Abandonware DOS title

The most popular demo games

Let's begin with a crucial point: not every old game is abandoned. With the resurgence of "vintage," there's a renewed interest in all things retro, including video games. As a direct consequence, some companies have acquired entire back catalogs of old games and started selling them. That's why many interesting games on Abandonware DOS are marked as "NOT abandonware"; they are available for purchase online.

Enter demos. As you probably already know, game demos, short for demonstration, are limited versions of video games that are released by game developers or publishers to give players a taste of the gameplay before they decide to purchase the full game. These demos are often released ahead of the full game's launch or alongside it. Game demos typically showcase a portion of the game, allowing players to experience the mechanics, graphics, and overall feel of the gameplay.

Game demo versions are a relic of the past. You don't often see demos of recent games on platforms like Steam or GOG, but in the late 80s and 90s, demo versions of games were quite common. This trend was especially notable when video game magazines started including floppy disks or CDs, at a time when the internet was almost non-existent.

Building on this premise, I have embarked on a journey to collect old game demos and make them accessible online through Abandonware DOS, with a specific focus on commercial games. Enjoy!

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...
monkey1-2

The Secret of Monkey Island

DOS1990protecteddemo LucasArts
The Secret of Monkey Island is perhaps the most popular point and click adventure game developed by Lucasfilm Games and designed by the trio Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman and Tim Scha...
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...
quake_002

Quake

DOSWindows XP/98/951996protecteddemo id Software
Quake is a first-person shooter (FPS) video game developed by id Software and released in 1996. It is the successor to id Software's immensely popular "Doom" series and is known fo...
lemonade-tycoon-02

Lemonade Tycoon

Windows XP/98/952002remakedemo Hexacto Games
Lemonade Tycoon is a business simulation game that allows players to run their own virtual lemonade stand and try to turn it into a successful and profitable business. The game typ...
indianafateatlantis-2

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

DOSMac OS1992protecteddemo LucasArts
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is often spoken of in the same breath as the finest adventure games ever made, and for once, nostalgia is not exaggerating. Released in 1992,...
voyeur-05

Voyeur

Windows XP/98/95Mac OSDOS1993demoNSFW Philips Interactive Media
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...
phantasmagoria-04

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...
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...
syndicate-5

Syndicate

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1993protecteddemo Bullfrog
In Syndicate, you don’t just play the bad guy—you manage a full corporate evil empire, complete with mind-controlled agents in trench coats and a suspicious lack of HR ...
eotb2-4

Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon

DOS1991protecteddemo Westwood Studios
Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon, also released in 1991, takes everything that worked in the original and expands it thoughtfully. The dungeon design is more varied, ...
the-dig-08

The Dig

DOSMac OS1995protecteddemo LucasArts
The Dig is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It was originally released in 1995 for MS-DOS and later for other platforms, including Mac OS and ...
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...
warcraft-1

Warcraft: Orcs and Humans

DOS1994protecteddemo Blizzard Entertainment
Warcraft: Orcs and Humans is where Blizzard’s legendary fantasy saga began. This real-time strategy classic pits humans against orcs in a battle for control of a war-torn wor...
indy-desktop-adventures-1

Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures

Windows 3.xMac OS1996demo LucasArts
Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures is a charmingly odd experiment that shrinks globe-trotting archaeology into bite-sized missions designed for quick play sessions. Viewed fr...
larry7-04

Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1996protecteddemoNSFW Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail! is a graphic adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line. It is the sixth installment in the Leisure Suit Larry series and was rel...
starcraft-03

StarCraft

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1998protecteddemo Blizzard Entertainment
StarCraft is a classic RTS (Real-Time Strategy) game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in 1998 for Windows and Macintosh. StarCraft takes the Warcraft experience to ...
monkey2-3

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

DOS1991protecteddemo LucasArts
Monkey Island 2 is the second game of the Monkey Island series, a point and click adventure game set in a world of pirates and mysterious treasures. Monkey Island 2 utilizes a comm...
fallout1-8

Fallout

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1997protecteddemo Interplay Productions
When Fallout landed in 1997, it didn’t just introduce a new RPG, it redefined what post-apocalyptic storytelling could feel like. Set in a retro-futuristic wasteland dripping...
age-of-wonders-09

Age of Wonders

Windows XP/98/951999protecteddemo Triumph Studios
Mix one part turn-based strategy, one part fantasy novel, add a dash of dragon, and you get Age of Wonders (1999). This is the game where wizards rule, elves sulk in forests, and y...
wolfenstein3d-2

Wolfenstein 3D

DOSMac OS1992protecteddemo id Software
Wolfenstein 3D is the first-person shooter that popularized the whole genre in the early 90s and is considered one of the greatest games ever made. Wolfenstein 3D was designed by J...
grim-fandango-04

Grim Fandango

Windows XP/98/951998protecteddemo LucasArts
Grim Fandango is an adventure game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1998 and is known for its unique setting and distinctive art style. The game was directe...
policequest3-3

Police Quest 3: The Kindred

DOS1991protecteddemo Sierra On-Line
Police Quest 3: The Kindred is an adventure video game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1991. It is the third installment in the Police Quest series, which was designed...
dungeonhack-2

Dungeon Hack

DOS1993protecteddemo DreamForge Intertainment
Dungeon Hack is a dungeon-crawling role-playing game (RPG) developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). It was released in 1993 for MS-...
deus-ex-07

Deus Ex

DOSMac OS2000protecteddemo Ion Storm
Deus Ex is a critically acclaimed action role-playing video game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released in 2000 and was designed by Warren Spect...
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3 Skulls of the Toltecs

DOSWindows XP/98/951996protecteddemo Revistronic
This 1996 point-and-click western is what you’d get if Lucky Luke and Monkey Island had an awkward but lovable baby. 3 Skulls of the Toltecs throws you into a spaghetti weste...
age-of-wonder-2-05

Age of Wonders 2: The Wizard's Throne

Windows XP/98/952002protecteddemo Triumph Studios
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne is a turn-based strategy game developed by Triumph Studios and published by Gathering of Developers. It was released in 2002 as a sequel to t...
gabriel-knight-2-03

Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OSWindows 3.x1995protecteddemo Sierra On-Line
Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line. It was released in 1995 as a sequel to the original Gabriel Knight...
heretic-1

Heretic

DOS1994protecteddemo Raven Software
Heretic is what happens when someone looks at fantasy and thinks it needs more fireballs and a lot more attitude. Built on familiar shooter foundations, it swaps sci-fi corridors f...