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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Lords of the Realm

DOSWindows XP/98/951994protected Impressions Games

Lords of the Realm is top-down kingdom simulation game set in medieval Europe (England and Germany), designed by Christopher J. Foster and David Lester, developed by Impressions Games and released 1994 for DOS, Windows and Amiga.

Nectaris

DOS1995 Hudson soft

5th Fleet

DOS1994

Austerlitz 1805

DOS1989 Cornerstone Software

Dark Reign 2

Windows XP/98/952000protected Pandemic Studios

The Ancient Art of War

DOS1984 Evryware

The Ancient Art of War is a classic video game that was released in the late 1980s. Developed by Evryware and published by Broderbund, it was available on various platforms, including Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, and MS-DOS. The Ancient Art of War is a strategy game that takes place in various historical settings, such as ancient China, Greece, and t...

Ultima 2: Revenge of the Enchantress

DOS1983 Origin Systems

The second chapter of the Ultima saga is much similar to the first one (same top down visual, same dungeon 3d visual, same gameplay), although there are many small improvements. The series begins to take the shape of the detailed, deep, rpg saga that gamers will always remember.

Star Command

DOS1988protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

The Magic Candle 3

DOS1992 Mindcraft Software

V for victory: Velikiye Luki

DOS1992protected Atomic Games

Oxyd

DOS1992 Dongleware

Roadwar 2000

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.

Unnatural Selection

DOS1993 Maxis

Amberstar

DOS1992 Thalion

Amberstar is a fantasy old school RPG very similar to Ultima 6 that uses a top-down view for interiors and small locations and a first person pseudo 3D view for everything else. Unfortunately, the sequel (called Ambermoon) was available for Amiga only and no version existed for DOS or Windows. Amberstar was developed and published by Thalion for DO...

Highway Fighter

DOS1995 Safari Software

Fast Food Dizzy

DOS1989 Codemasters

Star Control

DOS1990protected Toys for Bob

Blades of Exile

Windows 3.xMac OSWindows XP/98/951997freeware Spiderweb Software

Blades of Exile is a classic role-playing video game developed by Spiderweb Software. It's the third installment in the "Exile" series. The game was released in 1997 for Mac OS, and later for Windows in 1998.In Blades of Exile, players control a party of adventurers who explore the underground world of Exile/Avernum, a vast network of caves and dun...

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2

DOS1990 KOEI

Romance of the Three Kingdoms II is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by Koei. It was released in 1989 for various platforms, including the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), MS-DOS.In Romance of the Three Kingdoms II, players take on the role of a ruler during this period, and their objective is to unify China under their rule. ...

CHAMP Ms. Pac-man

DOS1994remake ChamProgramming corp.

Bloodstone: an Epic Dwarven Tale

DOS1993 Mindcraft Software

Checkers for Windows

Windows 3.x1997

Major Stryker

DOSWindows XP/98/951993freeware Apogee Software

God of Thunder

DOSWindows XP/98/951993freeware Adept Software

God of Thunder is a classic computer game developed by Adept Software and released in 1993. It's a puzzle platformer with a fantasy theme. In the game, you control Thor, the Norse god of thunder, on a quest to save Midgard (Earth) from the evil god Loki and his minions.The gameplay involves navigating through various levels filled with obstacles, e...

King's Bounty

DOSMac OS1990 New World Computing

King’s Bounty is a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements, originally released in 1990 by New World Computing. It was created by Jon Van Caneghem, also known for the Might and Magic series. This game is often regarded as the precursor to the Heroes of Might and Magic series, which shares many of its core mechanics and concepts. In Ki...