Shareware: a business model sorted by release date
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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Dark Ages Volume I - Prince of Destiny
DOS1991freeware4/5 Scenerio Software
Duke Nukem
DOS19914.1/5 Apogee Software
Duke Nukem was released in 1991 by Apogee Software for MS-DOS, marking the beginning of the Duke Nukem franchise. The game is a side-scrolling action platformer with a sci-fi theme. In this original installment, players control Duke Nukem, a muscular action hero tasked with saving the world from the evil Dr. Proton. Dr. Proton has taken control of ...
Hugo 2: Whodunit?
DOS1991protecteddemo3.5/5 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.
Jumpman Lives!
DOS1991remake4/5 Apogee Software
Monuments of Mars
DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1991freeware3.3/5 Scenerio Software
Moraff's World
DOS19913.5/5 Moraffware
Paganitzu
DOS1991protected3.7/5 Apogee Software
Paganitzu is a classic puzzle-adventure game released in 1991 by Apogee Software. Set in an ancient pyramid, the game follows the exploits of its protagonist, Alabama Smith, who must navigate through a series of increasingly complex rooms filled with traps, puzzles, and enemies. The game is divided into three episodes, each one unraveling more of t...
Scorched Earth
DOS1991protected4/5
Sherlock: The Game of Logic
DOS1991protected4.1/5 Everett Kaser Software
ZZT
DOS1991freeware4.3/5 Epic MegaGames
3D Cyber Blaster
DOS1992remake4.2/5 HomeBrew Software
Aquanoid
DOS1992remake3.8/5
Bass Tour
DOS19924/5
Bolo Ball
DOS19923.5/5 Soleau Software
Bolo Ball is a DOS game from the mid-1990s. It features a physics-based gameplay where the objective is to knock opponent balls out of an arena. When you start the game, you find yourself in a 2D arena set against a starry, space-like background. You control a colorful ball, which, despite being a 2D sprite, appears somewhat three-dimensional due t...
Castle Elsinore
DOS19923.5/5 Temple Software
Catacomb Abyss
DOS1992protected3.6/5 Softdisk Publishing
Caverns of Chaos
DOS19923/5
Clyde's Adventure
DOS1992freeware3.5/5 Moonlite Software
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventures
DOS1992protected4.1/5 Apogee Software
Defender of Boston: The Rock Island Mystery
DOS19923.2/5
Galactix
DOS19923.8/5 Cygnus Studios
Hugo 3: Jungle of Doom
DOS1992protected3.8/5 Gray Design Associates
Jill of the Jungle
DOS19924.2/5 Epic MegaGames
Jill of the Jungle 2: Jill Goes Underground
DOS19924.1/5 Epic MegaGames
Jill of the Jungle 3: Jill Saves the Prince
DOS19923.8/5 Epic MegaGames
Megapede
DOS19923/5
Moraff's Morejongg
Windows XP/98/9519923.7/5 Moraffware
Night Raid
DOS1992remake3.8/5 Argo Games
One-Nil Soccer Manager
DOS19923.9/5 New Era Software
One-Nil Soccer Manager is a text-based soccer management simulation game that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was developed for various home computer systems, including DOS, Commodore 64 and Amiga. In One-Nil Soccer Manager, players take on the role of a soccer team manager, making strategic decisions to guide their team to s...
OverKill
DOS1992freeware3.9/5 Tech-Noir