Top-down perspective sorted by release date

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

Grand Theft Auto 2

action-adventureWindows XP/98/95

Top down games

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M.U.D.S. - Mean Ugly Dirty Sport

DOS19904/5 Golden Goblins
MacArthur's War

DOS19903.9/5 SSG Strategic Studies Group
Megatraveller 1: the Zhodani conspiracy

DOS19903.9/5 Paragon Software
Mystical

DOS1990protected3.5/5 Infogrames
North and South

DOS19904.2/5 Infogrames
Number Munchers

DOS19903.5/5 MECC
Panzer Battles

DOS19903.1/5 SSG Strategic Studies Group
Pinball Magic

DOS19903.9/5 Loriciels
Puzznic

DOS19904.2/5 Taito
Railroad Tycoon

DOSMac1990freeware4.1/5 MicroProse Software
Renegade Legion Interceptor

DOS1990protected4.3/5 SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Return to Kroz

DOS1990freeware3.1/5 Apogee Software
Rings of Medusa

DOS19903.9/5 Starbyte Software
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2

DOS19904/5 KOEI
Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye

Windows 3.xMac19902.8/5 Activision
SimEarth

DOSWindows 3.x19904.3/5 Maxis

SimEarth is a simulation in which you can shape and mold a planet in almost every way you can imagine. In SimEarth our planet is simulated as a whole: life, climate, atmosphere are all aspects of a single Gaia-like Earth. SimEarth can be played in two modes: game and experimental. In game mode, you have to to develop (and preserve) Earth with limit...
Sito Pons 500cc Grand Prix

DOS19904/5 Zigurat Software
Ski or Die

DOS19904/5 Electronic Arts
Soviet

DOS19904/5 Opera Soft
Space 1889

DOS19904/5 Paragon Software

Space 1889 is an abandoned top down RPG developed by Paragon Software and released in 1990 for DOS, Atari ST and Amiga. Space 1889 setting is classic science fiction, but is set in the Victorian. It's worth noting that Space 1889 is loosely based on the tabletop game of the same name.
Spirit of Excalibur

DOS19903.8/5 Synergistic Software
Star Control

DOS1990protected3.9/5 Toys for Bob
Stratego

DOS19903.3/5 Accolade
Temple of Kroz

DOS1990freeware3.8/5 Apogee Software
The Final Crusade of Kroz

DOS1990freeware3.7/5 Apogee Software
The Global Dilemma: Guns or Butter

DOS19903.8/5 Mindscape
Trog

DOS19904.3/5 Midway Manufacturing Company
Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan

DOS19904.2/5 New World Computing
TV Sports: Basketball

DOS1990freeware4.1/5 Cinemaware
Ultima 6: The False Prophet

DOS1990protected4.2/5 Origin Systems