Abandonware DOS title
download DOS and Windows abandonware games

Demo versions: try before you buy

  1. abandonware
  2. demo
  3. 102 games and applications found

Let's begin with a crucial point: not every old game is abandoned. With the resurgence of "vintage," there's a renewed interest in all things retro, including video games. As a direct consequence, some companies have acquired entire back catalogs of old games and started selling them. That's why many interesting games on Abandonware DOS are marked as "NOT abandonware"; they are available for purchase online.

Enter demos. As you probably already know, game demos, short for demonstration, are limited versions of video games that are released by game developers or publishers to give players a taste of the gameplay before they decide to purchase the full game. These demos are often released ahead of the full game's launch or alongside it. Game demos typically showcase a portion of the game, allowing players to experience the mechanics, graphics, and overall feel of the gameplay.

Game demo versions are a relic of the past. You don't often see demos of recent games on platforms like Steam or GOG, but in the late 80s and 90s, demo versions of games were quite common. This trend was especially notable when video game magazines started including floppy disks or CDs, at a time when the internet was almost non-existent.

Building on this premise, I have embarked on a journey to collect old game demos and make them accessible online through Abandonware DOS, with a specific focus on commercial games. Enjoy!

Sort by:
journeyman-project-2-03

The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time

Windows XP/98/95Mac OSWindows 3.x1995protecteddemo Presto Studios
The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time is a science-fiction adventure built around time travel, investigation, and the slightly alarming realization that history can be ruined by...
the-last-express-08

The Last Express

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1997protecteddemo Smoking Car Productions
The Last Express is an unusually ambitious adventure set aboard the Orient Express in 1914, just before Europe tumbles into the First World War. You play an American passenger caug...
monkey1-2

The Secret of Monkey Island

DOS1990protecteddemo LucasArts
The Secret of Monkey Island is one of the great adventure games, combining clever puzzles, absurd comedy, memorable characters, and a pirate story that happily refuses to take itse...
themehospital-2

Theme Hospital

DOSWindows XP/98/951997protecteddemo Bullfrog
Theme Hospital takes the serious business of healthcare and turns it into one of the funniest management simulations ever made. Instead of simply treating ordinary illnesses, you r...
van-buren-02

Van Buren (Fallout 3)

Windows XP/98/952003canceleddemo Black Isle Studios
Van Buren is the codename for the ambitious Fallout 3 project that Black Isle Studios was developing before Interplay cancelled it, leaving behind one of gaming's great “what if?...
voyeur-05

Voyeur

Windows XP/98/95Mac OSDOS1993demoNSFW Philips Interactive Media
Voyeur is an unusual interactive thriller built around spying, investigation, and the uncomfortable realization that being nosy is apparently a legitimate career choice. Released i...
warcraft-1

Warcraft: Orcs and Humans

DOS1994protecteddemo Blizzard Entertainment
Warcraft: Orcs and Humans is where Blizzard’s legendary fantasy saga began. This real-time strategy classic pits humans against orcs in a battle for control of a war-torn wor...
waxworks-2

WaxWorks

DOSMac OS1992protecteddemo Horror Soft
WaxWorks (1992, DOS/Mac) is a horror game that doesn’t just want to scare you—it wants to traumatize you a little. Set in cursed wax museum exhibits, each scenario drop...
wolfenstein3d-2

Wolfenstein 3D

DOSMac OS1992protecteddemo id Software
Wolfenstein 3D is one of the landmark first-person shooters, placing players behind the eyes of an Allied soldier fighting through Nazi strongholds packed with guards, dogs, secret...
worms-3

Worms

DOSMac OS1995protecteddemo Team 17
Worms takes the basic concept of turn-based artillery and replaces the soldiers with tiny worms carrying an almost irresponsible quantity of weaponry. The result is one of those ga...
xcom3-09

X-COM: Apocalypse

DOSWindows XP/98/951997protecteddemo Mythos Software
X-COM: Apocalypse takes the familiar alien invasion formula and tosses it into a sprawling futuristic city, where things feel both more chaotic and oddly more personal. Instead of ...
xmen-children-atom-04

X-Men: Children of the Atom

DOS1997demo Capcom
X-Men: Children of the Atom is a fighting video game developed by Capcom and released in arcades in 1994. The game features characters from Marvel Comics' X-Men series, including p...
Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookie policy