Best abandonware games by year
Abandonware DOS is home to games from the early days of personal computer gaming—I'm talking about the 1980s, a time when some of you weren’t even born.
The golden age of PC gaming truly blossomed in the 1990s, giving us classics that are still fondly remembered today. But with the arrival of the new millennium, many small developers found it hard to survive in a gaming industry now ruled by corporate giants swallowing up one studio after another. The golden age came to an end—and the era of "abandonware" began.
Here are the top 10 games for each year of that golden age, as voted by our users.
| # | 1981 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness | rpg | 4.01/5 |
| 02 | Galaxy | strategy | 4.00/5 |
| 03 | Softporn Adventure | adventure | 3.98/5 |
| 04 | Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | rpg | 3.94/5 |
| 05 | Chess | strategy | 3.88/5 |
| 06 | B-1 Nuclear Bomber | vehicle simulation | 3.63/5 |
| 07 | Akalabeth: World of Doom | rpg | 3.63/5 |
| # | 1982 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Zork I: The Great Underground Empire | adventure | 4.14/5 |
| 02 | PC-Man | action | 4.09/5 |
| 03 | Microsoft Decathlon | sports | 4.02/5 |
| 04 | Paratrooper | shooter | 3.91/5 |
| 05 | Wizardry 2: The knight of diamonds | rpg | 3.90/5 |
| 06 | Executive Suite | simulation | 3.89/5 |
| 07 | Deadline | adventure | 3.87/5 |
| 08 | BurgerTime | action | 3.83/5 |
| 09 | Car Builder | simulation | 3.81/5 |
| 10 | The Battle of the Bulge: Tigers in the Snow | strategy | 3.80/5 |
| # | 1983 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lode Runner | action | 4.23/5 |
| 02 | Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz | adventure | 4.22/5 |
| 03 | Defender | shooter | 4.21/5 |
| 04 | Battlezone | shooter | 4.21/5 |
| 05 | Planetfall | adventure | 4.14/5 |
| 06 | Digger | action | 4.13/5 |
| 07 | Frogger | action | 4.13/5 |
| 08 | Sleuth: A Murder Mystery | simulation | 4.08/5 |
| 09 | J-Bird | action | 4.07/5 |
| 10 | Pango | action | 4.05/5 |
| # | 1984 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Alley Cat | action | 4.27/5 |
| 02 | Montezuma's Revenge | action | 4.22/5 |
| 03 | King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown | adventure | 4.18/5 |
| 04 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | adventure | 4.18/5 |
| 05 | Archon: the Light and the Dark | strategy | 4.18/5 |
| 06 | Rogue | rpg | 4.17/5 |
| 07 | Soko-Ban | puzzle | 4.15/5 |
| 08 | Crime and Punishment | simulation | 4.12/5 |
| 09 | dBASE III | application | 4.11/5 |
| 10 | DND | rpg | 4.09/5 |
| # | 1985 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ultima 3: Exodus | rpg | 4.15/5 |
| 02 | A Mind Forever Voyaging | adventure | 4.14/5 |
| 03 | Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar | rpg | 4.12/5 |
| 04 | Alice: The Personal Pascal | application | 4.11/5 |
| 05 | Silent Service | vehicle simulation | 4.11/5 |
| 06 | 9 Princes in Amber | adventure | 4.10/5 |
| 07 | Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? | adventure | 4.10/5 |
| 08 | Rambo First Blood Part 2 | adventure | 4.10/5 |
| 09 | King's Quest 2: Romancing the Throne | adventure | 4.06/5 |
| 10 | Star Trek: the Kobayashi alternative | adventure | 4.04/5 |
| # | 1986 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Space Quest 1: The Sarien Encounter | adventure | 4.23/5 |
| 02 | Gunship | vehicle simulation | 4.18/5 |
| 03 | Leather Goddesses of Phobos | adventure | 4.16/5 |
| 04 | King's Quest 3: To Heir is Human | adventure | 4.16/5 |
| 05 | Wordstar 4 | application | 4.15/5 |
| 06 | Orbiter | vehicle simulation | 4.15/5 |
| 07 | The Chessmaster 2000 | strategy | 4.15/5 |
| 08 | AutoCAD 2.5 | application | 4.14/5 |
