Abandonware DOS title

Top-down perspective sorted by year, newest first

Top down games were very popular in the 80s and the 90s, when graphic cards were not capable of supporting 3D, and even when 3D started to become popular, 2D games continued to be easier to develop, at least in the infancy of 3D gaming. 2D game offered the player a viewpoint that helped keeping things easily under control (think about top down party-based RPGs or hex-based strategy games).

Top down: most popular games

Starflight
Starflight
rpgDOS
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto
action-adventureDOS, Windows XP/98/95
Star Wars: Yoda Stories
Star Wars: Yoda Stories
action-adventureWindows XP/98/95
PC-Man
PC-Man
actionDOS
witchhavenRL-01

WitchavenRL

Windows Vista/7/8Linux2013
ascii-sector-02

Ascii Sector

Windows Vista/7/8LinuxDOS2007freeware
Ascii Sector is what happens when someone takes Privateer, removes the graphics, and replaces them with pure ASCII and sheer willpower. It’s open-world space sim meets roguel...
elona-02

Elona

Windows Vista/7/82007freeware
Elona looks innocent, almost cute, and then immediately proves it has no interest in your comfort. This roguelike RPG is bizarre, unpredictable, and gleefully cruel. You can become...
incursion-04

Incursion

Windows Vista/7/8LinuxMac OS2007freeware
Incursion is a modern love letter to classic tactical RPGs, clearly inspired by tabletop rulesets and games like early Fallout. It throws you into a turn-based world where position...
doom-roguelike-02

Doom: The Roguelike

DOS2005freeware
Long before indie developers made “roguelike” a buzzword, someone decided to fuse Doom with permadeath and ASCII graphics. The result: Doom: The Roguelike (2005). On pa...
weird-worlds-return-05

Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space

Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS2005protected Digital Eel
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space is a science fiction roguelike game developed by Digital Eel. Originally released in 2005, it is the sequel to Strange Adventures in Infinite...
blues-brothers-rpg-01

Blues Brothers RPG

Windows XP/98/952004freeware
Yes, this exists. Blues Brothers RPG (2004, Windows XP) is what happens when someone looks at a legendary blues duo and says, “What if they fought zombies with saxophones?&rd...
push-push-penguin-01

Push-Push Penguin

Windows XP/98/952004freewareremake
Push-Push Penguin is an expanded version of the classic Sega's 1982 arcade game Pengo, incorporating features like power-ups, a combo system, and a more diverse array of enemies, b...
warp-rogue-01

Warp Rogue

Windows XP/98/95Linux2004freeware
moo3-07

Master of Orion 3

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS2003protected Quicksilver Software
titans-warring-suns-03

Titans of Steel: Warring Suns

Windows XP/98/952003 Vicious Byte
chessmaster-9000-01

Chessmaster 9000

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS2002 UBI Soft
Chessmaster 9000 is a chess game developed by Ubisoft and released in 2002. It's part of the Chessmaster series, which has been around since the 1980s. Chessmaster 9000 was known f...
decker-02

Decker

Windows XP/98/952002freeware
In the neon-lit corridors of cyberspace, you're a "decker," infiltrating corporate mainframes like a digital ninja. Released in 2002, this roguelike RPG offers a tile-based cyberpu...
laxius-power-1-02

Laxius Power

Windows XP/98/952002NSFW
ivan-rl-04

IVAN (Iter Vehemens ad Necem)

DOSLinuxMac OSWindows XP/98/952001freeware
outbound-02

Outbound

Windows XP/98/952001freeware
the-war-engine-05

The War Engine

Windows XP/98/952001 Boku Strategy Games
tomenet-03

TomeNET

Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS2001freeware
TomeNET (Troubles of Middle Earth, Net) is an online, multiplayer rogue-like game set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth. It’s a persistent-world game inspired by ...
arrakis-05

Arrakis

DOS2000
No relation to Dune (except for being a total rip-off), Arrakis is a homebrew strategy game that feels like a tribute to the sandiest planet in sci-fi. You mine spice, fight vaguel...
dark-reign-2-06

Dark Reign 2

Windows XP/98/952000protected Pandemic Studios
Released in 2000, Dark Reign 2 took the futuristic RTS series into full 3D territory. While other games were content with flashy visuals, this one focused on tactical depth and res...
galpanix-07

Gal Pani X

Windows XP/98/952000freewareNSFW
Gal Pani X is an action-puzzle game reminiscent of the classic arcade Qix, developed by D2 and released in 2000 for Windows. Gal Pani X is an adult-themed Doujin game: it was made ...
germ-nation-02

Germ Nation

Windows XP/98/952000freeware
ground-control-09

Ground Control

Windows XP/98/952000protected Massive Entertainment
Ground Control is a strategy game developed by Massive Entertainment and released by Sierra On-Line in 2000. More precisely Ground Control is a real time tactical game with a sci-f...
xenon-2000-05

Xenon 2000: Project PCF

Windows XP/98/952000remake Bitmap Brothers
Xenon 2000: Project PCF is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up video game and originally released in 2000. It is a sequel to the earlier game "Xenon 2: Megablast," which was develope...
axis-allies-iron-blitz-07

Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz

Windows XP/98/951999 Wargaming West
Now with 27% more diplomacy and 300% more frustration! Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz (1999) takes everything from the original game and throws in extra scenarios, improved AI, and mo...
bit-storm-03

BitStorm

DOS1999
1999’s BitStorm is what happens when someone decides to make a strategy game and forgets to put the brakes on the caffeine. It’s fast, it’s furious, and you&rsquo...
black-moon-chronicles-09

Black Moon Chronicles

DOS1999protected Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Based on a French comic series, Black Moon Chronicles (1999) is what you'd get if a fantasy novel and a real-time strategy game had a slightly awkward baby. The art is dark, the to...
capman-01

Cap Man

Windows XP/98/951999
It’s Pac-Man, except it’s… not. Cap Man is a low-budget clone with just enough charm to avoid immediate deletion. You’ve got the dots, the ghosts, the powe...
diabolika-02

Diabolika

Windows XP/98/951999freeware
fleet-command-03

Fleet Command

DOS1999protected Sonalysts