Browse abandonware and retro games by keyword

Arcades experienced immense popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, serving as social hubs where people gathered to enjoy video games. Before the rise of poker machines, individuals frequented pubs or dedicated arcades to play video games known as coin-operated machines or coin-ops. These machines required players to insert coins to start playing, creating a pay-to-play model that was both thrilling and addictive.

As home video game consoles and computers advanced, many popular arcade games were adapted for these platforms. The transition allowed players to enjoy their favorite games in the comfort of their own homes. Systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, and various home computers saw ports of arcade hits, often with slight modifications due to hardware limitations.

Coin-operated machines not only provided entertainment but also influenced game design, community building, and the overall trajectory of the gaming industry.

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!

These projects are typically driven by passion and a desire to expand upon or pay homage to beloved franchises. Fan-made games can range widely in scope and quality, from simple modifications or "mods" of existing games to fully-fledged independent releases with original assets and gameplay mechanics.

Fan-made games often operate in legal gray areas due to their use of copyrighted material without permission. As a result, they may be subject to takedown notices or legal action from the original creators or copyright holders.

Game feelies are physical items included with video games, particularly in the era of boxed PC games, that enhance the immersive experience of the game. These items often provide additional context, lore, or simply serve as fun collectibles related to the game's world and storyline. Feelies were particularly popular in the 1980s and 1990s, with adventure games and RPGs often including them to provide a richer experience.

The feelies could be anything from detailed maps of the game world, manuals and guides, letters and diaries, physical artifacts, code wheels and decoders.

For example, the Zork series by Infocom came in boxes including elaborate feelies like maps, coins, and manuals to enhance the adventure. The Ultima games by Origin Systems included items such as cloth maps and magical amulets.

Shareware is a type of software distribution model that allows users to try a program before purchasing it. It's a marketing strategy and distribution method that was particularly popular in the early days of personal computing, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.
Shareware games were released for free with limited functionality (for example: no saving, missing levels, time limit), often via a BBS (Bulletin Board System), a floppy disc or a CD included in a printed magazine or by direct download (when internet was in its infancy). If the user liked the shareware product, they could pay to obtain an upgrade and unlock the full game. When digital distribution started to become popular, shareware games slowly faded into oblivion.

Videogame type-ins refer to a practice popularized in the early days of home computing, particularly in the 1980s. Back then, many home computers, like the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and later, the Amiga and Atari ST, lacked the extensive libraries of commercially available games we have today. Instead, users would often type in games manually from printed listings found in magazines, books, or computer manuals.

These listings were essentially lines of code written in the programming language of the respective computer, usually BASIC or assembly language. Users would meticulously type in each line of code, which could sometimes span hundreds or even thousands of lines, into their computer. Once the code was entered, they would save it to a cassette tape or diskette.

After the code was saved, users could run it, and if everything was typed correctly, the game would execute, allowing them to play. However, typing errors were common, and debugging the code to find and correct mistakes was part of the experience.

Storytelling in video games is a dynamic aspect of game design that encompasses various techniques and elements to engage players in immersive narratives. Unlike traditional storytelling mediums like books or films, video game storytelling often leverages interactivity as a central component. Also effective worldbuilding involves creating believable environments, cultures, histories, and lore that enhance immersion and provide context for the narrative.

Overall, storytelling in video games is a collaborative effort that integrates various artistic disciplines, including writing, game design, art direction, music composition, and voice acting. When executed effectively, video game storytelling can deliver memorable experiences that rival those found in other forms of media.

Surprisingly, despite the natural synergy between toys and video games, there aren't as many video games based on toy lines as one might expect. However, several iconic toy brands have successfully made the leap into the digital entertainment world, becoming well-known franchises in both arenas.

Notable examples include Barbie, whose virtual adventures have captivated audiences just as much as her plastic counterpart, Trolls, toy soldiers, Micro Machines and even Tamagotchi, the digital pet phenomenon that seamlessly merged the toy and video game experience long before it was commonplace. 

Ancient Rome was a powerful and influential civilization that emerged in the Italian Peninsula around the 8th century BCE and lasted until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. It left a profound impact on Western culture, politics, law, architecture, language, and more.

Ancient Rome's influence on human history is profound and continues to be studied and admired for its accomplishments, as well as its lessons on governance, power, and civilization. These games are all set at the time when the ancient Romans were known (almost) in every corner of Europe and beyond.

Games written in BASIC have a rich history in the world of computer gaming. BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a high-level programming language that gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s as a beginner-friendly language for writing software on early personal computers. During this era, BASIC was the go-to language for hobbyist programmers who wanted to create their own games.

