Abandonware DOS title

The most popular dystopia games

A dystopia is the lesser-known counterpart to utopia, representing an undesirable or nightmarish society. Dystopian societies often suffer from various negative aspects such as environmental degradation, oppressive governments, rampant despotism, extreme inequality, or social decay.

Cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic games serve as prime examples of dystopian themes. Cyberpunk worlds often depict high-tech, low-life futures where corporate control, surveillance, and societal breakdown are rampant. Post-apocalyptic games, on the other hand, explore the aftermath of catastrophic events, where humanity is struggling to survive in a ruined, lawless world. Both genres reflect dystopian fears about the future, technology, and society.

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Robocop

DOS1989 Data East
Robocop is an abandoned beat 'em up / run and gun shooter game developed and released by Data East in 1989 for a number of platforms, including DOS. Robocop is a conversion fr...
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Fallout

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1997protecteddemo Interplay Productions
The first Fallout game was released in 1997 by Interplay Productions and is widely regarded as one of the most influential RPGs of its time. The game begins in the year 2161, ...
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Autoduel

DOS1985 Origin Systems
What do you get when you mix Mad Max, Car Wars, and a fondness for vehicular homicide? You get Autoduel (1985, DOS), a top-down driving RPG where your car is your castle and your g...
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Rise of the Dragon

DOS1990 Dynamix
Rise of the Dragon is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Dynamix in 1990. It was originally released for MS-DOS and later ported to other platforms such as...
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Fallout 2

Windows XP/98/951998protected Black Isle Studios
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Transarctica

DOS1993 Silmarils
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Neuromancer

DOS1989 Interplay Productions
The Neuromancer video game, released in 1988 by Interplay Productions, is an adventure/role-playing game loosely based on William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer (1984...
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Space Crusade

DOS1992 Gremlin Graphics / Gremlin Interactive
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Dreamweb

DOS1994freeware Creative reality
Dreamweb (1994) went full dark cyberpunk, and it didn’t pull its punches. You play Ryan, a man convinced he’s on a mission from mysterious forces to kill seven people w...
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Terminator 2: Judgment Day

DOS1991 Syntetic Dimensions
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the many adaptations of the Terminator franchise. This one is based on the movie of the same name, but it's not as good as the movie, according...
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Wasteland

DOS1988 Interplay Productions
Released in 1988 for DOS, Wasteland is the kind of game that quietly changed history while pretending to be just another post-apocalyptic RPG. Long before wastelands were fashionab...
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The Terminator: Future Shock

DOS1995 Bethesda Softworks
The Terminator: Future Shock is an abandoned science fiction first-person shooter game based on the popular Terminator movies franchise, set in a dystopian world where machines has...
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Blade Runner

Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS1997protected Westwood Studios
One of the best licensed games of the '90s, Blade Runner (1997) puts you in the rain-soaked shoes of Ray McCoy, a detective tracking down replicants in a world where it's always ni...
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Beneath a Steel Sky

DOS1994freeware Revolution Software
Beneath a Steel Sky is a classic point-and-click adventure game released in 1994, developed by Revolution Software. Set in a dystopian, cyberpunk future, the game is renowned for i...
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Circuit's Edge

DOS1990 Westwood Studios
Circuit's Edge is a cyberpunk-themed role-playing game developed by Westwood Associates and published by Infocom. It was released in 1990 for MS-DOS. Set in a dystopian future, Cir...
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I have no Mouth and I Must Scream

DOS1995protecteddemo The Dreamers Guild
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Manhunter: New York

DOS1988 Evryware
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Deus Ex

DOSMac OS2000protecteddemo Ion Storm
Deus Ex is a critically acclaimed action role-playing video game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released in 2000 and was designed by Warren Spect...
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Deathtrack

DOS1989 Dynamix
In 1989, Deathtrack tried to answer a question nobody asked: “What if NASCAR had machine guns?” The result is a futuristic racer where speed and firepower go hand in ha...
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Quarantine

DOS1994 Imagexcel
Quarantine is a futuristic racing/driving game released by GameTek in 1994 for DOS. Quarantine is set in a dark dystopian futuristic city where the player drives around in a taxi c...
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BloodNet

DOS1993protected MicroProse Software
BloodNet combines vampires, cyberspace, and noir in a cocktail so strange it probably shouldn’t work but somehow does. You are a hacker who just got bitten by a vampire and n...
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The Terminator: Rampage

DOS1993 Bethesda Softworks
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A Mind Forever Voyaging

DOSMac OS1985 Infocom
If you ever wanted to play a video game that doubles as a philosophical think piece, A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985) is your ride. Released for DOS and Macintosh, this is one of Inf...
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Crusader: No Regret

DOS1996protecteddemo Origin Systems
In Crusader: No Regret, subtlety is left at the door. You’re a heavily armed operative on a mission to blast your way through enemy installations, leaving nothing but rubble ...
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Warp Rogue

Windows XP/98/95Linux2004freeware
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Bad Blood

DOS1990 Origin Systems
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where leather vests are apparently immune to radiation, Bad Blood lets you wander the wasteland deciding whether to be a brute, a brainiac, or a mut...
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Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel

Windows XP/98/952001protecteddemo Interplay Productions
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel is a tactical role-playing game published by Interplay Entertainment in 2001. Unlike its predecessors, which were traditional RPGs with turn-b...
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Syndicate

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1993protecteddemo Bullfrog
Syndicate is a cyberpunk-themed tactical action game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1993. The game is set in a dystopian future where corpora...
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Roadwar 2000

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
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Archimedean Dynasty

DOS1996protected Massive Development
In Archimedean Dynasty, humanity did the logical thing after wrecking the surface world: moved underwater and started shooting each other in submarines. It's part tactical sim, par...