| 09 | Alter Ego: Female Version | simulation | 4.14/5 |
| 10 | Karateka | action | 4.13/5 |
| # | 1987 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards | adventure | 4.25/5 |
| 02 | Driller | action-adventure | 4.21/5 |
| 03 | Police Quest 1: In Pursuit of the Death Angel | adventure | 4.20/5 |
| 04 | Falcon | vehicle simulation | 4.18/5 |
| 05 | Test Drive | racing | 4.18/5 |
| 06 | Maniac Mansion | adventure | 4.16/5 |
| 07 | Mah Jongg Solitaire | puzzle | 4.15/5 |
| 08 | The Guild of Thieves | adventure | 4.14/5 |
| 09 | Rockford: The Arcade Game | puzzle | 4.14/5 |
| 10 | Elite | vehicle simulation | 4.14/5 |
| # | 1988 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | World Class Leader Board | sports | 4.22/5 |
| 02 | Rampage | action | 4.22/5 |
| 03 | Battlehawks 1942 | vehicle simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 04 | Battle Chess | strategy | 4.20/5 |
| 05 | Speedball | sports | 4.20/5 |
| 06 | Deluxe Paint 2 | application | 4.19/5 |
| 07 | Rocket Ranger | action | 4.19/5 |
| 08 | Skate or Die | sports | 4.18/5 |
| 09 | Classic Concentration | puzzle | 4.18/5 |
| 10 | Impossible Mission 2 | action-adventure | 4.17/5 |
| # | 1989 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Turbo Assembler (TASM) | application | 4.37/5 |
| 02 | Operation Wolf | shooter | 4.26/5 |
| 03 | Pipe Dream | puzzle | 4.25/5 |
| 04 | Carrier command | vehicle simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 05 | Hero's Quest: So you want to be a hero | adventure | 4.22/5 |
| 06 | Alien Syndrome | shooter | 4.21/5 |
| 07 | A-10 Tank Killer | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 08 | The Duel: Test Drive 2 | racing | 4.20/5 |
| 09 | Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition | simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 10 | Bubble Bobble | action | 4.20/5 |
| # | 1990 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Secret of Monkey Island | adventure | 4.32/5 |
| 02 | Ivan 'Iron Man' Stewart's Super Off Road | racing | 4.24/5 |
| 03 | Ultima 6: The False Prophet | rpg | 4.23/5 |
| 04 | Silent Service 2 | vehicle simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 05 | Prince of Persia | action | 4.22/5 |
| 06 | Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars | action | 4.22/5 |
| 07 | Night Shift | puzzle | 4.21/5 |
| 08 | Red Baron | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 09 | The Oregon Trail | simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 10 | Puzznic | puzzle | 4.20/5 |
| # | 1991 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Volfied | action | 4.30/5 |
| 02 | QBasic 7.1 | application | 4.26/5 |
| 03 | Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon | rpg | 4.24/5 |
| 04 | Chip's Challenge | puzzle | 4.23/5 |
| 05 | Eye of the Beholder | rpg | 4.23/5 |
| 06 | Chuck Yeager's Air Combat | vehicle simulation | 4.23/5 |
| 07 | Night Hawk: F-117A Stealth Fighter | vehicle simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 08 | Civilization | strategy | 4.22/5 |
| 09 | Panza Kick Boxing | sports | 4.22/5 |
| 10 | Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge | adventure | 4.22/5 |
| # | 1992 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Street Fighter 2 | action | 4.31/5 |
| 02 | Tetris Classic | puzzle | 4.31/5 |
| 03 | Ultima 7 Part 1: The Black Gate | rpg | 4.31/5 |
| 04 | Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis | adventure | 4.23/5 |
| 05 | Virtual Reality Studio 2.0 | application | 4.23/5 |
| 06 | WinTrek | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 07 | Heroes of the 357th | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 08 | King's Quest 6: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow | adventure | 4.21/5 |
