Abandonware DOS title

The most popular 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).
pharaoh-3

Day of the Pharaoh

DOS1989 Chip
keen4-splash

Commander Keen 4: Secret of the Oracle

DOS1991protected id software
merchantprince-splash

Merchant Prince

DOS1993 Holistic Design
antattack-splash

Ant Attack!

DOS1994freeware Dataware
Released in 1994 (long after it originally debuted on other platforms), Ant Attack! is what you get when you mix isometric graphics, giant ants, and questionable urban planning. You play a brave soul navigating a crumbling city to...
zzt-splash

ZZT

DOS1991freeware Epic MegaGames
ZZT (1991, DOS) looks like it was drawn by an enthusiastic ASCII artist with too much time and not enough colors. And yet, it’s brilliant. Part action game, part puzzle adventure, part game creation tool, ZZT is the reason s...
blitzardennes-2

Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes

DOS1990 Command Simulations
In Blitzkrieg: Battle at the Ardennes, you’re not just playing a wargame — you’re being handed a clipboard, a stack of orders, and a freezing cold battlefield in 1944. This 1990 DOS title lets you relive one of W...
mechwar-2

Mech War

DOS1992
castlekroz-3

Return to Kroz

DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
kingdomkroz-splash

Kingdom of Kroz

DOS1988freeware Apogee Software
finalcrusadekroz-2

The Final Crusade of Kroz

DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
templeofkroz-4

Temple of Kroz

DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
lost-adventures-kroz-splash

Lost Adventures of Kroz

DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
kingdom-of-kroz-2-splash

Kingdom of Kroz 2

DOS1990 Apogee Software
sensible-golf-5

Sensible Golf

DOS1994 Sensible Software
Sensible Golf is a golf video game developed by Sensible Software and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment. It was released in 1994 for Amiga and MS-DOS.Unlike traditional golf simulations of its time, "Sensible Golf" fea...
rings-of-medusa-01

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...
blues-brothers-rpg-01

Blues Brothers RPG

Windows XP/98/952004freeware
Yes, this exists. Blues Brothers RPG (2004, Windows XP) is what happens when someone looks at a legendary blues duo and says, “What if they fought zombies with saxophones?” Set in a world that’s part dungeon craw...
rescue-rover-1-04

Rescue Rover

DOS1991protected id software
hunt-for-red-october-01

The Hunt for Red October

DOSMac OS1987 Oxford Digital Enterprises
riders-of-rohan-09

J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan

DOS1997 Papyrus Design Group
decisive-civil-war-2-08

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 2

DOS1989 SSG Strategic Studies Group
decisive-civil-war-3-10

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 3

DOS1992 SSG Strategic Studies Group
command-hq-04

Command HQ

DOSMac OS1990 Ozark Softscape
Command HQ was developed by Microplay Software. It was one of the early real-time strategy (RTS) games and focused on global warfare, allowing players to control armies, fleets, and economies in various historical and futuristic s...
carnage-04

Carnage

DOS1993 Warped Minds
conflict-europe-07

Conflict: Europe

DOS1989 Personal Software Services
Conflict Europe is an abandoned turn-based top-down strategy game set in Europe. The game was developed by Personal Software Services and released by Mirrorsoft in 1989 for DOS, Amiga and Atari ST.
reaping-the-dungeon-06

Reaping The Dungeon

DOS1993 Frontline Software
warriors-of-legend-07

Warriors of Legend

DOS1993 Synergistic Software
pinball-magic-02

Pinball Magic

DOS1990 Loriciels
darkspyre-02

DarkSpyre

DOS1990 Event Horizon