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
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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...
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.
Death Rally
DOS1996freeware4.1/5 Remedy Entertainment Ltd.
Quake
DOSWindows XP/98/951996protecteddemo4.3/5 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...
Jill of the Jungle
DOS19924.2/5 Epic MegaGames
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 ...
Rockstar!
DOS19894/5 Wizard Games
Duke Nukem
DOS19914.1/5 Apogee Software
Duke Nukem was released in 1991 by Apogee Software for MS-DOS, marking the beginning of the Duke Nukem franchise. The game is a side-scrolling action platformer with a sci-fi theme. In this original installment, players control Duke Nukem, a muscular action hero tasked with saving the world from the evil Dr. Proton. Dr. Proton has taken control of ...
Heretic
DOS1994protecteddemo4.2/5 Raven Software
Digger
DOS19834.2/5 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.
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...
Solar Winds 2: Galaxy
DOS19933.9/5 Stone Interactive Media
Alien Rampage
DOS19964.1/5
Softporn Adventure
DOS1981freewareNSFW3.9/5 Sierra On-Line
Blood
DOS1997protected4.2/5 Monolith Productions
Tank Wars
DOS19904.1/5
Scorched Earth
DOS1991protected4/5
Sango Fighter
Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1993freeware3.6/5 Panda Entertainment Technology Co.
Blades of Exile
Windows 3.xMac OSWindows XP/98/951997freeware4/5 Spiderweb Software
Blades of Exile is a classic role-playing video game developed by Spiderweb Software. It's the third installment in the "Exile" series. The game was released in 1997 for Mac OS, and later for Windows in 1998.In Blades of Exile, players control a party of adventurers who explore the underground world of Exile/Avernum, a vast network of caves and dun...
Abuse
DOSLinuxMac OS1995freeware3.9/5 Crack dot Com
Xargon
DOS1993freeware4/5 Epic MegaGames
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...
UnReal World v. 3.20
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1992freeware4.1/5
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.
Wolfenstein 3D
DOSMac OS1992protecteddemo4.1/5 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 ...
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...
Assault Trooper
DOS19973.6/5 Webfoot Technologies
God of Thunder
DOSWindows XP/98/951993freeware4/5 Adept Software
God of Thunder is a classic computer game developed by Adept Software and released in 1993. It's a puzzle platformer with a fantasy theme. In the game, you control Thor, the Norse god of thunder, on a quest to save Midgard (Earth) from the evil god Loki and his minions.The gameplay involves navigating through various levels filled with obstacles, e...
Jazz Jackrabbit
DOS1994protected3.8/5 Epic MegaGames
Battlestar
Windows 3.x1996freeware3.8/5