Abandonware DOS title

The most popular action puzzle games

Action puzzle games are a hybrid genre that combine elements of both action and puzzle games, requiring players to manipulate a character or solve problems within a real-time environment. Unlike traditional puzzle games that often allow for careful, turn-based thinking, action puzzle games demand quick reflexes and fast decision-making.
These games often involve navigating characters through obstacle-filled environments (thing about puzzle platformers). The core gameplay still revolves around problem-solving, but it’s layered with the intensity and pacing typically found in action titles.
super-zzt-05

Super ZZT

DOS1992 Epic MegaGames
beauty-and-the-beast-02

Beauty and the Beast

DOS1992 Infogrames
This isn’t Disney’s musical fairytale—it’s a DOS game, which means Beauty and the Beast is way more "puzzle platformer" than "tale as old as time." You play as the Beast, leaping around levels, solving very...
locomotion-splash

Locomotion

DOS1992 Prestige Softwareentwicklung
donaldalphabet-2

Donald's Alphabet Chase

DOS1988 Westwood Studios
nerm-bemer-01

Nerm of Bemer

DOS1984 COMPUTE! Publications
lemmings-chronicles-03

All New World of Lemmings

DOS1994 DMA Design
Released in 1994, All New World of Lemmings gives our suicidal little friends a new lease on life... and new outfits! The puzzles are tougher, the graphics are cleaner, and the frustration level? Sky high. But it’s all part ...
cloud-kingdoms-05

Cloud Kingdoms

DOS1990 Logotron
contraption-zack-02

Contraption Zack

DOS1992 Presage Software
boulder-dash-construction-kit-04

Boulder Dash Construction Kit

DOS1987 First Star Software
Boulder Dash Construction Kit is both a full game and a level editor, built around the gameplay mechanics of the original Boulder Dash (1984). You still play as Rockford, the pixelated, googly-eyed spelunker, digging through caves...
daffy-duck-pi-02

Daffy Duck PI: The Case of the Missing Letters

DOS1991 Riedel Software Productions
zzt-splash

ZZT

DOS1991freeware Epic MegaGames
ZZT (1991, DOS) looks like it was drawn by an enthusiastic ASCII artist with too much time and not enough colors. And yet, it’s brilliant. Part action game, part puzzle adventure, part game creation tool, ZZT is the reason s...
nevermind-splash

Never mind

DOS1989 Psygnosis
tinyskweeks-splash

Tiny Skweeks

DOS1992 Kalisto Entertainment
boulderdash2-3

Boulder Dash 2: Rockford's Revenge

DOS1985 First Star Software
Boulder Dash II is the sequel to the original Boulder Dash game. It was released in 1985 and follows the same basic gameplay mechanics as its predecessor while introducing new levels and features. In Boulder Dash II, players once ...
robbo-02

Robbo

DOS1993freeware xLand Games
guldkorn-splash

Guldkorn Expressen

DOS1991 SilverRock productions
archipelagos-title

Archipelagos

DOS1989 Astral Software
Archipelagos is like a fever dream after watching too much Myst. You’re dropped onto strange, floating islands inhabited by stone monoliths and evil terrain-infecting sludge. Your job? Purify the land by destroying said mono...
black-hole-02

Black Hole

DOS1993
Black Hole (1993) is a space shooter where you're thrown into the gravitational madness of, you guessed it, a black hole. The physics are wild, the enemies are relentless, and you’ll wonder if Newtonian mechanics were writte...
litil-divil-02

Litil Divil

DOS1993protected Gremlin Graphics / Gremlin Interactive
light-corridor-04

The Light Corridor

DOS1990 Infogrames
ohnomorelemmings-4

Oh no! More Lemmings

DOS1991 DMA Design
holidaylemmings-1

Holiday Lemmings

DOS1993 DMA Design
Lemmings was one of the most iconic puzzle games ever made. It was also one of the most inventive. The idea behind those tiny furred punk suicidal rodents is truly a stroke of genius. Not surprisingly, after the huge success of th...
thomas-tank-engine-1-03

Thomas the Tank Engine

DOS1992 Peakstar Software
sink-or-swim-05

Sink or Swim

DOS1993 Zeppelin Games
oils-well-02

Oil's Well

DOS1984 Sierra On-Line
Oil's Well is an action-puzzle game released by Sierra On-Line in 1983/84. It was originally made for platforms like the Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS, but was later ported to other systems. The game is set in an...
mario-time-machine-01

Mario's Time Machine

DOS1993 The Software Toolworks
nanotank-3x-03

Nanotank

Windows 3.x1993
thomas-tank-engine-2-03

Thomas the Tank Engine 2

DOS1993 Peakstar Software
paganitzu-03

Paganitzu

DOS1991protected Apogee Software
Paganitzu is a classic puzzle-adventure game released in 1991 by Apogee Software. Set in an ancient pyramid, the game follows the exploits of its protagonist, Alabama Smith, who must navigate through a series of increasingly compl...
clyde-revenge-04

Clyde's Revenge

DOS1995freeware Moonlite Software