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).
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Allan Border's Cricket
DOS1993 Audiogenic
In Allan Border’s Cricket (1993), you get to live the thrill of... waiting. A lot. But when the action kicks in, it’s surprisingly engaging. Named after the Australian cricket legend, the game offers realistic mechanics, a full-featured simulation mode, and all the statistical depth you could dream of. For non-cricket fans, it’s p...
J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan
DOS1997 Papyrus Design Group
Mine Shaft
DOS1983 Sierra On-Line
Decision in the Desert
DOS1985 MicroProse Software
Clue Master Detective
DOS1989 Dalali Software
Clue Master Detective is an abandoned strategy game developed by Dalali Software and released by Leisure Genius in 1989 for DOS, Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, C64. Clue Master Detective is based on the well known board game Clue (also known as Cluedo). Clue can be played in single player, but the best gaming experience come from the multi-player mode.
Battlestar
Windows 3.x1996freeware
No, not that Battlestar. Battlestar (1996) is more obscure than a reboot that never happened. Set in deep space with a top-down view and UI only a Windows 3.x user could love, it mixes tactical combat and sci-fi storytelling like a B-movie got turned into a spreadsheet. The controls are awkward, the visuals retro even for ‘96, but there&rsquo...
No Greater Glory
DOSMac OS1991protected
Number Munchers
DOS1990 MECC
Kaiser
DOS1992
Risk
Windows 3.x1991 Azeroth
ZAngband
Windows 10/11Mac OSDOSLinux1999freeware
Zangband is a variant of the popular roguelike game Angband. Zangband, short for Zelazny Angband, was developed by Chris Weisiger and first released in 1994. The game features a fantasy world with diverse races, classes, and monsters. Players explore dungeons, caves, and other environments in a quest to reach the bottom level of the dungeon, d...
Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye
Windows 3.xMac OS1990 Activision
La Colmena
DOS1992NSFW Opera Soft
Moonbase
DOS1990 Wesson International
Eight Ball Deluxe
DOSMac OS1993 Littlewing
Shamus
DOS1984 Synapse Software
Shamus is a maze action game developed by William Mataga and published by Synapse Software in 1982. The game became popular on various home computer platforms of the early 1980s. In Shamus, players control a detective navigating through a labyrinth filled with enemies and traps, aiming to defeat the villain, The Shadow. The gameplay involves explor...
Evets
DOS1988freeware SAck Enterprizes
Rollo and the Brush Brothers
DOS1983 Windmill Software
Amazing Maze
DOS1983
Don’t be fooled by the name—Amazing Maze is more of a slightly-better-than-average maze. But hey, in 1983, navigating a screen full of walls and hoping you guessed right was enough to set hearts racing. It’s just you, a CPU opponent, and a timer judging your every move. The graphics are simpler than a kindergarten drawing, but the...
Block O Mania
DOS1989 Crystal Shard
Block O Mania is what happens when a Rubik’s Cube and a sliding puzzle fall in love during a rave. Released in 1989 for DOS, this game will twist your brain into shapes it wasn’t designed for. The goal? Push blocks. Lots of them. Into place. It sounds easy until the game decides it hates you and introduces one-way paths, immovable obsta...
Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine
DOS1991protected id software
Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine is a science fiction action oriented platform game designed by Tom Hall, developed by id Software and released by Apogee Software in 1991 for DOS only. Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine is part of the Commander Keen game series, specifically it's the second episode of Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy.
M.U.D.S. - Mean Ugly Dirty Sport
DOS1990 Golden Goblins
Galaxy
DOS1981 Microcomputer Games Inc.
Sarakon
DOS1991 Starbyte Software
Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 2
DOS1989 SSG Strategic Studies Group
Mah Jongg Solitaire
DOS1987 Arcanum Computing
Laser Squad
DOS1992 Target Games Limited
Laser Squad is an abandoned turn-based strategy/tactical game designed by Julian Gollop (the mind behind the X-COM series). Laser Squad was developed by Target Games Limited and released by MicroLeague Multimedia in 1992 for DOS and other 8-bit systems. Laser Squad is considered as a precursor of X-COM: Ufo Defense.
OverKill
DOS1992freeware Tech-Noir
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.
Battle Isle 93: The Moon of Chromos
DOS1993 Blue Byte Software
A game with a name like Battle Isle 93: The Moon of Chromos clearly means business. Released in 1993, it’s an expansion-slash-standalone with new missions, harder AI, and an even more hostile moon. You’ll manage resources, maneuver troops, and try not to scream at your screen when your tanks fall into another ambush. It’s tactical...