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).

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Ultima 6: The False Prophet

DOS1990protected Origin Systems

Ultima VI: The False Prophet is a classic RPG released in 1990 by Origin Systems. It’s the sixth main entry in the Ultima series and marks the conclusion of the Age of Enlightenment trilogy. The game was originally developed...

Virtual Pool

DOS1995 Celeris

Civilization 2

Windows XP/98/951996 MicroProse Software

Civilization II is a turn-based strategy game developed by MicroProse and released in 1996. It's the second installment in the "Civilization" series, created by Sid Meier. The game builds upon the concept of its predecessor, Civil...

Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia

Windows XP/98/951999protected New World Computing

Albion

DOSWindows XP/98/951995 Blue Byte Software

Albion is a science fiction role-playing game (RPG) developed and published by German studio Blue Byte Software. It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and later for Amiga. Albion is notable for its blend of traditional RPG eleme...

NHL Hockey

DOS1993 Electronic Arts

Uncover It

DOS1994NSFW

Fantasy General

DOS1996protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Fantasy General is a hex-based turn-based strategy fantasy wargame. The player can duel either against a computer or a human opponent or even take part in a longer campaign. There are two sides to chose from, one good and one evil...

Colonization

DOSWindows 3.xLinuxMac OS1994protected MicroProse Software

Colonization is a turn-based strategy 4x game developed and published by MicroProse in 1994 for DOS, Windows 3.1, Linux and Mac. The setting is the European Colonization of the New World. Colonization gameplay and interface are si...

Ivan 'Iron Man' Stewart's Super Off Road

DOS1990 Leland

Ivan 'Iron Man' Stewart's Super Off Road is an abandoned diagonal-down off-road racing game developed by Leland and released by Virgin Interactive in 1990 for DOS, but also published for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, ZX Spect...

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...

Airborne Ranger

DOS1988 MicroProse Software

Strap in and crawl through the mud - Airborne Ranger (1988) is here to chew bubblegum and infiltrate enemy lines. And it's all out of bubblegum. This tactical action game lets you drop behind enemy territory, blow things up, and l...

Star Control 2

DOS1992protected Toys for Bob

Castle of the Winds

Windows 3.x1993freeware SaadaSoft

Castle of the Winds is a fantasy roguelike role-playing game developed by SaadaSoft in the early 1990s. It was designed for Windows 3.x and is notable for being one of the earliest graphical RPGs for that platform. The game featur...

Dune 2000

Windows XP/98/951998 Westwood Studios

Dune 2000 is an abandoned science fiction classic real-time strategy game based on the popular Dune franchise. The Dune "universe" took form in the books of science fiction writer Frank Herbert and went on to include mov...

Puzznic

DOS1990 Taito

Puzznic is a tile-matching puzzle video game originally developed and published by Taito in 1989 for arcade systems. The goal of Puzznic is to clear a series of levels by aligning matching tiles (blocks) to make them disappea...

Dune II: The building of a dynasty

DOS1992 Westwood Studios

Dune II, released in 1992, is a pioneering real-time strategy game developed by Westwood Studios. Set in the world of Frank Herbert's Dune, players command noble houses in a battle for control over the planet Arrakis. With base-bu...

Bush Buck: Global Treasure Hunter

DOS1991 Pc globe

If Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego had a caffeinated younger cousin, it would be Bush Buck: Global Treasure Hunter. You race around the globe chasing clues, dodging rivals, and learning just enough geography to impress your ...

Hexxagon

DOS1993 Argo Games

Pacific General

Windows XP/98/951997protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Rotox

DOS1991 Creative Materials

Speedball

DOS1988 Bitmap Brothers

Ultima 3: Exodus

DOSMac OS1985 Origin Systems

Ultima III: Exodus is a role-playing video game developed by Richard Garriott and published by Origin Systems. It was released in 1983 for the Apple II and later ported to various other platforms such as the Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ...

Warlords 3: Reign of Heroes

Windows XP/98/951997 SSG Strategic Studies Group

Warlords 3: Reign of Heroes is an abandoned turn-based fantasy strategy game designed by Steve Fawkner, developed by SSG Strategic Studies Group and released by Red Orb Entertainment in 1997 for Windows. Warlords 3: Reign of Heroe...

Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars

DOS1990 id software

Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars is a platform video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software in 1990 as shareware for MS-DOS. The game follows the adventures of an eight-year-old genius named Billy Bl...