Abandonware DOS title

The most popular top down games

Top down games were very popular in the 80s and the 90s, when graphic cards were not capable of supporting 3D, and even when 3D started to become popular, 2D games continued to be easier to develop, at least in the infancy of 3D gaming. 2D game offered the player a viewpoint that helped keeping things easily under control (think about top down party-based RPGs or hex-based strategy games).
frontlines-impressions-03

Front Lines

DOS1994 Impressions Games
wembley-rugby-league-03

Wembley Rugby League

DOS1996 Denton Designs
when2worldswar-2

When Two Worlds War

DOS1993 Impressions Games
backgammon-green-valley-02

Backgammon

DOS1986
monday-night-football-04

Monday Night Football

DOS1989 Park Place Productions
nfl-football-03

NFL Football

DOS1992 Distinctive Software
la-colmena-01

La Colmena

DOS1992NSFW Opera Soft
firezone-04

Firezone

DOS1988 Arcadia Systems
rally-championship-02

Rally Championships

DOS1994 Flair Software
subbuteo-03

Subbuteo

DOS1990 Goliath Games
battlestar-05

Battlestar

Windows 3.x1996freeware
No, not that Battlestar. Battlestar (1996) is more obscure than a reboot that never happened. Set in deep space with a top-down view and UI only a Windows 3.x user could love, it m...
sorcerer-lord-01

Sorcerer Lord

DOS1987 Personal Software Services
Sorcerer Lord (1987, DOS) drops you into a fantasy world at war, with strategy rather than sorcery as your weapon. You command the forces of good against the evil Shadowlord’...
frontline-v14-01

Frontline

DOS1990 Cases Computer Simulations
knights-of-the-desert-03

Knights of the Desert

DOS1983protected Tactical Design Group
Before WWII games flooded the market, Knights of the Desert (1983, DOS) was already reenacting the North African campaign in pixels. You command Rommel’s Afrika Korps—o...
gazza2-02

Gazza 2

DOS1991 Empire Interactive
In Gazza 2, the legendary English footballer Paul Gascoigne lends his name to a soccer game that manages to be as unpredictable as his career. Released in 1991, it’s a curiou...
swap-microids-01

Swap

DOS1992 Microids
mortal-pong-02

Mortal Pong

DOS1995freeware
global-domination-02

Global Domination

DOS1993 Impressions Games
operation-harrier-06

Operation Harrier

DOS1990 Creative Materials
scrabble-01

Scrabble

DOS1989
The 1989 Scrabble release feels a bit like playing the board game on an old typewriter. It’s clunky, monochrome, and oddly charming. The computer AI is less of a challenge an...
thunderblade-05

Thunderblade

DOS1989 Sega
quest-for-the-unicorn-02

Quest for the Unicorn

DOSWindows XP/98/95Linux1990freeware
trivial-pursuit-deluxe-01

Trivial Pursuit Deluxe

DOS1992 Oxford Digital Enterprises
legions-05

Legions

Windows 3.xMac OS1994 Mindscape
bycicle-bridge-03

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...