Abandonware DOS title

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.
spacewar-splash

Spacewar

DOS1985
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 ...
space-invaders-2001-02

Space Invaders 2001

Windows XP/98/952001remake
defender-4

Defender

DOS1983 Williams Entertainment
space-invaders-clone-splash

Space Invaders

DOS1995remake
stargoose-1

Star Goose!

DOS1988 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 shoo...
astrofire-3

Astro Fire

DOS1994freewareremake ORT Software
Astro Fire (1994) is the illegitimate love child of Asteroids and a particularly angry fireworks show. You pilot a tiny ship with a death wish through an endless barrage of asteroids, enemies, and power-ups that may or may not be ...
tyrian2000-02

Tyrian 2000

DOS1999freeware 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 ...
solar-winds-1-2

Solar Winds: The Escape

DOS1993 Stone Interactive Media
in-the-hunt-02

In The Hunt

Windows XP/98/951993 Irem Software Engineering
airborne-ranger-04

Airborne Ranger

DOS1988 MicroProse Software
Strap in and crawl through the mud - Airborne Ranger (1988) is here to chew bubblegum and infiltrate enemy lines. And it's all out of bubblegum. This tactical action game lets you drop behind enemy territory, blow things up, and l...
champ-galagon-03

CHAMP Galagon

DOS1997remake ChamProgramming corp.
astrotit-splash

Astrotit

DOS1987NSFW Rudeware
Yes, Astrotit (1987) is really the name, and no, it’s not what you think — though it does feel like it was named by a bored teenager. This side-scrolling shooter puts you in command of a spaceship shaped suspiciously l...
solar-winds-2-02

Solar Winds 2: Galaxy

DOS1993 Stone Interactive Media
wings-of-fury-02

Wings of Fury

DOS1989 Broderbund
xenon2-4

Xenon 2: Megablast

DOS1990 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 ...
superspaceinvaders-1

Taito's Super Space Invaders

DOS1991 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 vide...
r-type-4

R-Type

DOS1989 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 m...
into-the-eagles-nest-02

Into the Eagle's Nest

DOS1987 Pandora
tempest-2000-03

Tempest 2000

DOS1996remake Atari
Tempest 2000 is a video game developed by Llamasoft and published by Atari Corporation. It was released in 1994 for DOS, Mac, the Atari Jaguar console, etc. Tempest 2000 is an enhanced remake of the original Tempest, which was rel...
18-airborne-03

18th Airborne

DOS1993
18th Airborne is what happens when a military recruitment pamphlet and a tactical shooter have a baby. You’re thrown into the boots of a paratrooper with a mission, a gun, and maybe a vague idea of what’s going on. The...
zaxxon-1

Zaxxon

DOS1984 Sega
Back in 1984, Zaxxon was the future. Isometric graphics? Whoa. Shadow effects? Mind blown. But mostly, it was a game about flying a chunky spaceship through a heavily fortified space base while crashing into walls at high speed. T...
trafficdepartment-4

Traffic department 2192

DOS1994freeware P Squared
galaxian-2

Galaxian

DOS1983 Namco
blood-money-3

Blood Money

DOS1990 DMA Design
Blood Money (1990) answers the question: what if every level in a shoot-'em-up was a different kind of sci-fi fever dream? You fly through alien-infested caverns, collect cash, and try not to get obliterated by things that look li...
operation-inner-space-03

Operation: Inner Space

Windows 3.x1994protecteddemo Software Dynamics
space-federation-07

Space Federation

DOS1994 Interplay Productions
attack-mutant-camels-03

Attack of the Mutant Camels

DOS2001freewareremake
If you've ever stared at a camel and thought, "What if it shot lasers and had a personal grudge against humanity?", Attack of the Mutant Camels is the fever dream you've been waiting for. Released in 2001 for DOS — yes, some...
river-raid-remake-01

River Raid remake

DOS1995freewareremake
knightmare-2

Knightmare

DOS1986 Konami