Turn-based games
In direct contrast with real-time games, turn-based games gameplay is based on the players taking turns to do what needs to be done: move in a dungeon, play cards, attack enemy units.
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BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception
DOS1988 Westwood Studios
Released in 1988, BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception is part RPG, part strategy, part “did I just die in the tutorial again?” You’re a young MechWarrior on the run, assembling allies and blowing stuff up with your giant robot. It’s a slow burn, but the lore is rich and the permadeath unforgiving. You’ll learn to...
Beneath Apple Manor
DOS1983freeware
Beneath Apple Manor is a pioneering game in the roguelike genre, originally developed and released in 1978 by Don Worth for the Apple II and later re-released for DOS as a "Special Edition". It's one of the earliest known role-playing video games (RPGs) with procedurally generated dungeons.In Beneath Apple Manor, players take on the role of an adve...
Betrayal
DOS1990protected
Ah, Betrayal—a game with a name that really sets the tone. Is it about backstabbing? Politics? Lost love? Not really. It’s actually a hybrid of strategy and role-playing where you move pieces around a map like a fantasy general with trust issues. The real betrayal might be the interface, which hasn’t aged gracefully. But stick wit...
Beyond the Titanic
DOS1986 Apogee Software
Before Titanic was a movie with a lot of weeping, there was Beyond the Titanic, a text adventure where surviving the iceberg is just the beginning. The game takes the historic disaster and then says, “What if we added a secret underground base and aliens?”—and somehow, it works. With only words and your imagination, it builds a wo...
Bicycle Bridge
DOS1992
Ready to get your heart racing with the world’s slowest competitive sport? Bicycle Bridge brings the thrill of bidding, trick-taking, and utter confusion straight to your DOS machine. Whether you're a grandmaster or just someone who thinks “trump” is a sound effect, this game is a true test of patience and card-counting skills. Th...
Big Sea: The Better One Will Win
DOS1994 Cyberdyne Systems
With a title that sounds like a deep-sea motivational poster, Big Sea: The Better One Will Win is a maritime strategy game where the stakes are high and the water’s pixelated. Outwit your foes on the high seas while trying to figure out what exactly the game is about. Naval warfare? Diplomacy? Fish-based economics? The answer is “yes.&r...
Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance
Windows XP/98/951996 Synergistic Software
Ever wanted to manage a kingdom, lead armies, go dungeon-crawling, and attend budget meetings? Birthright: The Gorgon’s Alliance makes all your fantasy micromanagement dreams come true. Released in 1996 for Windows XP (yes, you read that right), it tries to do everything—and sort of does... in the way a one-man band tries to play Mozart...
Black Crown
DOS1995
In Black Crown (1995), you play as a prince with a very punchable name, trying to reclaim his rightful throne by solving puzzles and dying a lot. It's one of those DOS-era games where half the difficulty is figuring out which pixel you're supposed to click. The game has the charming feel of a medieval soap opera with murder, betrayal, and the occas...
Black Friday
DOS1983
Black Friday (1983) isn’t about shopping mayhem—though you might wish it were after trying to figure out what’s going on. This early DOS title is part stock market simulator, part existential crisis. You play as a trader trying to make a fortune before the market crashes and takes your soul with it. There’s no real action, u...
Black Monday
DOS1987 Starsoft Development
Black Monday (1987) combines economic panic with the thrill of—wait for it—spreadsheet navigation. It's like Wolf of Wall Street without the fun, drugs, or DiCaprio. You’re managing a business during a financial collapse, and everything is falling apart faster than your patience. Charts, graphs, bad decisions—it’s all ...
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 du...
Blitz Draughts
DOS1992 PC Solutions
Don’t let the title fool you — Blitz Draughts isn’t a military simulation but rather a gloriously intense checkers game from 1992. This DOS brain-bender turns the classic board game into a high-speed duel of wits and mouse clicks. The AI here doesn’t mess around; it’s like your grandpa’s spirit entered the comput...
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 WWII’s most intense moments, complete with turn-based tactics, historical accuracy, and menus that make Excel look ...
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...
Bloodstone: an Epic Dwarven Tale
DOS1993 Mindcraft Software
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a grumpy bearded guy swinging an axe and saving the world before second breakfast, Bloodstone: an Epic Dwarven Tale is your jam. Released in 1993 for DOS, this RPG tosses you into a world where dwarves don’t just drink ale—they also wield magic and have surprisingly complex political issues. It&rsqu...
Blue Angel 69
DOS1989NSFW
Caution: subtlety not included. Blue Angel 69, released in 1989 for DOS, is basically what happens when a programmer tries to mix erotic art with a tile-based puzzle game and ends up somewhere between genius and “please don’t open this at work.” You match symbols, unlock pictures, and get rewarded with increasingly risqué p...
Bobby Fisher teaches chess
DOS1994 Mission Studios
Ever wanted to get chess lessons from a genius who could crush your soul with a bishop and a glare? Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (1994, DOS) is your chance. Based on the classic book, the game patiently walks you through strategies, tactics, and the kind of mental warfare that made Bobby a legend—and probably a very intense dinner guest. It&rs...
Boggle
DOS1990 HVB Software
It’s Boggle (1990, DOS), the digital version of everyone’s favorite game where you try to spell long words while your friend keeps shouting “DOG” over and over. The game board is a 4x4 grid of letters, and your job is to find as many words as you can before the timer runs out—or your brain melts, whichever comes first....
Bridge 7.0
DOS1992 Artworx Software
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday
DOS1990protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed
DOS1992protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is a CRPG developed by SSI Strategic Simulations Inc. and released in 1992 for DOS only. Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed is the sequel to Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday and it's based on a campaign setting created by TSR in the late 80s. The game uses the Gold Box engine, common to much of the RPGs developed by SSI.
Bundesliga Manager Professional
DOS1991 Kron Simulation Software
Bush Buck: Global Treasure Hunter
DOS1991 Pc globe
Caesars Palace
DOS1989 Virgin Interactive
Capture the Flag
DOS1993
Carrier Strike: South Pacific 1942-44
DOS1992protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Castle of the Winds
Windows 3.x1993freeware SaadaSoft
Castle of the Winds is a fantasy roguelike role-playing game developed by SaadaSoft in the early 1990s. It was designed for Windows 3.x and is notable for being one of the earliest graphical RPGs for that platform. The game features a top-down perspective and incorporates elements of dungeon crawling, exploration, and character development.The game...
Cave Wars
DOS1996
Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye
DOS1995 KOEI
Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye is a strategy video game developed by KOEI and released in 1995. It is set in a mythical version of ancient Ireland and draws heavily from Celtic mythology, particularly focusing on the legendary figure Balor of the Evil Eye. The game combines elements of resource management, political maneuvering, and tactical c...
Centerfold Squares
DOS1988NSFW Artworx Software