Games written in BASIC varied in complexity, from simple text-based adventures to graphical games with rudimentary graphics and sound capabilities. As computer hardware and programming languages advanced, BASIC gradually lost popularity as a primary language for game development. The simplicity and accessibility of BASIC played a crucial role in sparking their interest in programming and game development.

The Freescape engine was a revolutionary graphics engine developed by Incentive Software in the mid 1980s. It was designed to create immersive 3D environments and was used in several notable video games of that era.

The Freescape engine was groundbreaking because it allowed players to explore three-dimensional environments in a real-time first-person perspective, which was a significant leap forward in gaming at the time. The engine utilized wireframe graphics, creating a sense of depth and immersion in the game worlds it generated.

One of the most iconic games to utilize the Freescape engine was Driller, released in 1987. In Driller players navigated through an underground complex using the Freescape engine, solving puzzles and unraveling the game's intriguing storyline. The success of Driller led to the development of several other games utilizing the Freescape engine.

The Freescape engine had a significant impact on the gaming industry and influenced the development of future 3D engines and games. Its pioneering approach to real-time 3D graphics and first-person gameplay set the stage for the evolution of the genre.

SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) is a game engine and scripting language developed by Lucasfilm Games (now known as LucasArts) for creating graphic adventure games. It was first used in the game "Maniac Mansion" in 1987 and then went on to power many classic point-and-click adventure games during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The SCUMM engine provided a way for game designers to create interactive and visually rich adventure games without needing to have an extensive background in programming. Instead of directly coding game logic, designers could use a set of commands and scripts to define characters' actions, interactions, and dialogue.

The SCUMM engine played a significant role in shaping the adventure game genre and influencing the way interactive storytelling in video games was approached. Over time, LucasArts transitioned to using newer engines for their games, and SCUMM became a historical artifact in the evolution of game development technology.

The Sierra's Creative Interpreter (SCI) engine was a game engine developed by Sierra On-Line, a prominent game developer and publisher in the 1980s and 1990s. SCI was used to create a variety of graphic adventure games, including classics like the King's Quest series, Space Quest series, and Quest for Glory series, among others.

The SCI engine represented a significant advancement in game development technology at the time of its introduction. It allowed for more sophisticated graphics, sound, and user interface elements compared to Sierra's earlier AGI (Adventure Game Interpreter) engine. SCI games typically featured point-and-click interfaces, animated sprites, and sometimes digitized sound effects and speech.

Synergistic Software's World Builder engine provided game designers with a platform for creating rich and immersive worlds, enabling the creation of complex environments and interactive experiences.

The World Builder engine was known for its versatility and user-friendly interface, allowing developers to easily design and manipulate terrain, place objects and characters, and script events and interactions. It provided a range of tools for terrain generation, including the ability to sculpt landscapes, paint textures, and add vegetation and structures.

Synergistic Software used the World Builder engine to develop several notable games, including "War in Middle-earth". The engine's capabilities helped bring the world of Middle-earth to life, allowing players to explore its iconic locations and participate in epic battles.

A choose your own adventure video game is a genre of interactive storytelling in which the player's choices directly influence the narrative's direction and outcome. These games emphasize player decision-making and often feature branching storylines, multiple endings, and significant replay value. It's a simplified form of interactive fiction: there's no need to type the input.

The game’s plot diverges based on the decisions made by the player. This leads to different scenarios and outcomes, encouraging multiple playthroughs to explore all possible paths. The focus is on the narrative and how it evolves based on player input. Gameplay mechanics often take a backseat to the story, making these games similar to interactive novels.

Grid-based movement in video games refers to a movement system where characters or objects can only move along a predefined grid or set of discrete positions. The game world is divided into a grid, composed of squares or tiles, and the movement is typically restricted to the cardinal directions (up, down, left, and right).

Grid-based movement has been widely used in various types of games, including turn-based strategy games, role-playing games (RPGs), and tactical games. This movement system allows for precise positioning and strategic planning, as the player must consider the grid layout and plan their movements accordingly.
One of the advantages of grid-based movement is that it simplifies navigation and collision detection, as the game engine can easily determine valid movement paths and detect collisions with other objects on the grid.

An open-world video game is a genre of video game where the player is given a large, expansive virtual world (or universe) to explore and interact with. In contrast to linear games that follow a predetermined path or level-based progression, open-world games typically offer freedom and non-linearity, allowing players to roam and engage with the game world at their own pace.

