Abandonware DOS title

Games using vector graphics

Vector graphics in video games refer to a type of graphical representation where images are defined using geometric shapes, lines, curves, and mathematical equations, rather than a fixed grid of pixels like in raster graphics. In vector graphics, the shapes are described by their properties, such as coordinates, sizes, colors, and gradients, rather than by individual pixels.

While vector graphics have many advantages, they also have limitations. They might not be suitable for all types of visual content, especially when high levels of detail and realism are required. Additionally, complex scenes with a large number of vector shapes can still pose performance challenges, as the mathematical calculations required for rendering can become demanding.

Most popular vector graphics games

akalabeth-4

Akalabeth: World of Doom

DOS1981freeware California Pacific Computer
Ah yes, the game that crawled so Ultima could run. Akalabeth is a wireframe dungeon crawl where you descend into monster-infested labyrinths with the elegance of a lost spreadsheet. The graphics are so old school they could legally collect retirement. You pick a class, fight enemies like "rotworms" and "skeletons," and try not to die of confusion. ...
alien-fires-2199-01

Alien Fires 2199 AD

DOS1988 Paragon Software
Released in 1988, Alien Fires 2199 AD looks and plays like someone tried to translate a fever dream into a sci-fi RPG. You control some dude with a chin of steel and a crew that seems perpetually confused. The interface is clunky, the combat baffling, and the plot? Something about galactic diplomacy, maybe? It’s not quite “so bad it&rsq...
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Astro Dodge

DOS1982 Digital Marketing Corporation
Astro Dodge (1982) is basically Frogger — in space. You control a tiny spacecraft tasked with dodging endless waves of meteors, space debris, and possibly your own questionable life choices. There’s no shooting, no exploration, just pure, panicked evasion. The graphics are charmingly primitive, like a screensaver decided to become senti...
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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 first-person view that was mind-blowing at the time. Think of it as the grandparent of every FPS ever, minus the textur...
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Blockout

DOSMac OS1989 P. Z. Karen Co. Development Group
Imagine Tetris but in three dimensions and your brain slowly melting into a puddle of confusion. That is Blockout. You drop 3D shapes into a pit and try to line them up, but nothing fits the way you want it to. You rotate pieces on every axis and eventually just start praying. It is visually hypnotic and mentally exhausting in equal measure. If you...
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BlockOut 2

Windows XP/98/95Linux2000freeware
If you’ve ever looked at Tetris and thought, “This needs to be in 3D and way harder,” then BlockOut 2 (2000) is your kind of punishment. This brain-melter takes falling blocks to the next dimension—literally—forcing you to rotate, flip, and somehow fit bizarrely shaped pieces into a deep pit like you're organizing IKEA...
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Driller

DOS1987 Incentive Software
Driller (also known as Space Station Oblivion) is an abandoned action-adventure game developed by Incentive and released by Epyx in 1987 based on the Freescape Engine. In Driller, you control an excavation probe in a real 3d environment, through a first person view. The goal of the game is to place a drilling rig in each of the 8 regions of the moo...
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NetWars

DOS1993freeware Novell
NetWars, developed by Novell, is a 3D space shooter video game originally released in 1993 for DOS. NetWars was designed primarily as a promotional tool to demonstrate the networking capabilities of Novell's NetWare, a network operating system that was popular in the 1990s. The game showcased the ability to play multiplayer games over a network, hi...
spacewar-splash

Spacewar

DOS1985
Spacewar is one of the earliest digital computer games and is often considered the first interactive video game. It was created in 1962 by Steve Russell, Martin Graetz, and Wayne Wiitanen at the MIT. The game was developed on the PDP-1 minicomputer; this is a DOS port, released in 1985.Spacewar! features two spaceships, controlled by players, that ...
starwars-4

Star Wars

DOS1988 Atari
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Starglider

DOS1986 Argonaut Games
styx-splash

Styx

DOS1984 Windmill Software
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Tempest 2000

DOS1996remake Atari
Tempest 2000 is a video game developed by Llamasoft and published by Atari Corporation. It was released in 1994 for DOS, Mac, the Atari Jaguar console, etc. Tempest 2000 is an enhanced remake of the original Tempest, which was released in arcades in 1981.In Tempest 2000, players control a claw-shaped ship that moves around the edges of geometric sh...
thecolony-1

The Colony

DOS1988
thesentinel-4

The Sentinel

DOS1989 Firebird
vectorball-splash

Vectorball

DOS1988 Binary Design
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