Abandonware DOS title

The most popular demo games

Let's begin with a crucial point: not every old game is abandoned. With the resurgence of "vintage," there's a renewed interest in all things retro, including video games. As a direct consequence, some companies have acquired entire back catalogs of old games and started selling them. That's why many interesting games on Abandonware DOS are marked as "NOT abandonware"; they are available for purchase online.

Enter demos. As you probably already know, game demos, short for demonstration, are limited versions of video games that are released by game developers or publishers to give players a taste of the gameplay before they decide to purchase the full game. These demos are often released ahead of the full game's launch or alongside it. Game demos typically showcase a portion of the game, allowing players to experience the mechanics, graphics, and overall feel of the gameplay.

Game demo versions are a relic of the past. You don't often see demos of recent games on platforms like Steam or GOG, but in the late 80s and 90s, demo versions of games were quite common. This trend was especially notable when video game magazines started including floppy disks or CDs, at a time when the internet was almost non-existent.

Building on this premise, I have embarked on a journey to collect old game demos and make them accessible online through Abandonware DOS, with a specific focus on commercial games. Enjoy!

age_of_empires-7

Age of Empires

Windows XP/98/951997protecteddemo4.2/5 Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires, published by Microsoft and developed by Ensemble Studios, is one of the most popular historical RTS and started a successful series. The player must guide a civilization from prehistory to the iron age, battling other civilizations, building and gathering resources.
monkey1-2

The Secret of Monkey Island

DOS1990protecteddemo4.3/5 LucasArts
The Secret of Monkey Island is perhaps the most popular point and click adventure game developed by Lucasfilm Games and designed by the trio Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer. In Monkey Island you're the would-be pirate Guybrush Threepwood on a quest to become a fearsome pirate in the Caribbean. Monkey Island uses one of the most friendlie...
worms-1

Worms

DOS1995protecteddemo4.2/5 Team 17
questforglory3-3

Quest for Glory 3: Wages of War

DOS1992protecteddemo4.1/5 Sierra On-Line
Quest for Glory III: Wages of War is an adventure/role-playing game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1992. The player takes on the role of the Hero, who has journeyed from the city of Shapeir to the savannahs and jungles of Fricana. The main plot revolves around the brewing conflict between two tribes, the Simbani and the Leopardme...
heretic-1

Heretic

DOS1994protecteddemo4.2/5 Raven Software
warcraft-1

Warcraft: Orcs and Humans

DOS1994protecteddemo4.2/5 Blizzard Entertainment
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is the first real-time fantasy strategy game from Blizzard Entertainment. Two separate story lines (Orcs and Humans) evolve with 12 scenarios per side telling the tale of the battle for the Kingdom of Azeroth. Players must mine gold and chop wood in order to construct buildings and create units. Each side tries to destro...
age-of-empires-2-04

Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings

Windows XP/98/951999protecteddemo4.2/5 Ensemble Studios
midtown-madness-02

Midtown Madness

Windows XP/98/951999demo4.2/5 Angel Studios
Midtown Madness is a car racing game developed by Angel Studios (later known as Rockstar San Diego) and released by Microsoft in 1999 for Windows. Midtown Madness is known for its open-world design, allowing players to explore a virtual representation of Chicago and engage in various racing events and challenges within the city.
starcraft-03

StarCraft

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1998protecteddemo4.1/5 Blizzard Entertainment
StarCraft is a classic RTS (Real-Time Strategy) game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in 1998 for Windows and Macintosh. StarCraft takes the Warcraft experience to a sci-fi setting with an interesting story, three very different races (the militaristic Humans, the alien Zerg and the religious Protoss) and one of the best gameplay ex...
questglory4-11

Quest for Glory 4: Shadows of Darkness

DOSWindows 3.x1993protecteddemo4.1/5 Sierra On-Line
Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness is an adventure role-playing game (RPG) developed and published by Sierra On-Line. It was released in 1993 as the fourth installment in the Quest for Glory series. The game was designed by Lori Ann Cole and Corey Cole, who were also responsible for the previous entries in the series.The game is set in the dar...
dragonsphere-04

Dragonsphere

DOS1994protecteddemo4/5 MicroProse Software
Dragonsphere is a point-and-click adventure game released in 1994 by MicroProse. It's set in a fantasy world where you play as a sorcerer named Callash, tasked with saving the land of Granville from an evil sorceress named Sanwe. The game involves exploring various locations, solving puzzles, and interacting with characters to gather magical sphere...
gabrielknight-5