Open-world games often feature vast landscapes or cities that can be freely traversed, and they often include a variety of activities, missions, or quests for players to undertake. These games commonly provide a range of gameplay options, such as exploration, combat, puzzle-solving, character development, and interacting with non-player characters (NPCs).

Popular examples of open-world games include The Elder Scrolls series (e.g., Morrowind), the Grand Theft Auto series, Ultima 7, Darklands, and Star Control 2, among many others.

JRPGs, or Japanese Role-Playing Games, are a subgenre of role-playing video games that originated in Japan. They are characterized by a distinct style of storytelling, gameplay mechanics, and visual aesthetics.
JRPGs often place a heavy emphasis on narrative and character development. They frequently feature intricate plots, richly developed characters, and immersive worlds that players can explore. Traditional JRPGs typically use turn-based combat systems where players and enemies take turns executing actions such as attacking, using magic, or defending. These systems often involve strategic decision-making and resource management.

Players usually control a party of characters, each with their own unique abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. JRPGs commonly incorporate character progression systems where players earn experience points through battles and quests, allowing their characters to level up and become stronger. This progression may involve gaining new abilities, improving stats, or obtaining equipment upgrades.

JRPGs are known for their distinct artistic styles, which can range from colorful and cartoonish to more realistic or anime-inspired. Character designs, environments, and animations often contribute to the game's overall aesthetic.

Artillery video games are a subgenre of strategy games that involve players taking turns firing projectiles at each other, typically adjusting parameters like angle, power, and sometimes wind conditions to hit their targets. The genre dates back to some of the earliest computer games and has evolved significantly over the years.

Players take turns to fire projectiles at their opponents, typically with the aim of eliminating all enemy units or achieving specific objectives. Players often adjust angle and power to determine the projectile's trajectory. Advanced games may also factor in wind speed and direction.

Notable examples are Scorched Earth, known for its deep customization options and variety of weapons, and the Worms series.

A beat 'em up video game, also known as a brawler, is a genre of action video games that focuses on close combat fighting against multiple enemies. In these games, players control a character who must battle through hordes of enemies using hand-to-hand combat or melee weapons.

Beat 'em up games often feature side-scrolling or 2D gameplay. Players move across the screen, progressing through levels or stages, while encountering waves of enemies. The primary objective is to defeat all the enemies and progress further in the game.

These games usually provide a variety of moves and attacks, including punches, kicks, throws, and special abilities or power-ups. Sometimes, beat 'em ups allow cooperative multiplayer, where two or more players can join forces to fight enemies together. Classic examples of beat 'em up games include Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Fighting games are a genre of action video games that focus on close-quarters combat between two characters, typically controlled by players, who engage in hand-to-hand combat against a single opponent for the entire duration of a match. These games are characterized by their fast-paced, strategic gameplay where players must use a variety of attacks, blocks, and counter-moves to defeat their opponent.

A distinctive trait of fighting games is the inclusion of special attacks, which are unique and often visually spectacular moves that characters can perform. These special attacks usually require specific combinations of button presses and joystick movements to execute, adding a layer of complexity and skill to the gameplay.

Among the most iconic and influential fighting games of all time are Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat.

There is a fine line between "text adventures," also known as interactive fiction, and graphic adventure games. Before the advent of point-and-click adventure games such as "Monkey Island," "Gabriel Knight," or "Day of the Tentacle," developers initially experimented with creating adventure games that featured graphics but still used a text-based interface.

One company that excelled in this hybrid approach was Sierra On-Line. Sierra's pioneering work in the genre included iconic series such as "King's Quest," "Leisure Suit Larry," and "Space Quest." These games combined rich graphical environments with text commands, allowing players to interact with the game world visually while retaining the depth and complexity of text-based input.

Interactive movies are a subgenre of adventure games that heavily incorporate cinematic scenes and scripted gameplay to create a narrative-driven experience. These games are designed to closely resemble movies, featuring pre-rendered or live-action video sequences that play out as the player progresses through the story. The gameplay typically involves making choices or performing actions at critical moments, which influence the direction of the narrative and the outcome of the game.

One of the defining characteristics of interactive movies is their emphasis on storytelling and visual presentation. The game mechanics are often simplified compared to other adventure games, focusing more on the player's ability to react to on-screen prompts and make decisions that impact the story. This results in a highly immersive experience, where players feel like they are part of an interactive film.

Perhaps the most popular and iconic adventure interactive movie series for PC is Dragon's Lair, developed by ReadySoft. Dragon's Lair was groundbreaking for its use of full-motion video (FMV) and high-quality animation.

