Abandonware DOS title

The most popular shareware games

Shareware is a type of software distribution model that allows users to try a program before purchasing it. It's a marketing strategy and distribution method that was particularly popular in the early days of personal computing, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.
Shareware games were released for free with limited functionality (for example: no saving, missing levels, time limit), often via a BBS (Bulletin Board System), a floppy disc or a CD included in a printed magazine or by direct download (when internet was in its infancy). If the user liked the shareware product, they could pay to obtain an upgrade and unlock the full game. When digital distribution started to become popular, shareware games slowly faded into oblivion.

Most popular shareware games

Quake
shooterDOS, Windows XP/98/95
Doom
shooterDOS
Duke Nukem 3D
shooterDOS
quake_002

Quake

DOSWindows XP/98/951996protecteddemo4.2/5 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 for its groundbreaking 3D graphics, fast-paced gameplay, and multiplayer capabilities. The game was created by a team led by John Carmack and John Romero, two of the co-fou...
doom-3

Doom

DOS1993protecteddemo4.2/5 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 shooter (FPS) genre.Set in the future on the moons of Mars, the game follows the player-controlled character, known as the "Doom Marine", as they battle through a research fa...
dukenukem3d-4

Duke Nukem 3D

DOS1996protecteddemo4.2/5 3d Realms
Duke Nukem 3D is a classic first-person shooter that was developed by 3D Realms (formerly known as Apogee Software) and published by GT Interactive. It was released in 1996 for MS-DOS and later for various other platforms, including Windows, Mac OS, and gaming consoles.
dukenukem3-3

Duke Nukem

DOS19914.1/5 Apogee Software
Duke Nukem 1 was released in 1991 by Apogee Software for MS-DOS, and it marked the beginning of the Duke Nukem franchise. Duke Nukem is a side-scrolling action platformer game with a sci-fi theme. In this original game, players control Duke Nukem, a muscular action hero tasked with saving the world from the evil Dr. Proton. Dr. Proton has taken con...
tyrian2000-02

Tyrian 2000

DOS1999freeware4.1/5 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.
deathrally-02

Death Rally

DOS1996freeware4.1/5 Remedy Entertainment Ltd.
crazy-digger-1

Digger

DOS19834.3/5 Windmill Software
Digger is an abandoned action game developed and released by Windmill Software back in 1983 for PC only. Gameplay is a mix of two classics: Dig Dug and Mr. Do!: dig down, get gems, avoid death, reach the next level and so on.
spacewar-splash

Spacewar

DOS19854.1/5
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 ...
wolfenstein3d-2

Wolfenstein 3D

DOSMac1992protecteddemo4.1/5 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 John Romero and Tom Hall (id Software) and released as shareware by Apogee Software in 1992 for DOS. Wolfenstein 3D is based on the Wolf3D engine, programmed by John ...
jilljungle-4

Jill of the Jungle

DOS19924.1/5 Epic MegaGames
heretic-1

Heretic

DOS1994protecteddemo4.3/5 Raven Software
softporn-4

Softporn Adventure

DOS1981freewareNSFW4/5 Sierra On-Line
keen1-splash

Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars

DOS19904.2/5 id software
Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars is a platform video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software in 1990 as shareware for MS-DOS. The game follows the adventures of an eight-year-old genius named Billy Blaze, who uses his homemade spaceship to travel to various alien planets to save the Earth from alien invaders known as V...
abuse-05

Abuse

DOSLinuxMac1995freeware3.9/5 Crack dot Com
castleofthewinds-3

Castle of the Winds

Windows 3.x1993freeware4.2/5 SaadaSoft
Castle of the Winds is a fantasy roguelike role-playing game developed by SaadaSoft in the early 1990s. It was designed for Windows 3.x and is notable for being one of the earliest graphical RPGs for that platform. The game features a top-down perspective and incorporates elements of dungeon crawling, exploration, and character development.The game...
aleshar-05

Aleshar World of Ice

DOS19973.8/5
blood-3

Blood

DOS1997protected4.2/5 Monolith Productions
biomenace-2

Bio Menace Episode 1: Dr. Mangle's Lab

DOS1993freeware4/5 Apogee Software
scorched-earth-05

Scorched Earth

DOS1991protected4/5
catacombabyss-1

Catacomb Abyss

DOS1992protected3.7/5 Softdisk Publishing
aethra_game_006

The Aethra Chronicles

DOS19943.9/5
The Aethra Chronicles is not a well know fantasy RPG, but it deserves some praise. It was developed by only one person (Micheal Lawrence) and, as the title implies, was intended to be the first volume of a saga. Unfortunately, volume two and three were never made. For a shareware game, Aethra was pretty solid and is still loved by the ones who play...
solar-winds-2-02

Solar Winds 2: Galaxy

DOS19933.9/5 Stone Interactive Media
sherlock-1

Sherlock: The Game of Logic

DOS1991protected4.1/5 Everett Kaser Software
keen3-1

Commander Keen 3: Keen Must Die!

DOS1990protected4.2/5 id software
alphaman-02

AlphaMan

DOS19953.6/5
hugoh1-1

Hugo's House of Horrors

DOS19903.9/5 Gray Design Associates
Hugo's House of Horrors is an adventure game developed by David P. Gray and released in the early 1990s. The game is a text-based adventure with simple graphics, and it gained popularity for its witty and often tongue-in-cheek approach to the horror genre.The story of the game revolves around the main character, Hugo, who receives a letter from his...
rockstar-1

Rockstar!

DOS19894/5 Wizard Games
sango-fighter-1-03

Sango Fighter

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1993freeware3.5/5 Panda Entertainment Technology Co.
aldosadventure-1

Aldo's Adventure

DOS1987remake3.8/5
epicpinball-1

Epic Pinball

DOSMac1993protected3.7/5 Digital Extremes