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

DOSWindows 3.xMac OS1993protecteddemo4.1/5 Sierra On-Line
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line. It was released in 1993 and designed by Jane Jensen. The game is the first installment in the Gabriel Knight series.The story revolves around Gabriel Knight, a struggling writer living in New Orleans. He inherits a bookstore from his d...
qfg2-2

Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire

DOS1990protecteddemo4.1/5 Sierra On-Line
Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire is the second installment in Sierra On-Line's Quest for Glory series, blending classic adventure gameplay with RPG elements in a world inspired by Middle Eastern folklore. Released in 1990 for Amiga and DOS, it was developed by Lori and Corey Cole.At the start of the game, players must choose a class from one of th...
indianafateatlantis-2

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

DOSMac OS1992protecteddemo4.2/5 LucasArts
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a graphical point and click adventure game created by LucasArts and published in 1992, based on the popular movie character. As the famous archaeologist Indiana Jones, you will travel the world searching for the mythical land of Atlantis. Fate of Atlantis is the sequel to the acclaimed Indiana Jones and the...
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...
crusaderremorse-1

Crusader: No Remorse

DOS1995protecteddemo3.9/5 Origin Systems
Crusader is an action-oriented computer game. The player controls a super soldier that defects from the current world government and joins the Resistance. The world is shown in an isometric view.
freddy-pharkas-04

Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist

DOSWindows XP/98/95Windows 3.xMac OS1993protecteddemo4.2/5 Sierra On-Line
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist is a humorous point-and-click adventure game from 1993 developed by Sierra On-Line and co-designed by Al Lowe (creator of Leisure Suit Larry) and Josh Mandel. Set in the Old West, Freddy Pharkas is a blend of comedy and Western tropes. The game follows Freddy Pharkas, a former gunslinger who left his gun-sli...
piratesg_006

Pirates! Gold

DOSWindows 3.xMac OS1993protectedremakedemo4/5 MicroProse Software
Pirates! Gold is an open world game designed by Paul Murphy, developed and released by MicroProse Software in 1993 for DOS, Windows 3.x, Mac and also Sega Genesis and Amiga CD32. Pirates! Gold is a remake of the game Pirates, created by Sid Meier in 1987. Pirates! Gold gameplay is a unique mix of action, strategy, pirate life simulation, ...
voyeur-05

Voyeur

Windows XP/98/95Mac OSDOS1993demoNSFW3.5/5 Philips Interactive Media
raptor-1

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...
diablo1-06

Diablo

Windows XP/98/951996protecteddemo4.1/5 Blizzard Entertainment
crusadernoregret-4

Crusader: No Regret

DOS1996protecteddemo4.1/5 Origin Systems
wolfenstein3d-2

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 ...
myst-09

Myst

Windows XP/98/95Windows 3.xMac OS1995protecteddemo4.1/5 Cyan Worlds
Myst is a classic puzzle-adventure video game that was first released in 1993. It was developed by Cyan, a small independent game development studio. The game was initially released for the Macintosh platform and later ported to other systems, including Windows, PlayStation, and more.Myst is a first-person point-and-click adventure game. Players ex...
loom-11

Loom

DOSLinuxMac OS1990protecteddemo4.3/5 LucasArts
Loom is a graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games (now LucasArts). It was designed by Brian Moriarty and is known for its unique gameplay mechanics and emphasis on storytelling. Loom is distinctive for its interface, which revolves around musical notes and spells. The protagonist, Bobbin Threadbare, is a young weaver ...
age-of-wonders-09

Age of Wonders

Windows XP/98/951999protecteddemo4.2/5 Triumph Studios
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.
return-of-the-phantom-06

Return of the Phantom

DOS1993protecteddemo3.7/5 MicroProse Software
Return of the Phantom is adventure game set in France, designed by Raymond Benson, developed by MicroProse Software and released in 1993 for DOS only. Return of the Phantom is a third-person adventure game based on the book Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.
eotb2-4

Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon

DOS1991protecteddemo4.3/5 Westwood Studios
Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon is a first-person party-based role-playing game (RPG) developed by Westwood Associates and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). It was released in 1991 as a sequel to the successful "Eye of the Beholder" game.Set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, specifically the Forgotten Realms ...
goblins-3-03

Goblins 3

DOS1994protecteddemo3.9/5 Coktel Vision
Goblins 3 (also known as Goblins Quest 3) is a point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Coktel Vision. It was released in 1993 as the third installment in the Gobliiins series. The game was created by Pierre Gilhodes and features a unique combination of puzzle-solving and humor.Gameplay in Goblins 3 revolves around controlling a te...