Abandonware DOS title

Coin-op conversions: from the arcades to your home sorted by title, from Z to A

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.

Coin-op conversion: most popular games

Virtua Cop 2
Virtua Cop 2
shooterWindows XP/98/95
PC-Man
PC-Man
actionDOS
The Typing of the Dead
The Typing of the Dead
actionWindows XP/98/95
Crazy Taxi
Crazy Taxi
racingWindows XP/98/95
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 spa...
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 Bru...
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 opponent...
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...
volfied-0004

Volfied

DOS1991 Taito
Volfied is an arcade game developed and released by Taito Corporation in 1989. It's a puzzle game that gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The game is named after ...
virtua-cop-2-03

Virtua Cop 2

Windows XP/98/951997 Sega
Virtua Cop 2 is an abandoned light gun first-person rail shooter game designed by Yu Suzuki, developed and released by Sega in 1997 for Windows, and also published for Saturn, Drea...
virtua-cop-04

Virtua Cop

Windows XP/98/951997 Sega
Virtua Cop is a light-gun arcade game released by Sega in 1994, developed by the Sega AM2 division (also known for games like Virtua Fighter). It was a pioneering title in the genr...
turbo-outrun-03

Turbo OutRun

DOS1990 Sega
Turbo OutRun is an abandoned DOS action racing game set in North America, developed and published by Sega in 1990. Turbo OutRun is a conversion from the arcade classic of the same ...
trog-04

Trog

DOS1990 Midway Manufacturing Company
total-carnage-07

Total Carnage

DOS1994 Midway Manufacturing Company
toobin-2

Toobin

DOS1989 Domark Software
Toobin is an abandoned action game developed by Domark Software and released in 1989. Toobin runs on DOS but was also published for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game...
thunderblade-05

Thunderblade

DOS1989 Sega
typing-of-the-dead-02

The Typing of the Dead

Windows XP/98/951999 Smilebit
The Typing of the Dead is a distinctive video game, essentially a typing adaptation of the classic rail shooter arcade game, The House of the Dead. Initially debuting in 1999 as an...
the-simpsons-04

The Simpsons

DOS1991 Konami
The Simpsons Arcade Game, developed and published by Konami, is a classic side-scrolling beat-'em-up that became highly popular in arcades during the early '90s. Players take ...
tapper-02

Tapper

DOS1984
Tapper is what happens when someone gamifies bartending and gives you the reflexes of a caffeinated octopus. You’re a mustachioed bartender juggling multiple counters, pourin...
superspaceinvaders-1

Taito's Super Space Invaders

DOS1991 Taito
Super Space Invaders takes the old “shoot the aliens before they land” formula and pours a shot of espresso into it. The result? Faster, flashier, and mildly panic-indu...
tag-team-wrestling-02

Tag Team Wrestling

DOS1986 Technos Japan
If you’ve ever wondered what professional wrestling would look like if it were coded on a calculator from the 1980s, Tag Team Wrestling has your answer. Two beefy sprites&mda...
super-street-fighter-2-05

Super Street Fighter 2

DOS1996 Capcom
Super Street Fighter II is an enhanced version of the iconic arcade fighting game Street Fighter II, developed and published by Capcom. It was released in 1993 as an upgrade to Str...
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). ...
strider-2

Strider

DOS1989 Capcom
When Strider (1989, DOS) hit PCs, gamers suddenly felt like ninjas who’d been dropped into a Cold War fever dream. You play as Hiryu, a futuristic assassin slicing through me...
street-fighter-2-champ-edition-04

Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition

DOS1996 Capcom
By 1996, Street Fighter 2: Championship Edition on DOS felt like the veteran fighter returning for one last round. You could finally play as the bosses, which was a childhood dream...
street-fighter-2-6

Street Fighter 2

DOS1992 Capcom
Street Fighter II is a classic arcade fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It was first released in 1991 as a sequel to the original Street Fighter. Street Fighter II i...
stargate-splash

Stargate

DOS1983 Williams Entertainment
starwars-4

Star Wars

DOS1988 Atari
star-trek-sos-01

Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator

DOS1983 Sega
Released in 1983 for DOS, Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator is what happens when early arcade design meets Federation bureaucracy. Vector-style graphics make you feel like ...
space_harrier-1

Space Harrier

DOS1989 Sega
Space Harrier is a 3rd-person view rail-shooter developed by Sega in 1985. Space Harrier was a hit in the arcades, and later it was converted for a number of platforms, including D...
spacecommanders-splash

Space Commanders

DOS1983remake Columbia Data Products
Before Space Invaders clones flooded arcades, there was Space Commanders (1983, DOS), a bare-bones but addictive shooter where your mission is simple: don’t die. Rows of alie...
space-ace-2-01

Space Ace 2: Borf's Revenge

DOS1991 ReadySoft
Space Ace 2: Borf’s Revenge (1991, DOS) doubles down on everything that made the first one iconic — and maddening. Borf is back, still blue, still obnoxious, and once a...
spaceace-1

Space Ace

DOS1989 ReadySoft
From the creators of Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace (1989, DOS) is a gloriously over-the-top animated adventure where timing is everything — literally. You play Ace, a muscle...
skyshark-04

Sky Shark

DOS1989 Toaplan