Abandonware DOS title

The most popular best selling games

Compiling a list of the best-selling PC games of all time is no simple task. The reason? The video game market has evolved significantly over the past few decades. A game that sold 100,000 copies 30 years ago might have been considered a best-seller at the time, but the same sales figure today wouldn’t carry the same weight. Here’s an (unordered) list of the best-selling games, based on Wikipedia.
civilization2-4

Civilization 2

Windows XP/98/951996 MicroProse Software
Civilization II is a turn-based strategy game developed by MicroProse and released in 1996. It's the second installment in the "Civilization" series, created by Sid Meier. The game...
age_of_empires-7

Age of Empires

Windows XP/98/951997protecteddemo Ensemble Studios
Released in 1997, Age of Empires is what happens when ancient history gets drunk and decides to party. You start in the Stone Age, bashing wild boars and clubbing trees, and before...
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The Sims

Windows XP/98/952000 Maxis
The Sims, released in 2000, marked the beginning of the iconic life simulation series. Developed by Maxis and designed by Will Wright, the game quickly became a cultural phenomenon...
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Railroad Tycoon 2

Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS1998 Pop Software
Railroad Tycoon 2 is what happens when a beloved strategy game puts on a suit, hires a consultant, and decides to “scale operations.” Slicker graphics, deeper economic ...
age-of-empires-2-04

Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings

Windows XP/98/951999protecteddemo Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a landmark real-time strategy (RTS) game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. Released in 1999, it is the second install...
gta-vice-city-02

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS2002protected Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an open-world action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games in 2002. It's the fourth main entry in the GTA series...
zoo-tycoon-07

Zoo Tycoon

Windows XP/98/952001 Blue Fang Games
Ever dreamed of running your own zoo without needing a shovel for elephant poop? Zoo Tycoon lets you do exactly that. Build the ultimate animal empire - until the lions escape, the...
red-alert-6

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

DOS1996freeware Westwood Studios
Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive in 1996. It is part of the Command &...
pacman-atari-02

Pac-Man

DOS1983 Namco
Pac-Man is a classic arcade game created by Namco and first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. It was later released in North America by Midway Games. The game was designed by Toru...
grand-prix-2-07

Grand Prix 2

DOS1995 MicroProse Software
With Grand Prix 2, things suddenly get serious, like the genre collectively decided it was time to grow up and learn aerodynamics. This is not just a racing game, it is a full-blow...
harry-potter-1-01

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Windows XP/98/952001 KnowWonder
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone brings the wizarding world to life with a mix of exploration, puzzles, and light action that feels appropriately magical. It captures the sens...
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Robocop

DOS1989 Data East
Robocop is an abandoned beat 'em up / run and gun shooter game developed and released by Data East in 1989 for a number of platforms, including DOS. Robocop is a conversion fr...
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Caesar 3

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1998protected Impressions Games
Polished to a shine worthy of a senator’s sandals, Caesar 3 finally gets it right. Gorgeous 2D visuals, elegant gameplay, and voiceovers that say “No more workers!&rdqu...
dukenukem3d-4

Duke Nukem 3D

DOS1996protecteddemo 3d Realms
Here’s where Duke goes full legend. Duke Nukem 3D isn’t just a shooter; it’s a cultural moment. The game exploded onto DOS with outrageous humor, interactive envi...
doom-3

Doom

DOS1993protecteddemo id Software
Doom was released by id Software in 1993. It is widely regarded as one of the most influential and groundbreaking video games of all time, particularly within the first-person shoo...
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Phantasmagoria

Windows XP/98/95DOSMac OS1995protecteddemo Sierra On-Line
Phantasmagoria is a point-and-click horror adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line, released in 1995. Directed by Roberta Williams, Phantasmagoria departed from Si...
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Return to Zork

DOS1993 Activision
“Want some rye? ‘Course you do!” If that line triggers PTSD, congrats: you’ve played Return to Zork. This not-quite-sequel turns the beloved text adventure ...
caesar2-3

Caesar 2

DOS1995 Impressions Games
Bigger, bolder, and with more statues of yourself than ever, Caesar 2 builds on its predecessor like Rome after a good tax season. Now you get to manage both cities and provinces, ...
populous-5

Populous

DOS1989 Bullfrog
Populous is an abandoned strategy game designed by the video game celebrity Peter Molyneux, developed by Bullfrog. Populous was released by Electronic Arts in 1989 for DOS and for ...
morrowind-01

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Windows XP/98/952002protected Bethesda Softworks
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a critically acclaimed open-world action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. It was released in 2002 and is the third in...
diablo1-06

Diablo

Windows XP/98/951996protecteddemo Blizzard Entertainment
In 1996, Diablo descended onto PCs and basically defined the “click until everything dies” genre. The gothic town of Tristram sits atop a dungeon stuffed with demons, l...
doom2-5

Doom 2: Hell on Earth

DOSWindows XP/98/951994protected id Software
If Doom was the apocalypse, Doom II: Hell on Earth was the encore nobody asked for but everyone wanted. Released in 1994, it doubled down on everything: bigger maps, nastier monste...
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Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness

DOS1995protected Blizzard Entertainment
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Command & Conquer

DOS1995freeware Westwood Studios
The original Command & Conquer (1995, DOS) is the game that launched a thousand LAN parties. It’s gritty, fast-paced RTS warfare with full-motion video cutscenes so chees...
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SimCity 3000

Windows XP/98/951999protected Maxis
SimCity 3000 is a city-building simulation game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in 1999 as the third major installment in the SimCity series, f...
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Roller Coaster Tycoon

Windows XP/98/951999protected Chris Sawyer Productions
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Myst

Windows XP/98/95Windows 3.xMac OS1995protecteddemo Cyan Worlds
Myst is a classic puzzle-adventure video game that was first released in 1993. It was developed by Cyan, a small independent game development studio. The game was initially release...
baldurs-gate-1-03

Baldur's Gate

Windows XP/98/95LinuxMac OS1998protected BioWare
Baldur's Gate a fantasy RPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe which is regarded as the RPG that brought new life in a dying genre in the late 90s. Baldur's Gate was d...
commandos-behind-enemy-lines-09

Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines

Windows XP/98/951998protected Pyro Studios
Forget Rambo. Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines is what happens when you drop six experts behind Nazi lines and tell them to behave tactically… or else. Every mission is a deadl...