| 09 | B-17 Flying Fortress | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 10 | Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | rpg | 4.20/5 |
| # | 1993 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mortal Kombat | action | 4.26/5 |
| 02 | Populous 2: Trials of the Olympian Gods | strategy | 4.26/5 |
| 03 | Brutal Sports Football | sports | 4.23/5 |
| 04 | The Incredible Machine | puzzle | 4.23/5 |
| 05 | Space Hulk | strategy | 4.23/5 |
| 06 | SimCity 2000 | simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 07 | Doom | shooter | 4.22/5 |
| 08 | Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space | vehicle simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 09 | Lotus: The ultimate challenge | racing | 4.21/5 |
| 10 | Railroad Tycoon Deluxe | simulation | 4.21/5 |
| # | 1994 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | X-COM: Ufo Defense | strategy | 4.30/5 |
| 02 | Micro Machines | racing | 4.27/5 |
| 03 | Doom 2: Hell on Earth | shooter | 4.25/5 |
| 04 | The Incredible Machine 2 | puzzle | 4.24/5 |
| 05 | Fleet Defender | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 06 | Heretic | shooter | 4.21/5 |
| 07 | Colonization | strategy | 4.21/5 |
| 08 | Little Big Adventure | action-adventure | 4.20/5 |
| 09 | Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf | shooter | 4.20/5 |
| 10 | Pinball Fantasies | action | 4.20/5 |
| # | 1995 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Virtual Pool | sports | 4.23/5 |
| 02 | Screamer | racing | 4.22/5 |
| 03 | Comix Zone | action | 4.22/5 |
| 04 | Caesar 2 | simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 05 | The Need for Speed | racing | 4.21/5 |
| 06 | Albion | rpg | 4.21/5 |
| 07 | Transport Tycoon Deluxe | simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 08 | Ms Pac PC | action | 4.20/5 |
| 09 | Apache Longbow | vehicle simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 10 | Whiplash | racing | 4.19/5 |
| # | 1996 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares | strategy | 4.28/5 |
| 02 | Quake | shooter | 4.23/5 |
| 03 | Civilization 2 | strategy | 4.23/5 |
| 04 | Super Street Fighter 2 | action | 4.23/5 |
| 05 | Jane's Combat Simulations: Advanced Tactical Fighters | vehicle simulation | 4.23/5 |
| 06 | Road Rash | racing | 4.22/5 |
| 07 | Fantasy General | strategy | 4.22/5 |
| 08 | The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall | rpg | 4.20/5 |
| 09 | F-22 Lightning 2 | vehicle simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 10 | Conquest of the New World (Deluxe Edition) | strategy | 4.20/5 |
| # | 1997 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Virtua Cop 2 | shooter | 4.23/5 |
| 02 | Blood | shooter | 4.21/5 |
| 03 | Carmageddon | racing | 4.20/5 |
| 04 | Interstate '76 | racing | 4.20/5 |
| 05 | Age of Empires | strategy | 4.19/5 |
| 06 | Dilbert's Desktop Games | action | 4.18/5 |
| 07 | Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror | adventure | 4.18/5 |
| 08 | Warlords 3: Reign of Heroes | strategy | 4.17/5 |
| 09 | Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II | shooter | 4.17/5 |
| 10 | Pacific General | strategy | 4.17/5 |
| # | 1998 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Caesar 3 | simulation | 4.23/5 |
| 02 | Norton Commander 5.5 | application | 4.21/5 |
| 03 | People's General | strategy | 4.21/5 |
| 04 | Dune 2000 | strategy | 4.20/5 |
| 05 | Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines | strategy | 4.19/5 |
| 06 | Thief: The Dark Project | action-adventure | 4.18/5 |
| 07 | Railroad Tycoon 2 | simulation | 4.17/5 |
| 08 | Army Men | strategy | 4.17/5 |
| 09 | Dope Wars | simulation | 4.16/5 |
| 10 | Axis and Allies | strategy | 4.16/5 |