In a kingdom simulation, the player is tasked with the management of a whole kingdom (or empire). Kingdom simulations involve managing the army and the economy of your lands by building a military force, raise or lower taxes, trade commodities. Kingdom sims and are usually set in a medieval or a fantasy world.

Maze video games are a genre of action games that involve navigating a complex network of paths or corridors with the goal of reaching a specific destination or completing an objective. The gameplay revolves around solving puzzles or overcoming challenges presented by the maze-like environment.

In maze games, players typically control a character or an object and must navigate through a labyrinthine structure filled with obstacles, dead-ends, and sometimes enemies or hazards.

Maze games have been popular since the early days of gaming, with classic examples like Pac-Man, ZZT, Gauntlet.

Physics-based puzzle video games are a genre of video games that rely on realistic or semi-realistic physics simulations to create challenging and engaging puzzles for players to solve. These games typically involve manipulating objects, characters, or the game environment in a way that takes into account the laws of physics, such as gravity, friction, momentum, and inertia.

Key features of physics-based puzzle video games include: realistic physics, puzzle solving, trial and error, environmental interaction, platformer elements. These games often offer a unique and intellectually stimulating gaming experience, as players need to apply their understanding of physics principles to progress through the game.

Platform games, also known as platformers, are a genre of video games characterized by gameplay focused on navigating a protagonist through a series of platforms and obstacles within a 2D or 3D environment. The main objective in platform games is to progress through levels, often reaching the end or completing specific objectives.

In platform games, players typically control a character who possesses the ability to jump or perform other acrobatic moves. These movements allow the character to traverse platforms, avoid obstacles, and defeat enemies or overcome challenges.

The genre originated in the early days of video gaming, with iconic titles like "Super Mario Bros" and "Donkey Kong" shaping the foundation of platformers. The success of these games led to the growth and diversification of the genre, resulting in a wide range of platform games with unique gameplay mechanics, art styles, and level designs.

Futuristic racing games are a genre of video games that typically take place in futuristic settings with advanced technology, high-speed vehicles, and unconventional race tracks. These games often feature fast-paced gameplay, with players competing against opponents or the clock while navigating through visually stunning environments.
Key features of futuristic racing games include high-speed vehicles, futuristic settings, unique race tracks, power-ups and weapons.

Some well-known examples of futuristic racing games include the "F-Zero" series, "Wipeout" series, Fire and Forget. These games have garnered popularity for their adrenaline-pumping gameplay, futuristic aesthetics, and competitive multiplayer modes.

A roguelike is a genre of role-playing video games characterized by certain gameplay elements and mechanics. These games are inspired by the 1980 game "Rogue" which is where the genre gets its name. The defining features of roguelikes include:
Procedural generation: levels, maps, and other game elements are created algorithmically rather than being pre-designed.
Permadeath: when your character dies, you typically lose all progress and must start the game from the beginning. There are no checkpoints or save points to reload from.
Random loot: items, weapons, and equipment found in the game world are often randomly generated.

Roguelikes come in various settings and themes, ranging from traditional fantasy settings to sci-fi, horror, and more. The genre has seen significant evolution over the years, leading to sub-genres like "roguelite" and "roguelike-like" which may have some of the core features of roguelikes but with more forgiving gameplay mechanics or progression systems.

Sokoban refers to a type of puzzle video game where the player controls a character (typically a warehouse worker or similar) tasked with pushing crates or boxes around a maze-like environment to solve puzzles. The objective is usually to push all the crates onto designated storage locations within the level, with constraints on movement such as only being able to push one crate at a time and not being able to pull them.

The name "Sokoban" is derived from Japanese and roughly translates to "warehouse keeper". Sokoban games often feature increasingly challenging puzzles requiring careful planning and strategy to solve.

A third-person action-adventure is a genre of video game that combines elements of action and adventure gameplay while utilizing a third-person perspective. In this type of game, the player controls a character and navigates through a three-dimensional game world.

The third-person perspective means that the camera is positioned behind the character, providing a view of their actions and surroundings. This viewpoint allows players to see their character's movements, interactions, and the environment from a more cinematic angle.

The action component of the genre refers to the emphasis on fast-paced combat, platforming, and physical challenges. The adventure aspect involves exploration of the game world, solving puzzles, and unraveling a storyline or completing quests. Examples of popular third-person action-adventure games include the Tomb Raider series, Assassin's Creed series, and Alone in the Dark series.

