abandonware games sorted by popularity

Albion is a science fiction role-playing game (RPG) developed and published by German studio Blue Byte Software. It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and later for Amiga. Albion is notable for its blend of traditional RPG elements with a unique setting and storyline.The game takes place on the planet Albion, a world with a rich history and diver...

QBasic, or QuickBASIC, was an interpreted version of the BASIC programming language developed by Microsoft. It was designed to be easy to learn and use, making it accessible to beginners and hobbyist programmers. QBasic was part of Microsoft's QuickBASIC product line, which included both compiled and interpreted versions of the language. QBasi...

DOSBox is an open-source emulator that allows you to run software and games designed for the MS-DOS operating system on modern computers. As you probably already know, MS-DOS was a popular operating system used in the 1980s and early 1990s. DOSBox emulates the necessary hardware components and provides a DOS-like environment, allowing users to...

Space Harrier is a 3rd-person view rail-shooter developed by Sega in 1985. Space Harrier was a hit in the arcades, and later it was converted for a number of platforms, including DOS (4 years later!). The sequels - Space Harrier 3D and Space Harrier II - were never ported to DOS.

Volfied is an arcade game developed and released by Taito Corporation in 1989. It's a puzzle game that gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The game is named after the fictional planet "Volfied", where the gameplay is set.In Volfied, players control a small spaceship called "Challenger" and must eliminate 80% or more of the playfiel...

King's Quest: Quest for the Crown is the first game in the popular series of King's Quest. Developed by Sierra On-line, King's Quest is an early adventure game (one of the first animated adventures), a step up from the classic graphical interactive fiction of the time. The player can use the keyword both to move the character around the game world ...

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an open-world action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games in 2002. It's the fourth main entry in the GTA series and serves as a spiritual successor to Grand Theft Auto III. Set in Vice City, a fictional metropolis inspired by Miami in the 1980s, the game captures the neon-soa...

The Need for Speed is a first-person perspective racing game developed and published by Electronic Arts in 1995 for DOS. The game immerses players in high-speed races with the primary objective of winning each race across a variety of game modes. Players can choose from a selection of high-performance cars and race on diverse tracks. Players m...

Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs is a classic abandoned action sports basketball video game. Developed and published by Electronic Arts, it was released in 1989 for the Sega Genesis (also known as Mega Drive) and DOS. This game holds the distinction of being one of the first basketball video games to feature real NBA teams and players, offer...

Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0 (MSFS 4.0) is a flight simulation game released by Microsoft in 1989 for MS-DOS. It was the fourth major version of the Microsoft Flight Simulator series and introduced several improvements over its predecessor, Flight Simulator 3.0. Flight physics were more realistic, incorporating wind effects, turbulence, and ...

Alley Cat is a platform game released by Synapse Software in 1984. In Alley Cat, the player controls a cat named Freddy, who navigates an alley and various apartments in search of food and adventure. Freddy earns points by completing tasks in the apartment screens. The ultimate goal is to reach and successfully court the female cat, Felic...

Dope Wars is a text-based simulation game that originated as a DOS program in the early 1980s, but gained popularity in its Windows version released in 1998. The game puts players in the role of a drug dealer navigating the underground economy of buying, selling, and transporting various illegal substances.In the Windows version of the game, player...

The Curse of Monkey Island is the third installment in the iconic Monkey Island point-and-click adventure series developed by LucasArts. Released in 1997, it introduced a new visual style with hand-drawn cartoon-like animations. This time, Guybrush accidentally curses his beloved, Elaine Marley, by giving her a cursed engagement ring that turn...

Zork is one of the most popular text-adventures and one of the first interactive fiction games ever created. The first Zork was developed in the seventies and ported on various platform by Infocom in the early 80s. Infocom was one of the most prolific developers of text-adventures for home computers and created memorable interactive fiction ga...

Screamer Rally is an arcade-style rally racing game developed by Milestone S.r.l. and published by Virgin Interactive in 1997 for MS-DOS. It is part of the Screamer series, following Screamer (1995) and Screamer 2 (1996). Unlike realistic rally simulators, Screamer Rally leans towards fast-paced, drift-heavy arcade action.

The Legend of Kyrandia: Book One is the first installment in The Legend of Kyrandia series of point-and-click adventure games developed by Westwood Studios and released in 1992 for DOS, Amiga, Mac, etc.. The story revolves around Malcolm, who has seized power and turned Brandon's grandfather, Kallak, into stone. To save Kallak and the kingdom,...

Mortal Kombat is one of the most popular one-on-one fighting games, and it's no surprise that it has spawned numerous sequels. Players choose from seven digitized characters and battle their way to the top, facing all other opponents. One of the game's most distinctive features is the "Fatality", a special finishing move that allows players to defe...

Dune, released in 1992, is a game developed by Cryo Interactive and published by Virgin Games. It's based on the iconic science fiction novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. In Dune, players assume the role of Paul Atreides, the young scion of House Atreides, as he arrives on the desert planet Arrakis with his family to take control of spice pro...

Bubble Bobble is widely regarded as one of the most beloved and charming platform arcade games of all time. The gameplay objective in Bubble Bobble is straightforward: players must clear each screen of various monsters and advance through numerous stages to ultimately reach the final level. Players control two adorable dinosaurs, Bub and Bob. ...