Abandonware DOS title

The most popular underrated underdog games

In order to be an underdog, a game has to be "not well known" to the public (not now, nor at the time of its release) or underrated, but worth mentioning and playing for some reason. There are plenty of games that won the love of gamers against all odds; some of them even had a cult following. By the way, this keyword pays tribute to Sarinee Achavanuntakul, the owner of the first version of Home of the Underdogs, the site that started and popularized the abandonware concept.

Most popular underrated underdog games

Albion
rpgDOS, Windows XP/98/95
Dope Wars
simulationWindows XP/98/95
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
actionWindows XP/98/95
albion-4

Albion

DOSWindows XP/98/9519954.2/5 Blue Byte Software
Albion is a science fiction role-playing game (RPG) developed and published by German studio Blue Byte Software. It was released in 1995 for MS-DOS and later for Amiga. Albion is notable for its blend of traditional RPG elements with a unique setting and storyline.The game takes place on the planet Albion, a world with a rich history and diver...
dopewars-win-05

Dope Wars

Windows XP/98/9519984.2/5 Beermat Software
Dope Wars is a text-based simulation game that originated as a DOS program in the early 1980s, but gained popularity in its Windows version released in 1998. The game puts players in the role of a drug dealer navigating the underground economy of buying, selling, and transporting various illegal substances.In the Windows version of the game, player...
pitfall-mayan-02

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure

Windows XP/98/9519954.1/5 Activision
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is a platform video game that was originally released in 1994. It is a sequel to the classic 1982 game Pitfall! but features updated graphics and gameplay mechanics. The game was developed by Activision and initially released for various platforms, including PC, the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNE...
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Death Rally

DOS1996freeware4.1/5 Remedy Entertainment Ltd.
driller-2

Driller

DOS19874.3/5 Incentive Software
Driller (also known as Space Station Oblivion) is an abandoned action-adventure game developed by Incentive and released by Epyx in 1987 based on the Freescape Engine. In Driller, you control an excavation probe in a real 3d environment, through a first person view. The goal of the game is to place a drilling rig in each of the 8 regions of the moo...
battlechess-1

Battle Chess

DOS1988protected4.2/5 Interplay Productions
Chess was a niche genre in video gaming. There were lots of chess simulations: black and white very old games, licensed games from chess champions, etc. No one ever attempted to broaden the audience until Interplay published Battle Chess. Battle Chess appeal was almost entirely focused on the animations when two pieces ended on the same square.
alteregof-1

Alter Ego: Female Version

DOS19864.1/5 Activision
alteregom-5

Alter Ego: Male Version

DOS19864/5 Activision
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Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within

DOSWindows XP/98/95MacWindows 3.x1995protecteddemo4.1/5 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 game, "Sins of the Fathers". The game was designed by Jane Jensen, who also wrote the story and script.In GK2 The Beast Within, players assume the role of Gabriel Knight...
birth-of-the-federation-05

Star Trek: Birth of the Federation

Windows XP/98/9519994/5 MicroProse Software
Star Trek: Birth of the Federation is a turn-based strategy video game set in the Star Trek universe. The game was developed by MicroProse Software and published by Infogrames for Windows in 1999. Players take on the role of one of five major Star Trek races: the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, the Ca...
shadowgate-splash

Shadowgate

DOSWindows 3.xMac19884/5 ICOM Simulations
Shadowgate is an abandoned fantasy-themed adventure game developed by ICOM Simulations and released by Mindscape in 1988 for Macintosh, DOS, and also for Amiga, Apple IIgs, Atari ST, NES. Shadowgate uses the ICOM MacVenture engine (Deja Vu, Uninvited). Shadowgate was later remade in an enhanced version for Windows 3.1.
dgeneration-3

D/Generation

DOS19914/5 The Software Toolworks
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The Blues Brothers

DOS19914.2/5 Titus Interactive
The Blues Brothers is a platformer that follows the adventures of Jake and Elwood Blues as they try to put their band back together. The player controls one of the Blues Brothers through various levels, each filled with obstacles, enemies, and puzzles. The ultimate goal is to collect musical notes and instruments to assemble the band. develope...
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Abuse

DOSLinuxMac1995freeware3.9/5 Crack dot Com
ihnom-4

I have no Mouth and I Must Scream

DOS1995protected4.1/5 The Dreamers Guild
scorched-earth-05

Scorched Earth

DOS1991protected4/5
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Betrayal at Krondor

DOS1993protected4/5 Dynamix
blood-3

Blood

DOS1997protected4.2/5 Monolith Productions
magiccarpet-3

Magic Carpet

DOSMac1994protected3.8/5 Bullfrog
Magic Carpet is an action shooter game set in a fictional Middle East developed by Bullfrog and released by Electronic Arts in 1994 for DOS and Macintosh. Your goal is to fly around a magic carpet and collect mana to expand your castle. When you reach the required mana "equilibrium" you move on to the next world and so on.
dinksmallwodhd-3

Dink Smallwood

Windows XP/98/951998freeware3.9/5 Robinson Technologies
Dink Smallwood is an action role-playing video game developed by Robinson Technologies. It was first released in 1997 for Windows and later became freeware. The game was created by Seth Robinson, and it gained a cult following for its humor.The game's plot revolves around the titular character, Dink Smallwood, a pig farmer who embarks on an epic ad...
darklands-3

Darklands

DOSLinuxWindows XP/98/95Mac1992protected4/5 MicroProse Software
Darklands was a unique historical isometric RPG that mixed real historical data from medieval Germany during the 15th century with a touch of folklore and fantasy. Unfortunately it was also the only Microprose RPG of that kind and beauty. The original game box contained a huge manual with info on european folklore (including the live...
starflight-3

Starflight

DOS19864.1/5 Binary Systems
Starflight is a classic space exploration and role-playing video game released in 1986 by Binary Systems and published by Electronic Arts. It is known for its innovative gameplay, as well as its open-ended approach to space exploration and storytelling.The game is set in a massive, procedurally generated universe with thousands of star systems to e...
stormlord-02

Stormlord

DOS19893.9/5 Hewson Consultants
Stormlord is an abandoned DOS platform game set in a fantasy world, developed and published by Hewson Consultants in 1989 and designed by Raffaele Cecco. There was some controversy about the scantily clothed fairies in the game.
grandslambridge-1

Grand Slam Bridge

DOS19863.4/5 Cybron corporation
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Knight Games

DOS19883.9/5 Mastertronic
Olympic games were something back in the 80s and the 90s: Winter Games, Summer Games, California Games, anything-you-can-think-of games. Some imaginative developer thought that the world needed a different kind of "multisport" action game and came up with he idea behind Knight Games.
gorilla-bas-01

QBasic Gorillas

DOS1991freeware4/5 Microsoft
virus-3

Virus

DOS19883.9/5
epicpinball-1

Epic Pinball

DOSMac1993protected3.7/5 Digital Extremes
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...