Best abandonware games by year
Abandonware DOS hosts games from the early age of Personal Computer videogaming. I'm referring to a time when some of you weren't even born: the 80s.
The golden age of PC games came in the 90s, with classic games still remembered today. In the new millennium, many small developers struggled to stay afloat in the gaming sea now dominated by leviathan companies that ate one software house after another. The golden age ended and "abandonware" started to be a thing.
Here are the top 10 games for every year of that golden age, according to user's votes.
| # | 1982 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | PC-Man | action |
4.15
|
| 02 | Zork I: The Great Underground Empire | adventure |
4.13
|
| 03 | Microsoft Decathlon | sports |
3.92
|
| 04 | Paratrooper | shooter |
3.86
|
| 05 | Executive Suite | simulation |
3.85
|
| 06 | Deadline | adventure |
3.77
|
| 07 | Wizardry 2: The knight of diamonds | rpg |
3.75
|
| 08 | The Battle of the Bulge: Tigers in the Snow | strategy |
3.71
|
| 09 | Car Builder | simulation |
3.65
|
| 10 | Pac-girl | action |
3.64
|
| # | 1983 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Battlezone | shooter |
4.28
|
| 02 | Digger | action |
4.21
|
| 03 | Lode Runner | action |
4.19
|
| 04 | Donkey Kong | action |
4.14
|
| 05 | Defender | shooter |
4.14
|
| 06 | Frogger | action |
4.13
|
| 07 | Borland Turbo Pascal 2.0 | application |
4.12
|
| 08 | Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz | adventure |
4.12
|
| 09 | Planetfall | adventure |
4.09
|
| 10 | Sleuth: A Murder Mystery | simulation |
4.08
|
| # | 1984 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Alley Cat | action |
4.31
|
| 02 | Rogue | rpg |
4.19
|
| 03 | King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown | adventure |
4.15
|
| 04 | Montezuma's Revenge | action |
4.15
|
| 05 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | adventure |
4.13
|
| 06 | Soko-Ban | puzzle |
4.11
|
| 07 | DBase 3 | application |
4.09
|
| 08 | DND | rpg |
4.08
|
| 09 | Chess88 | strategy |
4.04
|
| 10 | Archon: the Light and the Dark | strategy |
4.03
|
| # | 1985 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Alice: The Personal Pascal | application |
4.38
|
| 02 | Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar | rpg |
4.18
|
| 03 | 9 Princes in Amber | adventure |
4.17
|
| 04 | A Mind Forever Voyaging | adventure |
4.12
|
| 05 | Rambo First Blood Part 2 | adventure |
4.12
|
| 06 | King's Quest 2: Romancing the Throne | adventure |
4.12
|
| 07 | Ultima 3: Exodus | rpg |
4.10
|
| 08 | Spacewar | shooter |
4.04
|
| 09 | Star Trek: the Kobayashi alternative | adventure |
4.04
|
| 10 | Silent Service | vehicle simulation |
3.96
|
| # | 1986 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Space Quest 1: The Sarien Encounter | adventure |
4.22
|
| 02 | Starflight | rpg |
4.16
|
| 03 | Gunship | vehicle simulation |
4.15
|
| 04 | Conflict in Vietnam | strategy |
4.14
|
| 05 | Alter Ego: Male Version | simulation |
4.13
|
| 06 | Wordstar 4 | application |
4.12
|
| 07 | IBM Assistant 2.0 | application |
4.10
|
| 08 | Leather Goddesses of Phobos | adventure |
4.10
|
| 09 | The Chessmaster 2000 | strategy |
4.10
|
| 10 | Alter Ego: Female Version | simulation |
4.09
|
| # | 1987 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Borland Turbo C v1 | application |
4.44
|
