The best abandonware vehicle simulation games
Vehicle simulation games put the player right in the pilot’s seat, for an immersive and realistic game experience. Vehicles can be cars, airplanes, spaceships, or tanks. Simulation is often based on details in order to augment realism, like full-features dashboards, controls, gauges, and indicators.
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Aces of the deep
DOS1994 naval simulation, submarine simulation
Ever wanted to experience the grim, claustrophobic life of a WWII submarine captain without leaving your desk? Aces of the Deep (1994, DOS) delivers that dream in spades — torpedoes, sonar, periscopes, and lots of tense waiting. It’s haunting, quiet, and deeply strategic, like chess played underwater with depth charges. If you’re ...
1942: The Pacific Air War
DOS1994protected flight simulation
This one’s a flight sim for people who think Top Gun didn’t have enough fuel gauges. 1942: The Pacific Air War puts you in the cockpit of World War II fighter planes, complete with dials, switches, and enough acronyms to confuse a NASA engineer. The dogfights are intense, the strategy is deep, and landing your plane without crashing fee...
Aces of the Pacific
DOS1992 flight simulation
Aces of the Pacific (1992, DOS) takes to the skies over WWII’s Pacific Theater, where you can dogfight in legendary aircraft and prove your piloting prowess — or spin into the sea with style. The graphics are dated, but the ambition was sky-high. You’ll battle Zeros, manage fuel, and wonder how pilots did any of this without save ...
F-15 Strike Eagle III
DOS1992 flight simulation
F-15 Strike Eagle III is a combat flight simulation video game released in 1992. It was developed by MicroProse and is the third installment in the F-15 Strike Eagle series. The game was designed for various computer platforms of that era, including MS-DOS and Amiga. F-15 Strike Eagle 3 is a military flight simulation that puts playe...
Heroes of the 357th
DOS1992 flight simulation
Apache Longbow
DOSWindows XP/98/951995protected flight simulation, helicopter simulation
Step into the cockpit of the Apache Longbow, a 1995 combat flight simulator where you’ll experience the thrilling sensation of trying to figure out keyboard controls before getting shot down by invisible enemies. It's a serious military sim for serious joystick enthusiasts, or anyone who’s ever yelled, “I am the sky god!” be...
F-16 Combat Pilot
DOS1989 flight simulation
Gunship 2000
DOS1991 helicopter simulation, flight simulation
Ka-50 Hokum
DOS1995 naval simulation
F-19 Stealth Fighter
DOS1988protected flight simulation
Metaltech: Earthsiege
DOS1994 mech simulation
F-15 Strike Eagle II
DOS1989 flight simulation
Orbiter
DOSMac OS1986 realistic space simulation, space simulation
Silent Service 2
DOSMac OS1990protected submarine simulation
F-22 Lightning 2
DOS1996 flight simulation
The Train Escape to Normandy
DOS1988protected
Dark Horizons Lore: Invasion
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux2004freeware first-person shooter, mech simulation
Battlehawks 1942
DOS1988 flight simulation
Welcome to the skies of World War II, where dogfights are fast, fuel is low, and you probably forgot to raise your landing gear. Battlehawks 1942 (1988) is a flight sim with just enough realism to make you sweat and just enough arcade to keep it fun. Missions are intense, planes explode spectacularly, and there's something very satisfying about yel...
F-14 Tomcat
DOS1990 flight simulation
Thunderhawk AH-73M
DOS1992 flight simulation
Gunship
DOS1986demo helicopter simulation, flight simulation
F29 Retaliator
DOS1990protected flight simulation
Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space
DOS1993 board game, realistic space simulation, space simulation
A320 Airbus
DOS1993 civilian flight simulation, flight simulation
Released in 1993 for DOS, A320 Airbus is less “Top Gun” and more “Intro to Aeronautical Bureaucracy.” It’s a flight simulator so realistic, even real pilots needed a manual. You’ll experience the thrill of pre-flight checklists, taxiing, and trying to not crash because you missed a single digit in your descent ra...
Star Trek: Starfleet Command
Windows XP/98/951999protected space combat, space simulation
Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon
DOS1987 realistic space simulation, space exploration
Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon (1987) lets you relive the lunar missions in all their... spreadsheet-like glory. This game is as educational as it is punishing; you’ll learn about thrust vectors, fuel efficiency, and your tolerance for failure. Spoiler alert: one wrong number and you’re plummeting into the Moon like a space-themed bowli...
Blue Max: Aces of the Great War
DOS1990protected flight simulation
Forget missiles—Blue Max: Aces of the Great War takes you back to when air combat meant leather helmets, canvas wings, and a healthy fear of gravity. Released in 1990 for DOS, it’s a flight sim that drops you into WWI’s dogfights with all the grace of a brick wearing goggles. You’ll shoot down Fokkers, dodge anti-air fire, a...
Flying Corps
DOSWindows 3.x1997protected flight simulation
Knights of the Sky
DOS1990protected flight simulation
Team Yankee
DOS1990 tank simulation