Abandonware DOS title

The best tile-matching games

Tile-matching puzzle video games are a popular genre of games that involve manipulating and matching tiles or blocks to clear them from the game board. These games typically feature a grid-based layout where players must swap, slide, or rotate tiles to create matches of three or more identical tiles. Tile-matching puzzle games can be highly addictive and offer simple, yet challenging gameplay. 
They are often designed with colorful graphics, catchy soundtracks, and progressively difficult levels to keep players engaged and entertained.

The objective of tile-matching puzzle games is to clear the game board by making matches, which causes the matched tiles to disappear. As players progress, the difficulty usually increases, introducing obstacles such as limited moves, time constraints, or special tiles with unique properties. Tile-matching puzzle games can come in various forms and themes including match-3 games, collapse-style games, mahjong games.

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Hexxagon

DOS1993 Argo Games
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Pipe Dream

DOSWindows 3.x1989 The Assembly Line
Pipe Mania (also known as Pipe Dream is a tile-matching (sort of) puzzle game about flowing liquids developed by The Assembly Line in 1989. You must build a path made of pipe piece...
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Impossible Mission 2

DOS1988 Novotrade Software
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Puzznic

DOS1990 Taito
Taito’s Puzznic (1990) takes the idea of matching tiles and injects a surprising amount of strategy. You slide blocks to align pairs, but each move requires forethought&mdash...
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Mah Jongg Solitaire

DOS1987 Arcanum Computing
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Sherlock: The Game of Logic

DOS1991protected Everett Kaser Software
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Atomix

DOS1990 Softtouch
Atomix is a tile-based puzzle game released in 1990 by Thalion Software for platforms like Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, and Commodore 64. The objective of Atomix is to assemble mo...
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Hexxagon 2

DOS1993 Argo Games
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Bust-A-Move

DOS1997freeware Taito
Also known as Puzzle Bobble, this bubble-popping classic stars those cute dragons from Bubble Bobble, now in competitive puzzle mode. Match three colors, clear the screen, panic as...
boppin-4

Boppin

DOS1994freeware Accursed Toys
Boppin (1994, DOS) is a puzzle game that starts out cute and then sucker-punches you with its sinister undertone—literally. You throw blocks to match symbols, release trapped...
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Sexy Droids

DOS1992NSFW Eleven Software
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Thomas the Tank Engine

DOS1992 Peakstar Software
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Boston Bomb Club

DOS1991 Silmarils
Boston Bomb Club (1991, DOS) is a Rube Goldberg fever dream disguised as a puzzle game. Your mission: guide bombs (yes, bombs) along increasingly elaborate tracks using contraption...
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M Labyrinth

DOS1993 Gamos
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Snood

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1996freeware
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Penthouse Hot Numbers

DOS1993NSFW reLINE Software
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Logo

DOS1990NSFW Starbyte Software
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Atomino

DOS1991 Play Byte
In Atomino (1991), you’re not blowing things up — you’re building atoms. That’s right: this puzzle game puts you in charge of creating molecular structures ...
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Loopz

DOS1990 Audiogenic
Loopz, released in 1990, is the kind of puzzle game that looks innocent for about five seconds before it starts humbling you. The concept is simple: connect the pieces, form loops,...
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Centerfold Squares

DOS1988NSFW Artworx Software
Let’s be honest—Centerfold Squares (1988) is what happened when someone asked, “What if Qix but hornier?” You draw squares to reveal pixelated images of... ...
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FlixMix

DOS1993 Celeris
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Squarez Deluxe!

DOS1993freeware Adept Software
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Color Lines

DOS1992 Gamos
In Color Lines (1992, DOS), colors aren’t just pretty—they're plotting your demise. You match five or more balls in a row before your screen becomes a chaotic rainbow p...
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Ishido: The Way of the Stones

DOSMac OS1990 Publishing International
Ishido (1990, DOS/Mac) is the digital version of sitting in a Zen garden and realizing you’re terrible at strategy. The game’s premise is simple: place stones on a grid...
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Diabolika

Windows XP/98/951999freeware
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Moraff's Morejongg

Windows XP/98/951992 Moraffware
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Sarakon

DOS1991 Starbyte Software
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Shanghai

Windows 3.xMac OS1986 Activision
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Swap

DOS1992 Microids