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 | Akalabeth: World of Doom | rpg | 3.63/5 |
| 07 | B-1 Nuclear Bomber | vehicle simulation | 3.63/5 |
| # | 1982 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Zork I: The Great Underground Empire | adventure | 4.14/5 |
| 02 | PC-Man | action | 4.10/5 |
| 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 | J-Bird | action | 4.10/5 |
| 09 | Sleuth: A Murder Mystery | simulation | 4.08/5 |
| 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 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | adventure | 4.18/5 |
| 04 | Archon: the Light and the Dark | strategy | 4.18/5 |
| 05 | King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown | adventure | 4.17/5 |
| 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 | 4.11/5 |
| 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 | 4.21/5 |
| 02 | Orbiter | vehicle simulation | 4.19/5 |
| 03 | Gunship | vehicle simulation | 4.18/5 |
| 04 | Leather Goddesses of Phobos | adventure | 4.16/5 |
| 05 | King's Quest 3: To Heir is Human | adventure | 4.16/5 |
| 06 | Wordstar 4 | application | 4.15/5 |
| 07 | AutoCAD 2.5 | application | 4.14/5 |
| 08 | Alter Ego: Female Version | simulation | 4.14/5 |
| 09 | Karateka | action | 4.13/5 |
| 10 | Conflict in Vietnam | strategy | 4.12/5 |
| # | 1987 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards | adventure | 4.24/5 |
| 02 | Driller | action-adventure | 4.21/5 |
| 03 | Police Quest 1: In Pursuit of the Death Angel | adventure | 4.20/5 |
| 04 | Test Drive | racing | 4.18/5 |
| 05 | Falcon | vehicle simulation | 4.17/5 |
| 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 | Lombard RAC Rally | racing | 4.21/5 |
| 05 | Battle Chess | strategy | 4.20/5 |
| 06 | Speedball | sports | 4.20/5 |
| 07 | Deluxe Paint 2 | application | 4.19/5 |
| 08 | Falcon AT | vehicle simulation | 4.19/5 |
| 09 | Rocket Ranger | action | 4.19/5 |
| 10 | Skate or Die | sports | 4.18/5 |
| # | 1989 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Turbo Assembler (TASM) | application | 4.37/5 |
| 02 | Pipe Dream | puzzle | 4.25/5 |
| 03 | Operation Wolf | shooter | 4.23/5 |
| 04 | Hero's Quest: So you want to be a hero | adventure | 4.22/5 |
| 05 | A-10 Tank Killer | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 06 | The Duel: Test Drive 2 | racing | 4.20/5 |
| 07 | Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition | simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 08 | Bubble Bobble | action | 4.20/5 |
| 09 | Rick Dangerous | action | 4.19/5 |
| 10 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | adventure | 4.19/5 |
| # | 1990 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Secret of Monkey Island | adventure | 4.31/5 |
| 02 | Ivan 'Iron Man' Stewart's Super Off Road | racing | 4.25/5 |
| 03 | Prince of Persia | action | 4.22/5 |
| 04 | Silent Service 2 | vehicle simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 05 | Ultima 6: The False Prophet | rpg | 4.22/5 |
| 06 | Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars | action | 4.22/5 |
| 07 | Night Shift | puzzle | 4.21/5 |
| 08 | Das Boot: German U-Boat Simulation | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 09 | Red Baron | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 10 | Puzznic | puzzle | 4.20/5 |
| # | 1991 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Volfied | action | 4.30/5 |
| 02 | QBasic 7.1 | application | 4.24/5 |
| 03 | Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon | rpg | 4.24/5 |
| 04 | Chuck Yeager's Air Combat | vehicle simulation | 4.23/5 |
| 05 | Chip's Challenge | puzzle | 4.22/5 |
| 06 | Eye of the Beholder | rpg | 4.22/5 |
| 07 | Civilization | strategy | 4.22/5 |
| 08 | Panza Kick Boxing | sports | 4.22/5 |
| 09 | Night Hawk: F-117A Stealth Fighter | vehicle simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 10 | Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge | adventure | 4.22/5 |
| # | 1992 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Tetris Classic | puzzle | 4.31/5 |
| 02 | Street Fighter 2 | action | 4.31/5 |
| 03 | Ultima 7 Part 1: The Black Gate | rpg | 4.31/5 |
| 04 | Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis | adventure | 4.24/5 |
| 05 | Virtual Reality Studio 2.0 | application | 4.23/5 |
| 06 | B-17 Flying Fortress | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 07 | King's Quest 6: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow | adventure | 4.21/5 |
| 08 | WinTrek | vehicle simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 09 | Mega lo Mania | strategy | 4.21/5 |
| 10 | Aces of the Pacific | vehicle simulation | 4.20/5 |
| # | 1993 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mortal Kombat | action | 4.27/5 |
| 02 | Railroad Tycoon Deluxe | simulation | 4.24/5 |
| 03 | Populous 2: Trials of the Olympian Gods | strategy | 4.24/5 |
| 04 | The Incredible Machine | puzzle | 4.23/5 |
| 05 | SimCity 2000 | simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 06 | Police Quest: Open Season | adventure | 4.22/5 |