| # | 1999 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings | strategy | 4.23/5 |
| 02 | Age of Wonders | strategy | 4.22/5 |
| 03 | Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia | strategy | 4.21/5 |
| 04 | Outcast | action-adventure | 4.21/5 |
| 05 | Jagged Alliance 2 | strategy | 4.21/5 |
| 06 | Star Trek: Starfleet Command | vehicle simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 07 | Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz | strategy | 4.18/5 |
| 08 | Pharaoh | simulation | 4.18/5 |
| 09 | Midtown Madness | racing | 4.17/5 |
| 10 | Tyrian 2000 | shooter | 4.17/5 |
| # | 2000 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Zeus: Master of Olympus | simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 02 | Nox | rpg | 4.19/5 |
| 03 | Patrician 2: Quest for Power | simulation | 4.11/5 |
| 04 | Deus Ex | rpg | 4.09/5 |
| 05 | Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption | rpg | 4.08/5 |
| 06 | Gal Pani X | action | 4.06/5 |
| 07 | Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn | rpg | 4.06/5 |
| 08 | Unreal Gold | shooter | 4.05/5 |
| 09 | Ground Control | strategy | 4.04/5 |
| 10 | Fairy Nights | adventure | 4.04/5 |
| # | 2001 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Empire Earth | strategy | 4.22/5 |
| 02 | Capitalism 2 | simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 03 | Anachronox | rpg | 4.17/5 |
| 04 | Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura | rpg | 4.15/5 |
| 05 | Zoo Tycoon | simulation | 4.15/5 |
| 06 | Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel | strategy | 4.13/5 |
| 07 | Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds | strategy | 4.10/5 |
| 08 | ScummVM | application | 4.09/5 |
| 09 | Independence War 2: Edge Of Chaos | vehicle simulation | 4.06/5 |
| 10 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | action-adventure | 4.05/5 |
| # | 2002 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Bomb Jack remake | action | 4.19/5 |
| 02 | The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind | rpg | 4.19/5 |
| 03 | Hooligans: Storm Over Europe | strategy | 4.16/5 |
| 04 | Crazy Taxi | racing | 4.14/5 |
| 05 | Chessmaster 9000 | strategy | 4.13/5 |
| 06 | Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 | simulation | 4.11/5 |
| 07 | Sid Meier's SimGolf | sports | 4.11/5 |
| 08 | Lemonade Tycoon | simulation | 4.08/5 |
| 09 | DOSBox | application | 4.08/5 |
| 10 | Syberia | adventure | 4.06/5 |
| # | 2003 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Master of Orion 3 | strategy | 4.18/5 |
| 02 | The Temple of Elemental Evil | rpg | 4.05/5 |
| 03 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos - Yugi the Destiny | strategy | 3.94/5 |
| 04 | Van Buren (Fallout 3) | rpg | 3.90/5 |
| 05 | Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader | rpg | 3.87/5 |
| 06 | 1893: A World's Fair Mystery | adventure | 3.83/5 |
| 07 | Hulk | action | 3.82/5 |
| 08 | Babylon 5: I've Found Her | vehicle simulation | 3.81/5 |
| 09 | Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound | rpg | 3.80/5 |
| 10 | ResidualVM | application | 3.52/5 |
| # | 2004 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ghosts 'n Goblins remake | action | 4.05/5 |
| 02 | Dark Horizons Lore: Invasion | vehicle simulation | 4.03/5 |
| 03 | Maniac Mansion Deluxe | adventure | 4.00/5 |
| 04 | UFO 2000 | strategy | 4.00/5 |
| 05 | Spider-Man 2: The Game | action-adventure | 3.92/5 |
| 06 | Blues Brothers RPG | rpg | 3.77/5 |
| 07 | Pyjamarama | action | 3.65/5 |
| 08 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos - Joey the Passion | strategy | 3.57/5 |
| 09 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos - Kaiba the Revenge | strategy | 3.19/5 |