| 02 | Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards | adventure |
4.25
|
| 03 | Earl Weaver Baseball | sports |
4.22
|
| 04 | Driller | action-adventure |
4.21
|
| 05 | Police Quest 1: In Pursuit of the Death Angel | adventure |
4.19
|
| 06 | Bad Street Brawler | action |
4.19
|
| 07 | Maniac Mansion | adventure |
4.18
|
| 08 | Borland Turbo Basic 1.0 | application |
4.18
|
| 09 | Wheel of fortune | puzzle |
4.11
|
| 10 | Space Quest 2: Vohaul's Revenge | adventure |
4.10
|
| # | 1988 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Deluxe Paint 2 | application |
4.33
|
| 02 | Impossible Mission 2 | action-adventure |
4.28
|
| 03 | Skate or Die | sports |
4.26
|
| 04 | GW-BASIC 3 | application |
4.23
|
| 05 | World class leaderboard | sports |
4.22
|
| 06 | Super Hang-On | racing |
4.22
|
| 07 | Battle Chess | strategy |
4.22
|
| 08 | Corruption | adventure |
4.17
|
| 09 | Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny | rpg |
4.16
|
| 10 | Police Quest 2: The Vengeance | adventure |
4.16
|
| # | 1989 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Pipe Dream | puzzle |
4.28
|
| 02 | Operation Wolf | shooter |
4.27
|
| 03 | The Duel: Test Drive 2 | racing |
4.27
|
| 04 | Rick Dangerous | action |
4.25
|
| 05 | Heavy Metal | vehicle simulation |
4.21
|
| 06 | Bubble Bobble | action |
4.20
|
| 07 | Hero's Quest: So you want to be a hero | adventure |
4.19
|
| 08 | Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition | simulation |
4.18
|
| 09 | Stunt Car Racer | racing |
4.18
|
| 10 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | adventure |
4.16
|
| # | 1990 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Secret of Monkey Island | adventure |
4.31
|
| 02 | Norton Editor 2 | application |
4.26
|
| 03 | Tetris 2.0 | puzzle |
4.26
|
| 04 | Arj | application |
4.25
|
| 05 | The Bard's Tale 3: Thief of Fate | rpg |
4.24
|
| 06 | Prince of Persia | action |
4.23
|
| 07 | Mario Bros VGA | action |
4.23
|
| 08 | Ultima 6: The False Prophet | rpg |
4.22
|
| 09 | Loom | adventure |
4.21
|
| 10 | Xenon 2: Megablast | shooter |
4.21
|
| # | 1991 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | QBASIC | application |
4.54
|
| 02 | Chip's Challenge | puzzle |
4.28
|
| 03 | Duke Nukem | action |
4.28
|
| 04 | Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge | adventure |
4.28
|
| 05 | Commander Keen 6: Aliens Ate my Baby Sitter! | action |
4.26
|
| 06 | Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon | rpg |
4.25
|
| 07 | Eye of the Beholder | rpg |
4.24
|
| 08 | Golden Axe | action |
4.24
|
| 09 | Cisco Heat | racing |
4.23
|
| 10 | Civilization | strategy |
4.22
|
| # | 1992 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Virtual Reality Studio 2.0 | application |
4.39
|
| 02 | Tetris Classic | puzzle |
4.38
|
| 03 | Street Fighter 2 | action |
4.33
|
| 04 | Ultima 7 Part 1: The Black Gate | rpg |
4.30
|
| 05 | The Oregon Trail Deluxe | simulation |
4.28
|
| 06 | Wizardry 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant | rpg |
4.24
|
| 07 | Spear of Destiny | shooter |
4.24
|
| 08 | Dark Seed | adventure |
4.24
|
| 09 | Minesweeper | puzzle |
4.23
|
| 10 | Crazy Cars 3 | racing |
4.22
|
| # | 1993 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | NeoPaint 3.2 | application |
4.50
|
| 02 | 3D Studio 3 | application |
4.28
|
| 03 | Mortal Kombat | action |
4.27
|
| 04 | Police Quest: Open Season | adventure |