| 07 | Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space | vehicle simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 08 | Doom | shooter | 4.22/5 |
| 09 | Space Hulk | strategy | 4.21/5 |
| 10 | Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk | action-adventure | 4.21/5 |
| # | 1994 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | X-COM: Ufo Defense | strategy | 4.30/5 |
| 02 | Micro Machines | racing | 4.28/5 |
| 03 | Doom 2: Hell on Earth | shooter | 4.25/5 |
| 04 | The Incredible Machine 2 | puzzle | 4.25/5 |
| 05 | Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf | shooter | 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 | Pinball Fantasies | action | 4.20/5 |
| 10 | Overlord | vehicle simulation | 4.20/5 |
| # | 1995 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Comix Zone | action | 4.22/5 |
| 02 | Transport Tycoon Deluxe | simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 03 | Caesar 2 | simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 04 | The Need for Speed | racing | 4.21/5 |
| 05 | Ms Pac PC | action | 4.20/5 |
| 06 | Albion | rpg | 4.20/5 |
| 07 | Ka-50 Hokum | vehicle simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 08 | Virtual Pool | sports | 4.20/5 |
| 09 | EF 2000 | vehicle simulation | 4.19/5 |
| 10 | Whiplash | racing | 4.19/5 |
| # | 1996 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares | strategy | 4.28/5 |
| 02 | Super Street Fighter 2 | action | 4.23/5 |
| 03 | Quake | shooter | 4.22/5 |
| 04 | Civilization 2 | strategy | 4.22/5 |
| 05 | Road Rash | racing | 4.22/5 |
| 06 | Fantasy General | strategy | 4.21/5 |
| 07 | F-22 Lightning 2 | vehicle simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 08 | Conquest of the New World (Deluxe Edition) | strategy | 4.20/5 |
| 09 | Dogs of War | strategy | 4.20/5 |
| 10 | Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games | strategy | 4.19/5 |
| # | 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 | 4.18/5 |
| 06 | Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror | adventure | 4.18/5 |
| 07 | Dilbert's Desktop Games | action | 4.18/5 |
| 08 | Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II | shooter | 4.17/5 |
| 09 | Pacific General | strategy | 4.17/5 |
| 10 | Magic: The Gathering | strategy | 4.16/5 |
| # | 1998 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Caesar 3 | simulation | 4.22/5 |
| 02 | People's General | strategy | 4.21/5 |
| 03 | Norton Commander 5.5 | application | 4.20/5 |
| 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 | Dope Wars | simulation | 4.16/5 |
| 09 | Axis and Allies | strategy | 4.16/5 |
| 10 | Fallout 2 | rpg | 4.15/5 |
| # | 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 | Star Trek: Starfleet Command | vehicle simulation | 4.20/5 |
| 06 | Jagged Alliance 2 | strategy | 4.19/5 |
| 07 | Pharaoh | simulation | 4.18/5 |
| 08 | Midtown Madness | racing | 4.17/5 |
| 09 | Tyrian 2000 | shooter | 4.17/5 |
| 10 | Three Sisters' Story | adventure | 4.17/5 |
| # | 2000 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Zeus: Master of Olympus | simulation | 4.21/5 |
| 02 | Nox | rpg | 4.18/5 |
| 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 | 4.21/5 |
| 02 | Capitalism 2 | simulation | 4.18/5 |
| 03 | Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura | rpg | 4.15/5 |
| 04 | Zoo Tycoon | simulation | 4.14/5 |
| 05 | Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel | strategy | 4.13/5 |
| 06 | Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds | strategy | 4.10/5 |
| 07 | ScummVM | application | 4.09/5 |
| 08 | Anachronox | rpg | 4.08/5 |
| 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 | The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind | rpg | 4.20/5 |
| 02 | Hooligans: Storm Over Europe | strategy | 4.16/5 |
| 03 | Crazy Taxi | racing | 4.14/5 |
| 04 | Bomb Jack remake | action | 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 | DOSBox | application | 4.08/5 |
| 09 | Syberia | adventure | 4.06/5 |
| 10 | Port Royale | simulation | 4.04/5 |
| # | 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 | 3.92/5 |
| 04 | Van Buren (Fallout 3) | rpg | 3.90/5 |
| 05 | Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader | rpg | 3.87/5 |
| 06 | Babylon 5: I've Found Her | vehicle simulation | 3.81/5 |
| 07 | Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound | rpg | 3.80/5 |
| 08 | Hulk | action | 3.75/5 |
| 09 | 1893: A World's Fair Mystery | adventure | 3.72/5 |
| 10 | ResidualVM | application | 3.52/5 |
| # | 2004 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ghosts 'n Goblins remake | action | 4.04/5 |
| 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 | 3.90/5 |
| 06 | Blues Brothers RPG | rpg | 3.75/5 |
| 07 | Pyjamarama | action | 3.65/5 |
| 08 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos - Joey the Passion | strategy | 3.61/5 |
| 09 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos - Kaiba the Revenge | strategy | 3.21/5 |