a remake of the game Pirates, created by Sid Meier in 1987. Pirates! Gold gameplay is a unique mix of action, strategy, pirate life simulation, ...
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Wizard's Crown

DOS1987protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2

DOS19904/5 KOEI
Romance of the Three Kingdoms II is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by Koei. It was released in 1989 for various platforms, including the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), MS-DOS.In Romance of the Three Kingdoms II, players take on the role of a ruler during this period, and their objective is to unify China under their rule. ...
simlife-2

SimLife

DOSMacWindows 3.x19924/5 Maxis
SimLife is an abandoned simulation game focused on managing a ecosystems and experimenting with genetics. SimLife was designed by Ken Karakotsios, developed and released by Maxis in 1992 for DOS and later also published for Macintosh, Amiga, Windows 3.x and Amiga.
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Commander Keen 4: Secret of the Oracle

DOS1991protected4/5 id software
escapefromhell-1

Escape from Hell

DOS19904/5 Electronic Arts
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Lords of the Realm

DOSWindows XP/98/951994protected4/5 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.
nectaris-5

Nectaris

DOS19954/5 Hudson soft
rampart-3

Rampart

DOS19924/5 Atari
Rampart is an abandoned mix of strategy and shooter game designed by Dave Ralston and John Salwitz, developed by Atari and released by Electronic Arts in 1992 for DOS. Rampart was converted from the original arcade version to a number of platforms, including Amiga, Atari ST, C64, Game Boy, Genesis, Lynx, NES, SEGA Master System, SNES. Rampart is a ...
starcommand-4

Star Command

DOS1988protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
chess88-1

Chess88

DOS19844/5
siege-06

Siege

DOS19924/5 Mindcraft Software
roadwar2000-3

Roadwar 2000

DOS1987protected4/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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Amberstar

DOS19924/5 Thalion
Amberstar is a fantasy old school RPG very similar to Ultima 6 that uses a top-down view for interiors and small locations and a first person pseudo 3D view for everything else. Unfortunately, the sequel (called Ambermoon) was available for Amiga only and no version existed for DOS or Windows. Amberstar was developed and published by Thalion for DO...