Abandonware DOS title

Coin-op conversions: from the arcades to your home sorted by year, newest first

Arcades experienced immense popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, serving as social hubs where people gathered to enjoy video games. Before the rise of poker machines, individuals frequented pubs or dedicated arcades to play video games known as coin-operated machines or coin-ops. These machines required players to insert coins to start playing, creating a pay-to-play model that was both thrilling and addictive.

As home video game consoles and computers advanced, many popular arcade games were adapted for these platforms. The transition allowed players to enjoy their favorite games in the comfort of their own homes. Systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, and various home computers saw ports of arcade hits, often with slight modifications due to hardware limitations.

Coin-operated machines not only provided entertainment but also influenced game design, community building, and the overall trajectory of the gaming industry.

double-dragon-2-03

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

DOS1988 Technos Japan
ikari-warriors-2-03

Ikari Warriors 2: Victory Road

DOS1988 SNK Corporation
paperboy-4

Paperboy

DOS1988 Atari
Paperboy was one of (if not THE) arcade hit of 1985. It was developed by Atari for the arcades and later published by Mindscape for DOS in 1988. More conversion were made for quite a few other platforms. Paperboy gameplay is pecul...
rampage-splash

Rampage

DOS1988 Midway Manufacturing Company
side-arms-02

Side Arms Hyper Dyne

DOS1988 Capcom
Side Arms: Hyper Dyne is a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up arcade game developed and published by Capcom in 1986 and later ported on various platforms. Players control a "mobilsuit," a futuristic combat robot, in a war against al...
starwars-4

Star Wars

DOS1988 Atari
superhangon-1

Super Hang-On

DOSMac OS1988 Sega
Super Hang-On is an abandoned motorcycle arcade racing game, developed by Sega, designed by Yu Suzuki and published by Data East for DOS in 1988 (the arcade was released in 1987). Super Hang-On was converted for a great number of ...
guerrilla-war-01

Guerrilla War

DOS1987 SNK Corporation
karnov-05

Karnov

DOS1987 Data East
Karnov is a classic side-scrolling action arcade game developed by Data East in 1987. The game features a unique protagonist named Jinborov Karnovski, or "Karnov", a fire-breathing, muscle-bound, bald, shirtless strongman from the...
marble-madness-03

Marble Madness

DOS1987 Atari
Marble Madness is an abandoned isometric action game designed by Mark Cerny and originally published by Atari as a successful and iconic arcade game. It was later converted for many platform in 1986 and for IBM PCs in 1987 by Atar...
Rockford_The_Arcade-05

Rockford: The Arcade Game

DOS1987protected Arcadia Systems
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Gauntlet

DOS1986 Mindscape
ninja-mastetronic-03

Ninja

DOS1986 Acclaim Entertainment
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Tag Team Wrestling

DOS1986 Technos Japan
yie-ar-kung-fu-04

Yie Ar Kung Fu

DOS1985 Konami
The proto-fighting game that walked so Street Fighter could punch. Yie Ar Kung Fu is pure arcade joy: a brave martial artist named Oolong fights a rogue’s gallery of opponents with names like “Star” and “Fa...
yie-ar-kung-fu-2-03

Yie Ar Kung Fu 2: The Emperor Yie-Gah

DOS1985 Konami
The sequel nobody expected but everyone button-mashed through. Yie Ar Kung Fu 2 adds more characters, more chaos, and less coherence. This time you’re Lee (no relation to Bruce, allegedly), battling an army of themed fighter...
buck-planet-zoom-01

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom

DOS1984 Sega
Welcome to a future where zooming through tunnels and dodging neon obstacles is considered heroic. Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom is a proto-3D arcade shooter that tries its best to impress—bless its pixelated heart. You fly, y...
mspacman-2

Ms. Pac-Man

DOS1984 Atarisoft
Ms. Pac-Man is a classic arcade game released by Midway in 1982 (1984 for DOS) as a follow-up to the original Pac-Man (1980), developed by Namco. While its core gameplay is similar - navigating a maze, eating dots, and a...
qbert-06

Q*Bert

DOS1984 Parker Brothers
Q*bert is a classic arcade game that was created by Warren Davis and Jeff Lee and was released by Gottlieb in 1982. The main goal of Qbert is to change the color of every cube in a pyramid by having the character, Qbert,...
tapper-02

Tapper

DOS1984
zaxxon-1

Zaxxon

DOS1984 Sega
Back in 1984, Zaxxon was the future. Isometric graphics? Whoa. Shadow effects? Mind blown. But mostly, it was a game about flying a chunky spaceship through a heavily fortified space base while crashing into walls at high speed. T...
battlezone-3

Battlezone

DOS1983 Atari
In 1983, Battlezone asked: what if vector graphics could give you war-induced vertigo? You’re in a tank, in a wireframe world, fighting other tanks. That’s it. But it’s oddly immersive—thanks to a pseudo-3D...
digdug-3

Dig Dug

DOS1983 Namco
Dig Dug is a classic maze arcade action game that was first released by Namco in 1982 as a coin-op and later for a number of other systems. The gameplay of Dig Dug involves digging tunnels through the earth to reach and defeat the...
donkey-4

Donkey Kong

DOS1983 Nintendo
Donkey Kong is a landmark video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and first released by Nintendo in 1981. The original arcade game introduced players to a narrative where a carpenter named Jumpman, who would later become ...
frogger-2

Frogger

DOS1983 Konami
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Galaxian

DOS1983 Namco
pango-02

Pango

DOS1983remake
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Robotron 2084

DOS1983 Williams Entertainment
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Space Commanders

DOS1983remake Columbia Data Products