The best abandonware action-adventure games
Action-adventure video games combine elements of both the action and adventure genres, offering a mix of fast-paced gameplay and exploration within a narrative-driven context. These games often feature a central storyline, character development, and a world for players to explore. The genre encompasses a broad range of gameplay styles and settings.
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Castle master 2
DOS1990 first-person action-adventure
Alone in the Dark
DOS1992protected third-person action-adventure
Step into the polygonal shoes of Edward Carnby (or Emily Hartwood, if you're feeling bold) in Alone in the Dark, the grandfather of survival horror games. Released in 1992 for DOS, it throws you into a haunted mansion filled with wobbly monsters, creepy ambiance, and tank controls that feel like you're steering a refrigerator through a minefield. B...
Little Big Adventure 2 (Twinsen's Odyssey)
DOSWindows XP/98/951997protected isometric action-adventure
The Great Escape
DOS1986protected isometric action-adventure
As a prisoner of war, you must find a way to escape a prison in Germany in 1942. The prisoner has a daily routine which will follow if not controlled by the player for a certain amount of time.
Castle Wolfenstein
DOS1984 maze
Grand Theft Auto
DOSWindows XP/98/951997 racing: car
In Grand Theft Auto the player takes the role of a criminal who can freely roam around the city (Liberty City) completing tasks for the local mobs: stealing cars, killing pedestrians, all of it while avoiding the police and the army. The freedom of gameplay and the "I'm the bad guy" appeal of the game made the Grand Theft Auto series very popular.
Grand Theft Auto 2
Windows XP/98/951999 racing: car
Grand Theft Auto 2 is the second chapter in the successful Grand Theft Auto series. GTA 2 is an abandoned top-down action-adventure / driving hybrid game developed by DMA Design and released by Rockstar Games in 1999 for various platforms, including PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Color. GTA2 is set in a fictional city called "Any...
Tomb Raider
DOS1996protected third-person action-adventure
Framed
DOS1995 platform
Castle Adventure
DOS1984freeware interactive fiction, dungeon crawl
D/Generation
DOS1991 isometric action-adventure
Batman: the Caped Crusader
DOS1988
Half comic book, half arcade game, Batman: The Caped Crusader (1988) offers a delightfully weird aesthetic with its paneled visual style and pulp serial vibe. You’ll punch, puzzle-solve, and generally Batman your way through the Penguin and Joker's nonsense. The game plays like a noir graphic novel with an 8-bit accent. Bonus: Batman’s ...
La Abadia del Crimen
DOS1987 isometric action-adventure
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 systems of the time, such as the ZX Spectrum and MSX. The game was released in 1987.
Castle master
DOS1990 first-person action-adventure
Beyond Castle Wolfenstein
DOS1985 maze
Before Doomguy started ripping and tearing, there was Beyond Castle Wolfenstein. A stealth game where sneaking is mandatory, disguises are fashionable, and stabbing Nazis is encouraged. It’s the sequel to Castle Wolfenstein, and ups the ante with more guards, more keys, and more reasons to panic when your pass doesn’t work. It’s l...
Fantastic Dizzy
DOS1994 platform
Feud
DOS1988 maze
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Windows XP/98/951999protected third-person action-adventure
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is an action-adventure game released in 1999, developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It’s the second game in the Legacy of Kain series. The game is set in the world of Nosgoth, a gothic realm dominated by vampires. The protagonist, Raziel, is a vampire lieutenant under the rule of th...
Rusty
DOS1993 metroidvania, platform
Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon
DOS1988freeware
Veil of Darkness
DOS1993protected isometric action-adventure
Dizzy
DOS1987 platform
Asterix: Operation Getafix
DOS1989
Operation Getafix (1989) is what happens when you turn a beloved comic series into a game with the precision of a wild boar wearing gloves. You play as Asterix on a quest to help Getafix the druid recover his memory and his recipe for the magic potion. What follows is a mix of puzzle-solving and mini-games that will leave you both confused and oddl...
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
DOS1990
Based on the film that made air guitar cool (briefly), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is a time-traveling puzzler where history class meets stoner logic. Gather historical figures, survive bizarre puzzles, and pray that your keyboard shortcuts are more righteous than bogus. Totally excellent if you're into 8-bit Plato and medieval mini-games.
System Shock
DOS1994protected first-person shooter, action RPG, first-person action-adventure
Castlevania
DOS1990 metroidvania, platform
Castlevania, originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, was developed and published by Konami. The game was known in Japan as Akumajo Dracula (Devil's Castle Dracula) and was later renamed Castlevania for its North American release. In Castlevania, players take on the role of Simon Belmont, a vampire hunter from the Bel...
Alone in the Dark 2
DOS1993protected third-person action-adventure
The sequel no one expected takes our trench-coated hero from gothic horror to gangster ghost story. Yes, Alone in the Dark 2 (1993, DOS) swaps Lovecraftian horror for Tommy guns and pirates - because why not? The combat’s a bit like slap-fighting with broomsticks, and the puzzles could drive a monk to madness, but the charm is in the chaos. I...
Tomb Raider II
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1997protected third-person action-adventure
Heroes of the Lance
DOS1989protected
Captain Blood
DOSMac OS1988 space exploration
Captain Blood is a space exploration video game released in 1988. It was developed by the French company ERE Informatique, and it was designed by Philippe Ulrich and Didier Bouchon.The game is set in a futuristic universe, where players take on the role of Captain Blood, a human abducted by an alien race known as the Thiiny. The gameplay revolves a...