Abandonware DOS title

The best grid-based games

Grid-based movement in video games refers to a movement system where characters or objects can only move along a predefined grid or set of discrete positions. The game world is divided into a grid, composed of squares or tiles, and the movement is typically restricted to the cardinal directions (up, down, left, and right).

Grid-based movement has been widely used in various types of games, including turn-based strategy games, role-playing games (RPGs), and tactical games. This movement system allows for precise positioning and strategic planning, as the player must consider the grid layout and plan their movements accordingly.
One of the advantages of grid-based movement is that it simplifies navigation and collision detection, as the game engine can easily determine valid movement paths and detect collisions with other objects on the grid.

ancients2-approaching-evil-02

Ancients 2: Approaching Evil

DOS1994 Farr-Ware Software
mech-brigade-03

Mech Brigade

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
hiredguns-6

Hired Guns

DOS1993 DMA Design
Hired Guns is an abandoned game developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in 1993 for DOS and Amiga platforms. Hired Guns is a sci-fi RPG in which you control four mercenaries in four individual simultaneous first person sub-screens tasked with destroying all the bad guys from a single planet.
ZAngband-02

ZAngband

Windows 10/11Mac OSDOSLinux1999freeware
Zangband is a variant of the popular roguelike game Angband. Zangband, short for Zelazny Angband, was developed by Chris Weisiger and first released in 1994. The game features a fantasy world with diverse races, classes, and monsters. Players explore dungeons, caves, and other environments in a quest to reach the bottom level of the dungeon, d...
supaplex-5

Supaplex

DOS1991freeware Think!Ware Development
Supaplex is a classic puzzle game released in 1991 by Think!Ware Development for MS-DOS and Amiga. It is heavily inspired by Boulder Dash but introduces more complex mechanics. In Supaplex, you control a red, Pac-Man-like character named Murphy, who navigates through maze-like levels filled with obstacles, enemies, and hazards. Your main objec...
championskrynn-1

Champions of Krynn

DOS1990protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
unlimited-adventures-09

Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures

DOSMac OS1993protected MicroMagic
After publishing a plethora of Gold Box titles, SSI decided to release a fantasy RPG based on the Forgotten Realms scenarios of Dungeons & Dragons where the player could create its own adventures. Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures (FRUA) is the ultimate Gold Box RPG and received praise from everyone who played it. If you loved Dark Knights ...
poolradiance-5

Pool of Radiance

DOSMac OS1988protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
timesoflore-4

Times of Lore

DOS1989 Origin Systems
Times of Lore is an abandoned action RPG designed by Chris Roberts, developed and released by Origin Systems in 1989 for DOS and many more 8 bit and 16 bit platforms. Compared to Ultima (the much more popular franchise also by Origin) Times of Lore is a washed down RPG, more similar to a NES game. In fact, Roberts was inspired by The Legend of Zelda.
circuitsedge-2

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 Rhoes Island, a dark and gritty urban landscape filled with crime, corruption, and advanced technology. Players take on t...
treasuresfrontier-1

Treasures of the Savage Frontier

DOS1992protected Stormfront Studios
gatewayfrontier-2

Gateway to the Savage Frontier

DOS1991protected Stormfront Studios
bardstale1-splash

The Bard's Tale

DOS1987 Interplay Productions
The Bard's Tale: Tales of the Unknown was developed by Interplay Productions and published by Electronic Arts for DOS and other systems. The game takes place in the fictional city of Skara Brae, which is overrun by monsters and under the control of the evil wizard Mangar the Dark. Your goal as the player is to assemble a party of adventurers t...
magiccandle-1

The Magic Candle

DOS1989 Mindcraft Software
The Magic Candle: Volume 1 is the first chapter of a series of fantasy old school RPGs. The Magic Candle was developed and released by Mindcraft Software in 1989 for DOS but was also published for Apple II and Commodore 64. The whole Magic Candle series is very similar to some of the early Ultima games in every aspect: turn-based combat, top-down v...
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UnReal World v. 3.20

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1992freeware
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Ragnarok

DOS1993freeware Gray Design Associates
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Exile: Escape from the Pit

Windows XP/98/95Mac OSWindows 3.x1995freeware Spiderweb Software
Exile: Escape from the Pit is a turn-based role-playing game (RPG) developed by Spiderweb Software. It is part of the Exile series, originally released in the mid-1990s. This game was later remade and re-released as Avernum: Escape from the Pit. The game is set in a massive underground world called Exile, where the Empire banishes criminals, p...
mm-world-of-xeen-06

Might and Magic: World of Xeen

DOSMac OS1994protecteddemo New World Computing
Might and Magic: World of Xeen is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) released in 1994, which is a combination of two games: Clouds of Xeen and Darkside of Xeen. These games were part of the Might and Magic series, a franchise of RPGs developed by New World Computing. World of Xeen represents the merging of these two games into a single, interconnect...
planetsedge-8

Planet's Edge

DOS1991protected New World Computing
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Might and Magic 3: Isles of Terra

DOS1991protected New World Computing
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Death Knights of Krynn

DOS1991protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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Whale's Voyage

DOS1993 neo Software Produktions
Whale's Voyage is an abandoned science fiction first-person view party-based RPG, developed by neo Software Produktions and released by Pro One Software in 1993. Whale's Voyage is currently abandonware and it was published for PC (DOS) and Amiga.
mightmagic2-splash

Might and Magic 2: Gates to Another World

DOS1988 New World Computing
Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World is a classic role-playing video game developed and published by New World Computing. It was originally released in 1988 for various home computer platforms, including the Apple II, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64. The game is part of the long-running Might and Magic series and is known for its deep gameplay, and ...
2400ad-4

2400 A.D.

DOS1988 Origin Systems
buckrogersmatrix-05

Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed

DOS1992protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is a CRPG developed by SSI Strategic Simulations Inc. and released in 1992 for DOS only. Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is the sequel to Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday and it's based on a campaign setting created by TSR in the late 80s. The game uses the Gold Box engine, common to much of the RPGs developed by SSI.
ultima1-3

Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness

DOS1987 Origin Systems
Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness is a seminal role-playing video game developed by Richard Garriott and released by California Pacific Computer Company in 1981. It is the first game in the long-running and influential Ultima series. Initially released for the Apple II, it was later ported to various platforms including DOS, Commodore 64, At...
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221B Baker Street

DOS1986 Datasoft
221B Baker Street is a turn-based strategy strategy game developed by Datasoft. 221B Baker Street is base on the tabletop game of the same name "221B Baker Street" and it plays in a very similar way, with dices, etc.
empire-deluxe-07

Empire Deluxe

DOSWindows 3.x1993 White Wolf Productions
Empire Deluxe is a classic turn-based strategy game that was originally released in the early 1990s. Developed by Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky of White Wolf Productions and published by New World Computing, it is a successor to the game Empire, which was created by Walter Bright in the late 1970s. The game is set on a world map, where pl...
escapefromhell-splash

Escape from Hell

DOS1990 Electronic Arts