Abandonware DOS title

The best text-based games

In the past, lots of games used ASCII characters (text) to represent the game world. These text-only video games may seem primitive and outdated and, in fact, the genre almost died with the fast evolving graphics of modern games.
A few genres traditionally linked to the beautiful world of ascii characters still survives: roguelikes (nethack, angband, etc.) and interactive fiction, for example.
lurkinghorror-1

The Lurking Horror

DOS1987 Infocom
rockstar-splash

Rockstar!

DOS1989 Wizard Games
galaxy-4

Galaxy

DOS1981 Microcomputer Games Inc.
zork3-splash

Zork III: The Dungeon Master

DOS1984 Infocom
The final part of the original trilogy, Zork III ditches treasure-hunting in favor of introspection, moral puzzles, and the looming presence of the Dungeon Master—basically the Gandalf of passive-aggressive mentorship. It&rs...
rawcopy-01

Rawcopy

DOS1992
gwbasic-03

GW-BASIC 3

DOS1988 Microsoft
GW-BASIC (short for Gee Whiz BASIC) is a dialect of the BASIC programming language that was developed by Microsoft. It's one of the early implementations of BASIC and was included as the default programming environment in early ve...
castle-adventure-04

Castle Adventure

DOS1984freeware
startrekpromethean-splash

Star Trek: The Promethean Prophecy

DOSMac OS1986 TRANS Fiction Systems
amnesia-splashb

Amnesia

DOS1986 Cognetics corporation
In Amnesia, you wake up in a hotel room with no idea who you are, where you are, or why someone wants you dead. And no, this isn’t a gritty FPS—it’s a text adventure. That’s right, no graphics, just your im...
zorkzero-1

Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz

DOS1989 Infocom
With Zork Zero, Infocom decided to throw everything into the cauldron: graphics, mouse support, and a jester who won’t shut up. A prequel to the original trilogy, it’s stuffed with puzzles, jokes, and deeply Zorkian no...
dungeonmasterass1enc-splash

Dungeon Master's Assistant Vol 1

DOS1988protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
arthur-excalibur-02

Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur

DOS1989 Infocom
Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur is a text adventure with occasional graphics, in which you, the not-yet-king, bumble your way through Camelot trying to prove you’re not just some kid with a weird haircut. The writing is witt...
turbo-pascal-2-01

Borland Turbo Pascal 2.0

DOS1983 Borland Software Corporation
air-traffic-controller-02

Air Traffic Controller

DOS1985 Cascoly Software
Welcome to the most stressful job in the world - rendered in glorious 1985 DOS graphics! Air Traffic Controller lets you experience the thrill of herding aircraft without the luxury of coffee breaks or radar resolution. It’s...
ascii-sector-02

Ascii Sector

Windows 10/11LinuxDOS2007freeware
Ascii Sector is what happens when someone takes Privateer, removes the graphics, and replaces them with pure ASCII and sheer willpower. It’s open-world space sim meets roguelike: you trade, fight, explore, get stabbed in sha...
borland-paradox-4-03

Borland Paradox 4.5

DOSWindows XP/98/951993 Borland Software Corporation
borland-turbo-pascal-1-01

Borland Turbo Pascal 1.0

DOS1983 Borland Software Corporation
dragon-world-01

Dragon World

DOS1984 Telarium
forbidden-castle-03

Forbidden Castle

DOS1985 Angelsoft
grand-prix-hole-03

Grand Prix

DOS1989 Wizard Games
gumboots-australia-02

Gumboots Australia

DOS1990 Reckon Software
melody-maker-3-01

Melody Maker 3

DOS1992
mscobol

Microsoft Cobol

DOS1982 Microsoft
msword5-5-02

Microsoft Word 5.5 for DOS

DOS1990 Microsoft
mind-mirror-04

Mind Mirror

DOS1986
borland-quattro-pro-03

Quattro Pro v4

DOS1991 Borland Software Corporation