Games based on a novel sorted by year, newest first
Many classic games were based on books, whether novels or short stories. This literary influence brought rich narratives and intricate worlds to the gaming medium. Some notable examples include "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien, which inspired numerous games that explore Middle-earth's epic battles and complex lore. "Rendezvous with Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke provided a foundation for games that delve into the mysteries of space exploration and alien encounters. "The Mist" by Stephen King led to atmospheric horror games that capture the suspense and terror of the original story.
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Ringworld: Revenge of the Patriarch
DOS1992 Tsunami Media
Conan: the Cimmerian
DOS1991 Synergistic Software
Dragonflight
DOS1991 Thalion
Lone Wolf: The Mirror of Death
DOS1991 Mr. Micro
Megafortress
DOS1991protected Artech Studios
Scrooge
DOS1991 Leisuresoft
Scrooge is an abandoned interactive fiction graphic adventure game developed and released by Leisuresoft in 1991 for DO. Scrooge is based on the popular Christmas tale of the same name.
The Rocketeer
DOS1991 NovaLogic
Circuit's Edge
DOS1990 Westwood Studios
Circuit's Edge is a cyberpunk-themed role-playing game developed by Westwood Associates and published by Infocom. It was released in 1990 for MS-DOS. Set in a dystopian future, Circuit's Edge takes place in the fictional city of R...
Flight of the Intruder
DOS1990 Rowan Software
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I
DOS1990 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 ...
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2
DOS1990 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 Kingd...
Spirit of Excalibur
DOS1990 Synergistic Software
Team Yankee
DOS1990 Oxford Digital Enterprises
The Cardinal of the Kremlin
DOS1990 Capstone Software
The Cardinal of the Kremlin is an abandoned simulation game involving espionage, politics and govern management set in the cold war years. It was designed by Kenneth Rothschild, developed by Capstone and released by IntraCorp...
War of the Lance
DOS1990protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Alice in Wonderland
DOS1989
Step into the rabbit hole - no, really, step carefully, or you’ll glitch right through the floor. Alice in Wonderland (1989, DOS) is a surreal, side-scrolling adventure that loosely follows the Lewis Carroll classic, if Lewi...
Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur
DOS1989 Infocom
Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur is a text adventure with occasional graphics, in which you, the not-yet-king, bumble your way through Camelot trying to prove you’re not just some kid with a weird haircut. The writing is witt...
Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism
DOS1989NSFW Coktel Vision
James Clavell's Shogun
DOS1989 Infocom
James Clavell's Shogun, a text adventure game developed by Infocom and released in 1989. Infocom was known for its interactive fiction games, and "James Clavell's Shogun" was one of its later releases.This text adventure game is b...
Neuromancer
DOS1989 Interplay Productions
The Neuromancer video game, released in 1988 by Interplay Productions, is an adventure/role-playing game loosely based on William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer (1984). It combines elements of science fiction, hackin...
Red Storm Rising
DOS1989 MicroProse Software
Red Storm Rising is a submarine simulation video game developed and published by MicroProse in 1988, based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond. The game is set during a hypothetical World War III scenario, f...
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
DOS1989 KOEI
The Crack of Doom
DOS1989 Beam Software
War in Middle Earth
DOS1989 Synergistic Software
War in Middle-earth is a real-time strategy game developed by Synergistic Software and published by Melbourne House. It was released in 1988 for various platforms including the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC.The game i...
20000 Leagues under the sea
DOS1988 Coktel Vision
Based loosely on Jules Verne’s famous tale, this game lets you live your steampunk submarine dreams with all the elegance of a DOS interface. You command the Nautilus, explore the ocean depths, and encounter strange sea crea...
Dracula in London
DOS1988 SDJ Enterprises
Journey to the Center of the Earth
DOS1988 Chip
The Shadows of Mordor
DOS1988 Beam Software
Dragonriders of Pern
DOS1987 Everlasting
La Abadia del Crimen
DOS1987 Opera Soft
La Abadía del Crimen (The Abbey of Crime) is an action-adventure developed in Spain by Paco Menéndez in the mid-1980s. It was initially created for the Amstrad CPC and later ported to other popular home computer syst...