Abandonware DOS title

The most popular shareware games

Shareware is a type of software distribution model that allows users to try a program before purchasing it. It's a marketing strategy and distribution method that was particularly popular in the early days of personal computing, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.
Shareware games were released for free with limited functionality (for example: no saving, missing levels, time limit), often via a BBS (Bulletin Board System), a floppy disc or a CD included in a printed magazine or by direct download (when internet was in its infancy). If the user liked the shareware product, they could pay to obtain an upgrade and unlock the full game. When digital distribution started to become popular, shareware games slowly faded into oblivion.

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Bio Menace Episode 2: The Hidden Lab

DOS1993freeware Apogee Software
Snake Logan is back, and this time the lab is... hidden! The Hidden Lab cranks up the challenge with more grotesque mutants, more lethal traps, and slightly improved sarcasm. It’s like episode one, but with less common sense...
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Batalia

DOS1986 The Right Brothers
Batalia (1986) is what happens when war games and spreadsheet programs fall in love. This early DOS strategy title throws you into tactical battles with graphics that would struggle to impress a calculator. But don’t be fool...
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Solar Winds: The Escape

DOS1993 Stone Interactive Media
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Hugo 2: Whodunit?

DOS1991protecteddemo Gray Design Associates
Hugo 2: Whodunit? is an old school graphic adventure game designed by David P. Gray, developed by Gray Design Associates and released in 1991 for MS-DOS only. Hugo 2: Whodunit? is the second installment of the Hugo game series.
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Blackstar: Agent of Justice

DOS1995
In Blackstar: Agent of Justice (1995), you play a noir-style detective in a trench coat so dramatic it probably has its own union. Set in a dark, crime-ridden city where everyone talks like they’ve swallowed gravel, it&rsquo...
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UnReal World v. 3.20

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1992freeware
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Major Stryker

DOSWindows XP/98/951993freeware Apogee Software
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Terminal Velocity

Windows XP/98/95DOS1995protected Terminal Reality
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Hocus Pocus

DOS1994protected Apogee Software
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Mario Bros VGA

DOS1990remake
Mario Bros VGA is a fan made remake of the original Mario Bros by Nintendo, the game that popularized the character of Mario, the Italian plumber that first appeared in Donkey Kong. Mario Bros VGA is a fixed-screen platform arcade...
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The Aethra Chronicles

DOS1994
The Aethra Chronicles is not a well know fantasy RPG, but it deserves some praise. It was developed by only one person (Micheal Lawrence) and, as the title implies, was intended to be the first volume of a saga. Unfortunately, vol...
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Xatax

DOS1994 Pixel Painters Corporation
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AlphaMan

DOS1995
Ever wondered what would happen if a roguelike and a B-movie had a radioactive baby? AlphaMan is the answer. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where mutant banana slugs might be your best friend—or your worst enemy—you p...
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CHAMP Ms. Pac-man

DOS1994remake ChamProgramming corp.
She’s pink, she’s fast, and she’s got a bow. CHAMP Ms. Pac-man reimagines the iconic maze-chaser with smooth controls and new levels while keeping that glorious munch-munch-munch sound we all know and love. The g...
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Monuments of Mars

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1991freeware Scenerio Software
Monuments of Mars (1991) is one of those puzzle-platformers where patience is less a virtue and more a survival tool. You’re stranded on Mars, exploring alien ruins filled with traps, laser beams, and enemies who clearly don...
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Jazz Jackrabbit

DOS1994protected Epic MegaGames
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Commander Keen 3: Keen Must Die!

DOS1990protected id software
Commander Keen 3: Keen Must Die! is the kind of title that makes you wonder what this kid did to tick off an entire alien race. After foiling their plans twice, Keen takes the fight to the Vorticon home planet, where enemies are s...
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Sango Fighter

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1993freeware Panda Entertainment Technology Co.
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Flying Tigers 2

DOS1994
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Aldo Again

DOS1989remake
Aldo Again (1989) is the platformer that dares to say, “Hey, what if Donkey Kong but with 100% more confusion?” You play as Aldo, a mustachioed man of mystery (and questionable balance) who’s trying to climb plat...
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Lost Adventures of Kroz

DOS1990freeware Apogee Software
In Lost Adventures of Kroz, ASCII characters do all the heavy lifting. No sprites, no polygons — just your imagination and a fearless “@” symbol running for its life through dungeons of letters and symbols. This ...
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Aquanoid

DOS1992remake
Aquanoid (1992) takes the classic Breakout formula and throws it underwater, because bricks are apparently much more intimidating when they're wet. You control a paddle, you bounce a ball, you try to pretend you're not just playin...
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Kingdom of Kroz 2

DOS1990 Apogee Software
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Sherlock: The Game of Logic

DOS1991protected Everett Kaser Software
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Stargunner

DOS1996 GT Interactive Software
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Boppin

DOS1994freeware Accursed Toys
Boppin (1994, DOS) is a puzzle game that starts out cute and then sucker-punches you with its sinister undertone—literally. You throw blocks to match symbols, release trapped creatures, and eventually realize the game has a ...
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Commander Keen 6: Aliens Ate my Baby Sitter!

DOS1991 id software
Billy’s babysitter has been abducted by aliens, and he’s not having it. Commander Keen 6: Aliens Ate My Baby Sitter! is the series at its most Saturday-morning-cartoon absurd. The Shikadi are back, the humor is dialed ...
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Electranoid

DOS1995 Pixel Painters Corporation