Abandonware DOS title

Games with procedural generation

Procedural generation in games refers to the use of algorithms to automatically create game content, rather than having it manually designed by developers. This method allows for the creation of vast and varied game environments, objects, levels, or even narrative elements without needing each piece to be handcrafted.
Procedural generation can be applied to many aspects of a game, including terrain, levels, characters, quests, and even music. Procedural generation is particularly effective in games where exploration and replayability are important.

Procedural generation has been a part of gaming since the old days, long before modern technology made massive open-world games possible. Early games had extremely limited memory, typically in the range of kilobytes or megabytes. Procedural generation allowed developers to create large and varied worlds without needing to store vast amounts of data.

Most popular procedural generation games

Transport Tycoon Deluxe
simulationDOS, Windows XP/98/95
alphaman-02

AlphaMan

DOS19953.7/5
adom1.1-05

Ancient Domains of Mystery (ADOM) v1.1

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1996freeware3.9/5
angband-03

Angband

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1992freeware4/5
archipelagos-1

Archipelagos

DOS19894/5 Astral Software
capitalism-2-01

Capitalism 2

Windows XP/98/95Mac OS2001protected4.2/5 Ensemble Studios
Capitalism 2 is simulation game designed by Trevor Chan, developed by Ensemble Studios and released by UBI Soft in 2001 for Windows and Macintosh. Capitalism 2 is the quintessential capitalistic simulation and involves stock exchange, business management, marketing, etc.
capitalism-plus-01

Capitalism Plus

DOSWindows XP/98/951997protected3.5/5 Enlight Software
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...
diablo1-06

Diablo

Windows XP/98/951996protecteddemo4.1/5 Blizzard Entertainment
dungeon-crawl-dos-03

Dungeon Crawl

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinux1997freeware4/5
Dungeon Crawl (also known as Linley's Dungeon Crawl from the name of the original programmer: Linley Henzell) is a classic roguelike: an RPG with permadeath, procedural generation and high replayability. Dungeon Crawl was released on 1997 but it's not maintained anymore. The spiritual successr of Crawl is DCCS (Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup).
dungeonhack-2

Dungeon Hack

DOS1993protecteddemo4.2/5 DreamForge Intertainment
Dungeon Hack is a dungeon-crawling role-playing game (RPG) developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). It was released in 1993 for MS-DOS and is known for its randomly generated levels, making each playthrough a unique experience. The game is set in a first-person perspective, and players explore dungeo...
elite-1

Elite

DOS1987freeware4.1/5 Firebird
eliteplus-5

Elite Plus

DOS1991freeware4/5 Realtime Games
evets-5

Evets

DOS1988freeware3.5/5 SAck Enterprizes
frontier-1

Frontier: Elite 2

DOS19934.1/5 Frontier Developments
Frontier: Elite II is a classic space simulation and trading game released in 1993, developed by David Braben and his company Frontier Developments. Frontier is the sequel to the pioneering 1984 game Elite and is often considered a landmark title in the space simulation genre.
hack-5

Hack

DOS1984freeware3.8/5
indy-desktop-adventures-2

Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures

Windows 3.xMac OS1996demo4.1/5 LucasArts
ivan-rl-04

IVAN (Iter Vehemens ad Necem)

DOSWindows 10/11LinuxMac OS2001freeware3.3/5
larn-5

Larn

DOS1986freeware3.9/5
masterofmagic-6

Master of Magic

DOSWindows XP/98/951994protected4.2/5 SimTex
Master of Magic is a turn based 4x strategy game developed by SimTex and published by the well know Microprose, very similar to Civilization, with a fantasy twist. You play as a wizard and your objective is to evolve your race from a small settlement to a bursting empire. To do so, you can produce military units to fight other computer controlled p...
masteroforion-5

Master of Orion

DOS1993protected4.1/5 SimTex
moo2-administratoroffer

Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares

DOSWindows XP/98/951996protected4.3/5 SimTex
Master of Orion II is a 4X turn-based sci-fi strategy game set in space. Master of Orion 2 gives the player an empire to run by controlling food and production, managing economy and researching new technology. The player can wage war against other races or use spies and diplomacy to achieve victory.
midwinter-5

Midwinter

DOS19904.1/5 Maelstrom Games
moria-5

Moria

DOS1992freeware3.9/5
nethack-2

NetHack

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OSLinux1987freeware3.7/5
NetHack is an open-source roguelike game that's been around since the early 1980s. It's a single-player dungeon exploration game where you navigate your character through a randomly generated dungeon filled with monsters, traps, treasures, and various items. The goal is to retrieve the Amulet of Yendor, located deep within the dungeon's lowest leve...
nethack-falcon-eye-02

NetHack - Falcon's Eye

Windows XP/98/952001freeware3.8/5
ragnarok-2

Ragnarok

DOS1993freeware4/5 Gray Design Associates
rogue-1

Rogue

Windows XP/98/95DOSLinuxMac OS19844.1/5 Artificial Intelligence Design
Rogue is one of the first RPGs in the history of video gaming. It's a text-based dungeon crawler in which you have to fight your way in the dungeon to recover the Amulet of Yendor. Rogue became popular around 1980 on mainframes and later ported to various platforms, including DOS in 1984. Rogue is simply the father of all the roguelike games that c...
scavengersmutant-1

Scavengers of the Mutant World

DOS19883.9/5 Interstel Corporation
scorched-3d-03

Scorched 3D

Windows XP/98/95Linux2001freeware3.8/5
scorched-earth-05

Scorched Earth

DOS1991protected4/5