Shareware: a business model sorted by release date

Shareware is a type of software distribution model that allows users to try a program before purchasing it. It's a marketing strategy and distribution method that was particularly popular in the early days of personal computing, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.
Shareware games were released for free with limited functionality (for example: no saving, missing levels, time limit), often via a BBS (Bulletin Board System), a floppy disc or a CD included in a printed magazine or by direct download (when internet was in its infancy). If the user liked the shareware product, they could pay to obtain an upgrade and unlock the full game. When digital distribution started to become popular, shareware games slowly faded into oblivion.

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Wolfenstein 3D

DOSMac1992protecteddemo4.1/5 id software

Wolfenstein 3D is the first-person shooter that popularized the whole genre in the early 90s and is considered one of the greatest games ever made. Wolfenstein 3D was designed by John Romero and Tom Hall (id Software) and released as shareware by Apogee Software in 1992 for DOS. Wolfenstein 3D is based on the Wolf3D engine, programmed by John ...

Bio Menace Episode 1: Dr. Mangle's Lab

DOS1993freeware4/5 Apogee Software

Bio Menace Episode 2: The Hidden Lab

DOS1993freeware4.3/5 Apogee Software

Bio Menace Episode 3: Master Cain

DOS1993freeware4.3/5 Apogee Software

Blake Stone 1: Aliens of Gold

DOS1993protected4.1/5 JAM Productions

Capture the Flag

DOS19932.5/5

Castle of the Winds

Windows 3.x1993freeware4.2/5 SaadaSoft

Castle of the Winds is a fantasy roguelike role-playing game developed by SaadaSoft in the early 1990s. It was designed for Windows 3.x and is notable for being one of the earliest graphical RPGs for that platform. The game features a top-down perspective and incorporates elements of dungeon crawling, exploration, and character development.The game...

CHAMP Centipede

DOS1993remake3.7/5 ChamProgramming corp.

Doom

DOS1993protecteddemo4.2/5 id software

Doom was released by id Software in 1993. It is widely regarded as one of the most influential and groundbreaking video games of all time, particularly within the first-person shooter (FPS) genre.Set in the future on the moons of Mars, the game follows the player-controlled character, known as the "Doom Marine", as they battle through a research fa...

Epic Pinball

DOSMac1993protected3.7/5 Digital Extremes

Gateworld

DOS19933.1/5 HomeBrew Software

God of Thunder

DOSWindows XP/98/951993freeware4/5 Adept Software

God of Thunder is a classic computer game developed by Adept Software and released in 1993. It's a puzzle platformer with a fantasy theme. In the game, you control Thor, the Norse god of thunder, on a quest to save Midgard (Earth) from the evil god Loki and his minions.The gameplay involves navigating through various levels filled with obstacles, e...