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).
Sort by:
Logo
DOS1990NSFW Starbyte Software
Mission: Mainframe
DOS1987
A Nightmare on Elm street
DOS1989 Westwood Studios
Forget Freddy’s razor glove for a second - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1989) for DOS is terrifying in its own way. Mostly because of the controls. You play as a teen trying to stay awake and alive while navigating dreamscapes...
Acquire
DOS1989 IBM
Acquire (1989, DOS) brings boardroom drama to your DOS screen, turning you into a hotel tycoon in a game where the real enemy is... math. It's a faithful adaptation of the classic board game, complete with mergers, hostile takeove...
Blood & Magic
DOS1996 Tachyon Studios
From the people who brought you Dungeons & Dragons, here's Blood & Magic (1996), the RTS that nobody remembers but definitely deserves a second glance. You summon golems from magical “blood forges” because appa...
Daemonsgate
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinuxMac OS1993protected Imagitec Design
Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse
DOS1994protected Cyberlore studios
In Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse (1994), you’re not some grizzled barbarian or pointy-hatted wizard - no, you’re a noble corsair with charm, a sword, and a knack for getting into magical messes. This is Dungeons & Dr...
Ambush at Sorinor
DOS1993 Mindcraft Software
In Ambush at Sorinor, tactics meet fantasy in a land where ambushing people is apparently the national sport. You’re a mercenary commander picking the right team to win missions and not get horribly skewered. Battles play ou...
Pinball World
DOS1995 Spidersoft Limited
International Soccer
DOS1994 Zeppelin Games
Rings of Medusa
DOS1990 Starbyte Software
Rings of Medusa is a strategy / RPG developed by the German studio Starbyte Software. It was released in 1989 for various platforms including the Commodore 64, Amiga, and MS-DOS. In Rings of Medusa, players assume the role of...
Billy The Kid
DOS1990 Level 9 Computing
Saddle up, pardner. Billy The Kid puts you in the dusty boots of the infamous outlaw himself. This is the Wild West, DOS-style — pixel pistols, wanted posters, and dialogue that might make a cactus wince. Whether you’r...
Full Metal Planete
DOSMac OS1990 Hitech Productions
Legions
Windows 3.xMac OS1994 Mindscape
The Magic Candle 2: The Four and Forty
DOS1991 Mindcraft Software
Trivial Pursuit
DOS1989
Trivial Pursuit is a popular trivia board game that was adapted into a computer game for various platforms, including DOS. In the game, players answer trivia questions from various categories in order to collect pie pieces th...
Avalon
DOS1998freeware MiG Outpost
In Avalon (1998, DOS), you are a wizard, possibly a hero, definitely confused. This fantasy RPG drops you into a world of magic, mayhem, and menu navigation straight out of a Tolkien-themed tax return. The graphics aim for epic an...
Risk: the World Conquest Game
DOS1989 Mastertronic
Styx
DOS1984 Windmill Software
Dragons of Flame
DOS1989protected U.S. Gold
Loopz
DOS1990 Audiogenic
Phantasie 1
DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Questron 2
DOS1988protected Westwood Studios
Questron II is a role-playing game (RPG) developed by Westwood Associates and published by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) in 1988. It serves as the sequel to the original Questron (1984) and builds upon its predecessor’s f...
Aleshar World of Ice
DOS1997
Aleshar: World of Ice is what happens when someone says, “Let’s make an RPG, but crank the realism to 11.” Set in a cold, brutal land where your sword arm is only as strong as your calorie intake, this 1997 DOS c...
Empire II: The Art of War
DOSWindows XP/98/951995 White Wolf Productions
Bandit Kings of Ancient China
DOS1989 KOEI
Based on a classic Chinese novel, Bandit Kings of Ancient China combines strategy, RPG elements, and about 800 names you’ll never remember. You play one of 108 outlaws trying to overthrow a corrupt regime — think Roman...
Blasteroids
DOS1989 Atari
Blasteroids is a video game developed and released by Atari, Inc. in 1987. It's a sequel to the classic arcade game Asteroids, which was released in 1979. In Blasteroids, players control a spaceship tasked with destroying asteroid...
Defender of the Crown
DOS1991protected Cinemaware
Defender of the crown is a strategy game set in the middle ages, in England. You control a Saxon and must fight Normans to control the country. The player can conquest territories, lay siege to castles, join tournaments, rescue da...
Total Carnage
DOS1994 Midway Manufacturing Company
Fidelity Chessmaster 2100
DOS1989 The Software Toolworks