Tile-matching puzzle video games are a popular genre of games that involve manipulating and matching tiles or blocks to clear them from the game board. These games typically feature a grid-based layout where players must swap, slide, or rotate tiles to create matches of three or more identical tiles. Tile-matching puzzle games can be highly addictive and offer simple, yet challenging gameplay. 
They are often designed with colorful graphics, catchy soundtracks, and progressively difficult levels to keep players engaged and entertained.

The objective of tile-matching puzzle games is to clear the game board by making matches, which causes the matched tiles to disappear. As players progress, the difficulty usually increases, introducing obstacles such as limited moves, time constraints, or special tiles with unique properties. Tile-matching puzzle games can come in various forms and themes including match-3 games, collapse-style games, mahjong games.

Turn-based tactical video games are a genre of strategy games where gameplay is divided into turns, during which players take sequential actions with their units or characters. In turn-based tactical games, players typically control a group of units, such as soldiers, heroes, or specialized characters, and navigate them across a grid-based map or environment. Each turn, players can move their units, attack enemies, use special abilities, or perform other actions within the game's mechanics and rules.

The turn-based nature of these games allows players to carefully consider their options and plan their moves strategically, taking into account factors like terrain, unit strengths and weaknesses, and the overall objectives of the game. Typically, the outcome of battles or encounters is determined by a combination of factors such as unit statistics, positioning, and sometimes random chance. Some well-known examples of turn-based tactical games include the XCOM series, Heroes of Might and Magic series, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Jagged Alliance. 

A vehicular racing game (or combat racing game) is a genre of racing game that combines traditional racing mechanics with elements of vehicular combat. In these games, players not only compete in races to finish first but also engage in combat with opponents using various weapons, power-ups, and strategies. The focus is not solely on speed and racing skills; players also need to eliminate or hinder their opponents to gain an advantage and secure victory.

These games often take place in futuristic or fantasy settings, where vehicles are equipped with weapons, armor, and other unique attributes. Players can use offensive and defensive tactics to target opponents, protect themselves, and race through tracks filled with obstacles, hazards, and other challenges. The combat aspect adds an additional layer of strategy to the traditional racing experience.

First-person view (FPV) video games are a type of video game where the player experiences the game world from the perspective of the protagonist or main character. The game's visuals are presented as if the player is looking through the eyes of the character, providing a sense of immersion and realism.

In first-person view games, the player's view is typically represented by a graphical rendering of the character's field of vision, showing what the character would see if they were actually present in the game world. This perspective often includes a virtual representation of the character's hands or body to enhance the immersion.
First person 3D games have their own keyword.

Vector graphics in video games refer to a type of graphical representation where images are defined using geometric shapes, lines, curves, and mathematical equations, rather than a fixed grid of pixels like in raster graphics. In vector graphics, the shapes are described by their properties, such as coordinates, sizes, colors, and gradients, rather than by individual pixels.

While vector graphics have many advantages, they also have limitations. They might not be suitable for all types of visual content, especially when high levels of detail and realism are required. Additionally, complex scenes with a large number of vector shapes can still pose performance challenges, as the mathematical calculations required for rendering can become demanding.

WARNING: ADULTS ONLY!
The contents in this section and the games in this list are intended for mature audiences. If you are under 18 years old, we kindly ask you to exit this section.

Hentai is a term used to refer to a genre of explicit, adult-oriented anime and manga that often involves sexually explicit content. It's essentially animated or illustrated pornographic material from Japan. It's meant for adult audiences and is not suitable for everyone.

WARNING: ADULTS ONLY!
The contents in this section and the games in this list are intended for mature audiences. If you are under 18 years old, we kindly ask you to exit this section.

Strip poker is a variation of the traditional card game of poker where players wager clothing items instead of chips or money. The rules are similar to regular poker, but with the added twist that players must remove an article of clothing when they lose a round or hand. The game continues until one player is fully clothed and the others are naked or until agreed-upon rules dictate otherwise. 

A dystopia is the lesser-known counterpart to utopia, representing an undesirable or nightmarish society. Dystopian societies often suffer from various negative aspects such as environmental degradation, oppressive governments, rampant despotism, extreme inequality, or social decay.

Cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic games serve as prime examples of dystopian themes. Cyberpunk worlds often depict high-tech, low-life futures where corporate control, surveillance, and societal breakdown are rampant. Post-apocalyptic games, on the other hand, explore the aftermath of catastrophic events, where humanity is struggling to survive in a ruined, lawless world. Both genres reflect dystopian fears about the future, technology, and society.