Abandonware DOS title

Turn-based tactical games sorted by release date

Turn-based tactical video games are a genre of strategy games where gameplay is divided into turns, during which players take sequential actions with their units or characters. In turn-based tactical games, players typically control a group of units, such as soldiers, heroes, or specialized characters, and navigate them across a grid-based map or environment. Each turn, players can move their units, attack enemies, use special abilities, or perform other actions within the game's mechanics and rules.

The turn-based nature of these games allows players to carefully consider their options and plan their moves strategically, taking into account factors like terrain, unit strengths and weaknesses, and the overall objectives of the game. Typically, the outcome of battles or encounters is determined by a combination of factors such as unit statistics, positioning, and sometimes random chance. Some well-known examples of turn-based tactical games include the XCOM series, Heroes of Might and Magic series, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Jagged Alliance. 

Most popular turn-based tactics games

tigersinsnow-4

The Battle of the Bulge: Tigers in the Snow

DOS1982protected Tactical Design Group
battle-for-normandy-02

Battle for Normandy

DOS1983protected Tactical Design Group
Released in 1983, Battle for Normandy plays less like a game and more like a history book that came alive, donned a helmet, and asked for a coffee. This is wargaming at its purest: grid maps, unit stats, and more abbreviations tha...
knights-of-the-desert-03

Knights of the Desert

DOS1983protected Tactical Design Group
battleformidway-1

Midway Campaign

DOS1983 Microcomputer Games Inc.
battleantietam-splash

Battle of Antietam

DOS1985protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
Civil War buffs, rejoice. Battle of Antietam (1985) lets you relive one of the bloodiest days in American history... via pixelated dots and turn-based tension. There’s no flash here—just raw, old-school strategy where ...
crusade-in-europe-01

Crusade in Europe

DOS1985 MicroProse Software
Crusade in Europe is a detailed World War II strategy game that lets you take command of the Allied or Axis forces during some of the war’s most famous campaigns. It’s not about flashy graphics or explosive sound&mdash...
decision_desert-05

Decision in the Desert

DOS1985 MicroProse Software
Before Gettysburg, there was Decision in the Desert (1985), which simulates WWII’s North African campaign. Expect hex maps, endless sand, and the occasional tank battle that feels like a chess match with explosions. SSI&rsqu...
operation-market-garden-01

Operation Market Garden

DOS1985protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
conflictvietnam-4

Conflict in Vietnam

DOS1986 MicroProse Software
This one's not for the faint of heart. Conflict in Vietnam tries to simulate the complexity and chaos of guerrilla warfare in a game where every click can cost lives. The graphics are minimal, the tension maximal. Logistics, terra...
desert-rats-03

Desert Rats

DOS1986 Cases Computer Simulations
Released in 1986, Desert Rats is a strategy game that puts you in charge of the North African campaign of World War II. Don’t let the cute title fool you—there are no actual rodents wearing goggles, just tanks, supply ...
gulf-strike-04

Gulf Strike

DOS1986 Microcomputer Games Inc.
kampfgruppe-05

Kampfgruppe

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
mech-brigade-03

Mech Brigade

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
pattonvsrommel-splash

Patton vs. Rommel

DOS1987 Electronic Arts
roadwar2000-3

Roadwar 2000

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
roadwareuropa-1

Roadwar Europa

DOS1987protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
sorcerer-lord-01

Sorcerer Lord

DOS1987 Personal Software Services
civilwar-splash

The Civil War

DOS1987 Avalon Hill
arnhem-01

Arnhem: The Market Garden Operation

DOS1988 Cases Computer Simulations
Arnhem is the kind of wargame where you spend more time reading hex maps than shooting anything. It’s all about recreating Operation Market Garden — you know, that WWII battle where everything went spectacularly sidewa...
decisive-civil-war-1-03

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 1

DOS1988 SSG Strategic Studies Group
Released in 1988, Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 1 is as straightforward as its title. You get historical accuracy, a serious strategy engine, and about as many graphical flourishes as a tax form. Yet the depth i...
firezone-04

Firezone

DOS1988 Arcadia Systems
starcommand-4

Star Command

DOS1988protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
ums-1

UMS: The Universal Military Simulator

DOSMac OS1988 Intergalactic Development
UMS, short for Universal Military Simulator, is a computer-based wargame simulation developed by Rainbird Software in 1988. It was designed with the intention of providing players with a comprehensive and realistic military simula...
vulcan-04

Vulcan: The Tunisian Campaign

DOS1988 Cases Computer Simulations
battleausterlitz-2

Austerlitz 1805

DOS1989 Cornerstone Software
conflict-europe-07

Conflict: Europe

DOS1989 Personal Software Services
In Conflict: Europe, the Cold War goes hot, and you’re in charge of keeping things cool—or launching World War III. It’s a strategy game with a doomsday timer, where each decision feels like it's going to be stud...
decisive-civil-war-2-08

Decisive Battles of the American Civil War: Vol. 2

DOS1989 SSG Strategic Studies Group
By 1989, SSI doubled down with Vol. 2, offering more battles, more maps, and the same demanding mechanics. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll feel right at home; if you didn’t, this won’t change your mind. The seri...
joan-of-arc-03

Joan of Arc

DOS1989 Chip
sword-of-aragon-05

Sword of Aragon

DOS1989protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.
waterloo-02

Waterloo

DOS1989protected SSI Strategic Simulations Inc.