Abandonware strategy games
Games based on strategy allow for reasoning and planning of one’s moves and actions. The gameplay may be based on player’s turns (Turn-based Strategy) or it may be in real time (Real-Time Strategy, RTS). These games focus on strategy and tactics rather than action, sometimes with the addition of financial or logistic features.
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Command & Conquer
DOS1995freeware real-time strategy
The original Command & Conquer (1995, DOS) is the game that launched a thousand LAN parties. It’s gritty, fast-paced RTS warfare with full-motion video cutscenes so cheesy, they’ve aged into gourmet. You build, har...
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
DOS1996freeware real-time strategy
Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive in 1996. It is part of the Command & Conquer series and is set in an alternate history...
Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor
Windows XP/98/951997 real-time strategy
Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor (1997, Windows XP) took the RTS formula and flipped it into a weird deathmatch where you control a single unit and try not to die... horribly. It’s like a survival game set inside the Red...
Command HQ
DOSMac OS1990 wargame, real-time strategy
Before Command & Conquer, there was Command HQ (1990, DOS/Mac)—an early RTS that said “what if we made World War III playable?” It’s global domination meets real-time tactics, minus the explosions and p...
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
Windows XP/98/951998protected real-time tactics
Forget Rambo. Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines is what happens when you drop six experts behind Nazi lines and tell them to behave tactically… or else. Every mission is a deadly puzzle where timing, stealth, and patience are y...
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
Windows XP/98/951999protected real-time tactics
You thought the first one was hard? Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty laughs at your pain and then asks you to infiltrate a Gestapo HQ with a knife and a prayer. This standalone expansion throws you into more impossibly complex m...
Computer Diplomacy
DOS1984 board game
Do you enjoy betrayal, backstabbing, and pretending to be a global power while actually being terrible at geography? Computer Diplomacy is the digital version of the classic board game, where alliances are fleeting and wars are fo...
Conflict in Vietnam
DOS1986 wargame, turn-based tactics
This one's not for the faint of heart. Conflict in Vietnam tries to simulate the complexity and chaos of guerrilla warfare in a game where every click can cost lives. The graphics are minimal, the tension maximal. Logistics, terra...
Conflict: Europe
DOS1989 turn-based tactics
In Conflict: Europe, the Cold War goes hot, and you’re in charge of keeping things cool—or launching World War III. It’s a strategy game with a doomsday timer, where each decision feels like it's going to be stud...
Conflict: Korea
DOS1992protected wargame, turn-based tactics
Step into the Korean War with Conflict: Korea, where you command UN forces and discover that even in strategy games, North Korea is a problem. It follows the same system as the rest of the Conflict series: cold interfaces, hot war...
Conquest of Japan
DOS1992 wargame
Feudal Japan gets the wargame treatment in Conquest of Japan, a strategy title that mixes historical context with tactical ambition. You manage provinces, wage war, and occasionally wonder why your samurai keep rebelling. The grap...
Conquest of the New World (Deluxe Edition)
DOSWindows XP/98/951996protected 4x
Conquest of the New World (Deluxe Edition) invites you to discover new lands, build colonies, and occasionally “accidentally” wipe out entire civilizations while smiling politely. It’s part strategy game, part hi...
Core War Plus
DOS1984 real-time tactics
In Core War Plus, programming isn’t just for making spreadsheets—it’s for virtual combat. You write tiny programs that battle for control of computer memory, turning coding into a gladiator sport. It’s part...
Cossacks: Back to War
Windows XP/98/952002protected real-time strategy, real-time tactics
Cossacks: European Wars
Windows XP/98/952000protected real-time strategy, real-time tactics
Cossacks: European Wars is a real-time strategy epic that lets you command armies so big you’ll lose track of half your soldiers. Set in the 17th and 18th centuries, it’s a mix of historical battles and freeform conque...
Cossacks: The Art of War
Windows XP/98/952001protected real-time strategy, real-time tactics
An expansion to the original, Cossacks: The Art of War refines, expands, and generally cranks up the chaos. New units, new campaigns, and more ways to accidentally bankrupt your nation while trying to outmaneuver your enemies. It&...
Cover Girl Strip Poker
DOS1991NSFW cards
Cover Girl Strip Poker is exactly what the title promises—poker, but with a risqué twist. You play cards, your opponent plays coy, and the stakes are… let’s say “motivating.” The gameplay is b...
Crazy Nick's Leisure Suit Larry Casino
DOS1992 cards
Step into Crazy Nick’s Leisure Suit Larry Casino and leave your wallet safe—only your pride is at stake here. Larry Laffer, king of questionable fashion, hosts a digital den of blackjack, poker, and slots, each laced w...
Crazy Nick's Parlor Games with Laura Bow
DOS1992 board game
In Crazy Nick’s Parlor Games with Laura Bow, the famous young detective swaps clues for checkers, backgammon, and card tables. The change of pace is gentle—no bodies to find, no culprits to catch—just the soft cl...
Crazy Nick's Software Picks: King Graham's Board Game Challenge
DOS1992 board game
Trade in your sword and crown for a dice cup in King Graham’s Board Game Challenge. The noble hero of King’s Quest takes a break from slaying dragons to play board games like checkers and backgammon, all wrapped in med...
Crusade in Europe
DOS1985 wargame, turn-based tactics
Crusade in Europe is a detailed World War II strategy game that lets you take command of the Allied or Axis forces during some of the war’s most famous campaigns. It’s not about flashy graphics or explosive sound&mdash...
Cultures
Windows XP/98/952000protected sandbox strategy, real-time strategy
Cultures is a charming real-time strategy game about building a Viking settlement from the ground up. You’ll manage resources, assign jobs, and watch your villagers go about their lives with surprising personality. The pace ...
Cyrus
DOS1985 chess
Cyrus is a chess program that doesn’t just play well—it plays with personality. The AI adjusts to your skill level, offering a challenge whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player. The interface is clean and ...
D-Day: The Beginning of the End
DOS1994 wargame
D-Day: The Beginning of the End is not your average “storm the beach” simulator—it’s a grand strategy title that drops you into the nerve-wracking planning and execution of the Normandy invasion. You’...
D-Zone
DOS1992
D-Zone is what you’d get if someone blended city-building with military strategy and sprinkled in a dash of chaos. You’re tasked with running a base while fending off attackers, balancing infrastructure growth with the...
Dark Legions
DOS1994protected board game
Dark Legions is a 1994 strategy gem that asks: what if Archon got a DOS makeover with bloodier battles? You command armies of fantastical creatures, from vampires to trolls, across grid-based maps. When units clash, the action zoo...
Dark Reign 2
Windows XP/98/952000protected real-time strategy, real-time tactics
Released in 2000, Dark Reign 2 took the futuristic RTS series into full 3D territory. While other games were content with flashy visuals, this one focused on tactical depth and resource management. You control factions fighting ov...
Dark Reign: The Future of War
Windows XP/98/951997protected real-time strategy, real-time tactics
Before its sequel, there was Dark Reign: The Future of War (1997), a forward-thinking RTS that introduced mechanics ahead of its time, like customizable AI scripts for units. The result was a game that demanded brains as much as r...
Day of the Pharaoh
DOS1989
If you’ve ever wanted to manage your own pyramid scheme—literally—Day of the Pharaoh (1989) is your ticket. This strategy game sets you in ancient Egypt, juggling resources, slaves, and monumental architecture. T...
Deadlock: Planetary Conquest
Windows XP/98/95Windows 3.x1996protected 4x