Abandonware vehicle simulation games sorted by release date
Vehicle simulation games put the player right in the pilot’s seat, for an immersive and realistic game experience. Vehicles can be cars, airplanes, spaceships, or tanks. Simulation is often based on details in order to augment realism, like full-features dashboards, controls, gauges, and indicators.
Recently added and trending vehicle simulation games
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B-1 Nuclear Bomber
DOS1981 flight simulation
Ever wanted to be responsible for ending the world in fewer than ten keypresses? B-1 Nuclear Bomber (1981) gives you that chance, wrapping global annihilation in glorious monochrome and a user interface that feels like it was designed during a lunch break. You're the pilot of a strategic bomber, flying missions that are less Top Gun and more Cold W...
Jetset
DOS1982 civilian flight simulation, flight simulation
Air Trax
DOS1983 civilian flight simulation, flight simulation
Ah yes, Air Trax from 1983 - a game where “flight” is more of a philosophical concept. It’s clunky, it's slow, and it looks like it was coded in someone’s garage (because it probably was). But there’s charm in this pixelated mess. You guide your plane through narrow gaps while wondering why gravity has such a personal ...
GATO
DOS1984 submarine simulation
F-15 Strike Eagle
DOS1985demo flight simulation
Jet
DOS1985 flight simulation
Silent Service
DOSMac OS1985protecteddemo submarine simulation
Silent Service is a submarine simulation game developed and published by MicroProse. The first game in the series, Silent Service, was released in 1985. It was designed by Sid Meier and inspired by his interest in naval history. The game focused on simulating the experience of commanding a U.S. submarine during World War II in the Pacific...
Solo Flight
DOS1985 civilian flight simulation, flight simulation
Not many people know that the first games created by Sid Meier were flight simulations. Solo Flight was published by MicroProse in 1983 for Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari, and a year later, in 1984, for PC. The game takes place in the United States. As a fliying mailmain, the goal of the game is to deliver mail across the U.S.A.
Super Huey UH-IX
DOS1985protected helicopter simulation, flight simulation
The Dam busters
DOS1985 flight simulation
ACE: Air Combat Emulator
DOS1986 flight simulation
This 1986 DOS classic sounds way cooler than it is — ACE: Air Combat Emulator promises combat, but delivers what feels like flying a lawnmower through molasses. Still, for its time, it gave players the thrill of joystick jostling and the joy of watching enemy planes disappear into four jagged pixels. Think of it as the Wright brothers’ ...
American Challenge: A Sailing Simulation
DOS1986 naval simulation, water sports
If your idea of high-octane excitement involves wind direction, tacking angles, and sail trim, then American Challenge: A Sailing Simulation is your digital paradise. This 1986 DOS classic lets you live out the thrilling world of competitive sailing... very slowly. It's you, your boat, and an ocean of pixelated blue waiting to be conquered with you...
Deep space: Operation Copernicus
DOS1986 space combat, space simulation
Gunship
DOS1986demo helicopter simulation, flight simulation
Orbiter
DOSMac OS1986 realistic space simulation, space simulation
Psi 5 Trading Company
DOS1986protected space exploration, space simulation
Starglider
DOS1986 space combat, space simulation
3-D Helicopter Simulator
DOS1987 civilian flight simulation, helicopter simulation, flight simulation
Released in 1987, this is less of a simulator and more of a fever dream where you pilot a flying box over a grid pretending to be terrain. 3-D Helicopter Simulator was ambitious for its time, with wireframe graphics that suggest a helicopter-shaped object doing helicopter-shaped things. You’ll take off, hover awkwardly, and then promptly cras...
ACE 2
DOS1987 flight simulation
In ACE 2 (1987, DOS), you and a buddy can engage in split-screen dogfights so slow they make real air combat look like fast-forwarded ballet. The graphics are simple, but the charm is in the rivalry — few things bond friendships like chasing each other through the skies with barely responsive controls. Not quite “top ace” material...
Ace of Aces
DOS1987 flight simulation
Ace of Aces (1987, DOS) is a game where you pilot a WWII plane via a series of still-image panels that suggest action more than deliver it. It’s like a flipbook with ambitions. You’ll toggle views, dodge bullets (sort of), and feel like you’re in a dogfight told by someone who once read about planes. Surprisingly addictive, despit...
Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon
DOS1987 realistic space simulation, space exploration
Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon (1987) lets you relive the lunar missions in all their... spreadsheet-like glory. This game is as educational as it is punishing; you’ll learn about thrust vectors, fuel efficiency, and your tolerance for failure. Spoiler alert: one wrong number and you’re plummeting into the Moon like a space-themed bowli...
Arctic Fox
DOS1987 tank simulation, first-person shooter
B-24 Combat Simulator
DOS1987protected flight simulation
Step aside, arcade action—B-24 Combat Simulator (1987) is here to test your patience, eyesight, and possibly your sanity. It’s all about realism, baby. You’ll take off, navigate, bomb targets, and hopefully land, all while squinting at an interface that looks like your uncle’s ham radio setup. The game is so committed to sim...
Elite
DOS1987freeware space exploration, space combat, space simulation
Falcon
DOS1987protected flight simulation
PHM Pegasus
DOS1987 naval simulation
Starlord
DOS1987 space simulation
Tau Ceti
DOS1987 space exploration, space simulation
The Hunt for Red October
DOSMac OS1987 naval simulation
Tomahawk
DOS1987 flight simulation