Abandonware DOS title

Open world games

An open-world video game is a genre of video game where the player is given a large, expansive virtual world (or universe) to explore and interact with. In contrast to linear games that follow a predetermined path or level-based progression, open-world games typically offer freedom and non-linearity, allowing players to roam and engage with the game world at their own pace.

Open-world games often feature vast landscapes or cities that can be freely traversed, and they often include a variety of activities, missions, or quests for players to undertake. These games commonly provide a range of gameplay options, such as exploration, combat, puzzle-solving, character development, and interacting with non-player characters (NPCs).

Popular examples of open-world games include The Elder Scrolls series (e.g., Morrowind), the Grand Theft Auto series, Ultima 7, Darklands, and Star Control 2, among many others.

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Tangled Tales

DOS1989 Origin Systems
Dungeons & Dragons meets Disney on a sugar rush. Tangled Tales is a bright, humorous RPG that cheerfully pokes fun at fantasy clichés while still serving a solid adventure. You’ll meet talking animals, snarky wiza...
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Tau Ceti

DOS1987 Thunder Mountain
In Tau Ceti, you’re the lone pilot of a heavily armed hoverbike trying to reboot a dying colony under an alien sun. It’s slow, moody, and brilliantly atmospheric. The vector-style graphics might look primitive now, but...
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Test Drive 3: The Passion

DOS1990 Accolade
Test Drive 3: The Passion takes the “driving simulator” label and adds just enough early-’90s flair to make you feel like a rebel with a V8. Forget endless racetracks; here, you’re let loose on winding open...
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The Adventures of Robin Hood

DOS1992 Millennium Interactive
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The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall

DOS1996freeware Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall is an old school first-person 3D RPG developed by Bethesda Softworks and released in 1996 for DOS. Daggerfall is the second chapter in popular The Elder Scrolls series. The open world gameplay, the ...
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The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Windows XP/98/952002protected Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a critically acclaimed open-world action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. It was released in 2002 and is the third installment in the Elder Scrolls series. The game is...
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The Elder Scrolls: Arena

DOS1994freeware Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the first installment in the highly acclaimed Elder Scrolls series of fantasy ARPG (action role-playing games), developed and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was initially released in 1994. Are...
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The Faery Tale Adventure: Book I

DOS1987 MicroIllusions
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The Magic Candle

DOS1989 Mindcraft Software
The Magic Candle: Volume 1 is the first chapter of a series of fantasy old school RPGs. The Magic Candle was developed and released by Mindcraft Software in 1989 for DOS but was also published for Apple II and Commodore 64. The wh...
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The Magic Candle 2: The Four and Forty

DOS1991 Mindcraft Software
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The Magic Candle 3

DOS1992 Mindcraft Software
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Times of Lore

DOS1989 Origin Systems
Times of Lore is an abandoned action RPG designed by Chris Roberts, developed and released by Origin Systems in 1989 for DOS and many more 8 bit and 16 bit platforms. Compared to Ultima (the much more popular franchise also by Ori...
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TomeNET

Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS2001freeware
TomeNET (Troubles of Middle Earth, Net) is an online, multiplayer rogue-like game set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth. It’s a persistent-world game inspired by Angband, a single-player dungeon-crawler based on ...
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Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan

DOS1990 New World Computing
Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan is a computer RPG released in 1990 for MS-DOS and PC-98 platforms. It is based on the tabletop role-playing game Tunnels & Trolls created by Ken St. Andre, which was a lighter and more...
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Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness

DOS1981 Origin Systems
Before Ultima 1 came along, role-playing games on PC were about as sophisticated as a pocket calculator. Then Richard Garriott threw players into a digital world full of space travel, dungeons, and dragons—yes, all at once. ...
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Ultima 2: Revenge of the Enchantress

DOS1983 Origin Systems
Ultima 2 asks the pressing question: what if you mixed time travel with fantasy and a truly mean sorceress named Minax? The answer is chaos. You’ll bounce between eras—from prehistoric landscapes to futuristic space co...
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Ultima 3: Exodus

DOSMac OS1985 Origin Systems
By Ultima 3, the series had discovered the magic of party-based adventuring. No longer a lonely trek, now you command a ragtag group of heroes who bicker only in your imagination. Exodus, the mysterious villain, is less a person a...
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Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar

DOS1985freeware Origin Systems
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar is one of the most influential and innovative role-playing games (RPGs) in video game history. Released in 1985 by Richard Garriott under the Origin Systems banner, it is the fourth installment of th...
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Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny

DOS1988 Origin Systems
Ultima 5 takes a darker turn. Lord British is missing, and his regent, Lord Blackthorn, has turned Britannia into a police state where virtues are enforced at sword-point. You know things are bad when honesty is compulsory and pun...
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Ultima 6: The False Prophet

DOS1990protected Origin Systems
In Ultima 6, you finally meet the Gargoyles, who aren’t the snarling monsters everyone assumed—they’re just misunderstood neighbors with a different perspective. Cue moral dilemmas and cross-cultural negotiations...
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Ultima 7 Part 1: The Black Gate

DOS1992 Origin Systems
Ultima 7 is often hailed as the crown jewel of the series, and with good reason. It throws you into an open world that feels startlingly alive, even decades later. Townsfolk go about their daily routines, you can bake bread if you...
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Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle

DOS1993 Origin Systems
As sequels go, Serpent Isle is less “more of the same” and more “everything is different, good luck.” Shipwrecked on a strange new land, you’ll deal with political intrigue, bizarre magical phenomena,...
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Ultima 8: Pagan

DOS1994protected Origin Systems
Ultima 8 drops the Avatar into a grim, volcanic world where “fun” is defined as plummeting to your death from badly timed jumps. Yes, the infamous platforming mechanics nearly sank the whole ship. Beneath that frustrat...
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Ultima 8: The Lost Vale

DOS1994canceled Origin Systems
The Lost Vale is the great “what if” of the Ultima series. Developed as an expansion to Pagan but never officially released, it became the stuff of legend. Players were meant to explore new lands, uncover lore, and may...
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Ultima 9: Ascension

Windows XP/98/951999protected Origin Systems
By the time Ultima 9 rolled around, expectations were sky-high—and the result was… divisive. It looked gorgeous for 1999, with sweeping 3D landscapes and dramatic voice acting. But the story was muddled, bugs were ram...
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Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams

DOS1991 Origin Systems
Then there’s Martian Dreams, the Ultima game where you travel to Mars in the 19th century with none other than Sigmund Freud and Nikola Tesla. Yes, it’s as delightfully bizarre as it sounds. Instead of Britannia, you&r...
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Uncharted Waters

DOS1990 KOEI
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Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons

DOS1995 KOEI
Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons is an abandoned simulation game, sequel of Uncharted Waters, developed and released by KOEI in 1995. The Uncharted Waters series is set in the Age of Discovery and gives the player the freedom to s...