The best abandonware PC games of all time

Retro gamers like myself are convinced that the best PC games ever published were developed during the golden age of PC gaming, in the 80s and 90s. This era was marked by innovation, creativity, and the birth of many genres that defined the industry. I myself have collected quite a few of those games and own a small big-box PC game collection. Some of you may remember most of these titles fondly, while a few of you probably remember and played every single "abandoned" Windows and DOS game that made it into this chart.

Actually, some of the games listed below are not abandoned at all - you can buy them on GOG or Steam - but they definitely deserve to be included anyway.

I know that every "best games" chart is far from perfect; there's always a couple of games that you think are missing. Personal preferences and nostalgic memories often influence our opinions on what should be included. That's why this abandonware games list is exclusively based on votes cast by users, reflecting a broader consensus within the community.

The best games of the month: July 2026

These are the top games based on user votes for the current month.

#	game title	year	rating
01	Donkey Kong	1983	5.00/5
02	Robinson's Requiem	1994	4.00/5
03	Spider-Man 2: The Game	2004	3.86/5
04	Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos - Yugi the Destiny	2003	3.50/5
05	Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos - Kaiba the Revenge	2004	3.50/5

The best old PC games ever

These are the best games on Abandonware DOS, according to your votes.

#	game title	year	rating
01	Ultima 7 Part 1: The Black Gate	1992	4.31/5
02	Tetris Classic	1992	4.31/5
03	The Secret of Monkey Island	1990	4.31/5
04	Street Fighter 2	1992	4.31/5
05	Volfied	1991	4.30/5
06	X-COM: Ufo Defense	1994	4.29/5
07	Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares	1996	4.29/5
08	Mortal Kombat	1993	4.27/5
09	Micro Machines	1994	4.27/5
10	Doom 2: Hell on Earth	1994	4.26/5
11	Alley Cat	1984	4.25/5
12	Final Doom	1996	4.25/5
13	Pipe Dream	1989	4.25/5
14	Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards	1987	4.25/5
15	Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis	1992	4.25/5
16	Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon	1991	4.24/5
17	Populous 2: Trials of the Olympian Gods	1993	4.24/5
18	Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings	1999	4.24/5
19	The Incredible Machine	1993	4.23/5
20	Chuck Yeager's Air Combat	1991	4.23/5
21	SimCity 2000	1993	4.23/5
22	Virtua Cop 2	1997	4.23/5
23	Civilization	1991	4.23/5
24	Rampage	1988	4.22/5
25	Carrier command	1989	4.22/5
26	Ultima 6: The False Prophet	1990	4.22/5
27	The Incredible Machine 2	1994	4.22/5
28	Ka-50 Hokum	1995	4.22/5
29	Strike Commander	1993	4.22/5
30	A-10 Tank Killer	1989	4.22/5

This chart takes into account only the games I’ve actually included on Abandonware DOS. Many more games were published 20 or more years ago, and my time to add them is limited. That said, I’m determined to keep expanding the collection, no matter what!