The most popular abandonware strategy games
Games based on strategy allow for reasoning and planning of one’s moves and actions. The gameplay may be based on player’s turns (Turn-based Strategy) or it may be in real time (Real-Time Strategy, RTS). These games focus on strategy and tactics rather than action, sometimes with the addition of financial or logistic features.
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Core War Plus
DOS1984 real-time tactics
Black Crown
DOS1995 board game
In Black Crown (1995), you play as a prince with a very punchable name, trying to reclaim his rightful throne by solving puzzles and dying a lot. It's one of those DOS-era games where half the difficulty is figuring out which pixe...
Crazy Nick's Parlor Games with Laura Bow
DOS1992 board game
Cyrus
DOS1985 chess
Star Saga: One - Beyond the Boundary
DOS1987 board game
Fort Apache
DOS1992 real-time tactics
Frontline
DOS1990 turn-based tactics, wargame
Deadlock: Planetary Conquest
Windows XP/98/95Windows 3.x1996protected 4x
Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes
DOS1990 wargame, turn-based tactics
In Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes, you’re not just playing a wargame — you’re being handed a clipboard, a stack of orders, and a freezing cold battlefield in 1944. This 1990 DOS title lets you relive one of W...
Global Conquest
DOS1992 board game
UMS 2: Nations at War
DOSMac OS1990 wargame, turn-based tactics
Caesars Palace
DOS1989 cards
More smoke-filled backrooms than a noir film and enough slot machines to trigger déjà vu—Caesars Palace is your low-res Vegas getaway. You're given a pile of chips and left to your vices: blackjack, poker, roul...
The Ancient Art of War in the Skies
DOS1992 real-time strategy, shoot 'em up
Battle for Normandy
DOS1983protected wargame, turn-based tactics
Released in 1983, Battle for Normandy plays less like a game and more like a history book that came alive, donned a helmet, and asked for a coffee. This is wargaming at its purest: grid maps, unit stats, and more abbreviations tha...
Pictionary: The Game of Quick Draw
DOS1989 board game
Battleship
DOS1983 board game
Released in 1983, this is your grandpa’s Battleship—minus the plastic pegs, but with all the tension of blind naval warfare. There are no fancy graphics, no Hollywood explosions, just good old-fashioned "Is it a hit?" ...
Day of the Pharaoh
DOS1989
Encyclopedia of War: Ancient Battles
DOS1988 wargame
La Grande Armee
DOS1991 wargame, turn-based tactics
Decision at Gettysburg
DOS1990 wargame, turn-based tactics
Pacific General
Windows XP/98/951997protected wargame, turn-based tactics
J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan
DOS1997 real-time tactics
Knights of the Desert
DOS1983protected wargame, turn-based tactics
Action in the North Atlantic
DOS1989 naval simulation
If you’ve ever dreamed of commanding a WWII convoy while cold, stressed, and staring at a pixelated radar screen, Action in the North Atlantic (1989, DOS) has you covered. It’s part strategy, part simulation, and all t...
Rings of Medusa
DOS1990 real-time strategy, kingdom simulation
Rings of Medusa is a strategy / RPG developed by the German studio Starbyte Software. It was released in 1989 for various platforms including the Commodore 64, Amiga, and MS-DOS. In Rings of Medusa, players assume the role of...
UFO 2000
Windows 10/11Linux2004freeware turn-based tactics
Dark Reign 2
Windows XP/98/952000protected real-time strategy, real-time tactics
Kampfgruppe
DOS1987protected turn-based tactics, wargame
Super Battleship
DOS1988 board game
4 Queens Computer Casino
DOS1992 cards
This 1992 casino sim for DOS drops you into the neon-soaked carpet jungle of the Four Queens Hotel in Vegas. There’s no plot, no hero’s journey - just you, a digital bankroll, and the cold, soulless eyes of the slot ma...