The most popular shoot 'em up games

Shoot 'em ups were extremely popular in the '80s and '90s. In a classic shoot 'em up, the player controls a vehicle, a spaceship or an aircraft with the only goal of destroying the largest number of enemies as possible while dodging bullets and staying alive. Through the years, shoot 'em ups evolved to include features like end level bosses, multiple weapons and power-ups. Some of the most popular DOS shoot 'em ups were: Raptor, Tyrian 2000, Xenon 2.

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Tyrian 2000

DOS1999freeware4.2/5 Eclipse Software

Tyrian 2000 is an old DOS science fiction classic shoot'em up, developed by Eclipse Software and designed by Alexander Brandon, Jason Emery, Daniel Cook. Tyrian 2000 is one of the most popular shoot'em ups ever published for DOS and it's still remembered by retro gaming fans to this day.

Spacewar

DOS19854/5

Spacewar is one of the earliest digital computer games and is often considered the first interactive video game. It was created in 1962 by Steve Russell, Martin Graetz, and Wayne Wiitanen at the MIT. The game was developed on the PDP-1 minicomputer; this is a DOS port, released in 1985.Spacewar! features two spaceships, controlled by players, that ...

Space Invaders

DOS1995remake4/5

R-Type

DOS19894/5 Irem Software Engineering

R-Type is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up developed and published by Irem in 1987. The game quickly gained popularity for its challenging gameplay and impressive graphics at the time. R-Type is known for its tough and memorable enemy designs, as well as challenging boss battles. The game features various power-ups that enhance the player...

Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf

DOS19944.2/5 Electronic Arts

Solar Winds 2: Galaxy

DOS19933.9/5 Stone Interactive Media

Star Goose!

DOS19884.1/5 Logotron

Star Goose is a classic video game developed by Logotron and released in 1988 for various home computer systems of that era, including the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. It is a top-down, vertically scrolling shooter that combines elements of shoot 'em up gameplay with exploration and power-up mechanics.

River Raid remake

DOS1995freewareremake4.3/5

Defender

DOS19834.2/5 Williams Entertainment

Xenon 2: Megablast

DOS19904.2/5 Bitmap Brothers

Xenon 2: Megablast is a classic shoot'em up developed by Bitmap Brothers and released by Image Works in 1990 for DOS and for a plethora of other systems. Xenon was good, Xenon 2 was far better. Compared to today standards Xenon 2 is perhaps a mediocre shoot 'em up, but at the time every shooter fan loved it. Plus, it was developed by Bitmap Brother...

Raptor: Call of the Shadows

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1994protecteddemo4.1/5 Cygnus Studios

Raptor: Call of the Shadows is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Cygnus Studios and published by Apogee Software. The game was first released in 1994 for MS-DOS and later ported to other platforms. In Raptor, players control a fighter jet through various levels filled with enemy aircraft, ground targets, power-ups and boss...

Wizball

DOS19873.7/5 Sensible Software

Wizball is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Sensible Software and originally released for various home computer platforms in 1987. The game was published by Ocean Software.In Wizball, players control a wizard who rides a magical green ball. The wizard's mission is to restore color to the world, which has been drained of its vibrant...

Taito's Super Space Invaders

DOS19914.2/5 Taito

Super Space Invaders is a video game developed and published by Taito Corporation, released in 1991. It's a sequel to the classic arcade game Space Invaders, which was originally released in 1978 and is one of the most iconic video games of all time.In Super Space Invaders, the core gameplay mechanics remain similar to the original Space Invaders, ...

Star Control 2

DOS1992protected4.2/5 Toys for Bob

Knightmare

DOS19863.6/5 Konami

007: License to Kill

DOS19894/5 Quixel

Star Control

DOS1990protected4/5 Toys for Bob

Galaxian

DOS19834/5 Namco

Zaxxon

DOS19843.8/5 Sega

Zaxxon is a classic arcade video game that was first released by Sega in 1982 for the arcades and later for a number of platforms. It is considered one of the pioneering titles in the shoot 'em up or scrolling shooter genre. Zaxxon was notable for its use of isometric graphics, which gave the game a unique 3D perspective.

Airborne Ranger

DOS19884.2/5 MicroProse Software

Astrotit

DOS1987NSFW3.5/5 Rudeware

Shooting Gallery

DOS19903.7/5 Arcanum Computing

Command Adventures: Starship

DOS19953.6/5 Future Vision

Wings of Fury

DOS19894/5 Broderbund

Xenon 2000: Project PCF

Windows XP/98/952000remake4.1/5 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 developed by The Bitmap Brothers and released in 1989.In Xenon 2000, players control a spaceship and engage in fast-paced shooting action as they face off against waves of enemy ...

Space Invaders 2001

Windows XP/98/952001remake3.6/5

Raiden

DOS19944.1/5 Seibu Kaihatsu Inc.

Raiden is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game developed by Seibu Kaihatsu and first released in arcades in 1990 and later for many home computers and consoles. Raiden follows the classic vertical scrolling shoot 'em up format. Players control a spaceship known as the R-9C "Red-Ray" and navigate vertically scrolling levels filled with wave...