4.25
|
| 05 | Carnage | racing |
4.25
|
| 06 | Lemmings 2: The Tribes | puzzle |
4.24
|
| 07 | The Lost Vikings | action |
4.23
|
| 08 | Populous 2: Trials of the Olympian Gods | strategy |
4.23
|
| 09 | Flashback: The Quest for Identity | action |
4.22
|
| 10 | Doom | shooter |
4.22
|
| # | 1994 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Colonization | strategy |
4.29
|
| 02 | X-COM: Ufo Defense | strategy |
4.28
|
| 03 | Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf | shooter |
4.28
|
| 04 | Disney's Aladdin | action |
4.28
|
| 05 | Doom 2: Hell on Earth | shooter |
4.27
|
| 06 | Pinball Fantasies | action |
4.27
|
| 07 | Micro Machines | racing |
4.25
|
| 08 | The Incredible Toon Machine | puzzle |
4.25
|
| 09 | Cannon Fodder | strategy |
4.25
|
| 10 | Heretic | shooter |
4.25
|
| # | 1995 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons | simulation |
4.25
|
| 02 | Jungle Strike | shooter |
4.24
|
| 03 | Star Wars: Dark Forces | shooter |
4.22
|
| 04 | The Need for Speed | racing |
4.22
|
| 05 | Grand Prix 2 | racing |
4.22
|
| 06 | Caesar 2 | simulation |
4.21
|
| 07 | Hexen: Beyond Heretic | shooter |
4.21
|
| 08 | Disney's The Jungle Book | action |
4.21
|
| 09 | NHL 96 | sports |
4.20
|
| 10 | Witchaven | shooter |
4.20
|
| # | 1996 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Civilization 2 | strategy |
4.29
|
| 02 | Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares | strategy |
4.28
|
| 03 | The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall | rpg |
4.28
|
| 04 | Alien Trilogy | shooter |
4.26
|
| 05 | Road Rash | racing |
4.26
|
| 06 | Quake | shooter |
4.24
|
| 07 | F-22 Lightning 2 | vehicle simulation |
4.23
|
| 08 | Super Street Fighter 2 | action |
4.23
|
| 09 | Conquest of the New World (Deluxe Edition) | strategy |
4.22
|
| 10 | Heroes of Might and Magic II | strategy |
4.22
|
| # | 1997 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Virtua Cop 2 | shooter |
4.24
|
| 02 | Age of Empires | strategy |
4.24
|
| 03 | Lucky Luke | action |
4.24
|
| 04 | Carmageddon | racing |
4.22
|
| 05 | Interstate '76 | racing |
4.20
|
| 06 | Season of the Sakura | adventure |
4.20
|
| 07 | Entrepreneur | simulation |
4.19
|
| 08 | Amulets & Armor | rpg |
4.18
|
| 09 | Blood | shooter |
4.18
|
| 10 | Atomic Bomberman | action |
4.17
|
| # | 1998 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mega Man X3 | shooter |
4.23
|
| 02 | Army Men | strategy |
4.23
|
| 03 | Caesar 3 | simulation |
4.22
|
| 04 | People's General | strategy |
4.22
|
| 05 | Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines | strategy |
4.21
|
| 06 | Dune 2000 | strategy |
4.21
|
| 07 | Norton Commander 5.5 | application |
4.19
|
| 08 | Fallout 2 | rpg |
4.16
|
| 09 | Railroad Tycoon 2 | simulation |
4.14
|
| 10 | House of the Dead | shooter |
4.14
|
| # | 1999 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Midtown Madness | racing |
4.28
|
| 02 | Axis and Allies: Iron Blitz | strategy |
4.25
|
| 03 | Might and Magic 7: For Blood and Honor | rpg |
4.25
|
| 04 | Outcast | action-adventure |
4.25
|
| 05 | Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings | strategy |
4.25
|
| 06 | Age of Wonders | strategy |
4.22
|
| 07 | Jagged Alliance 2 | strategy |
4.21
|
| 08 | Mick's Strip Poker | strategy |
4.20
|
| 09 | Pharaoh | simulation |
4.19
|
| 10 | System Shock 2 | action-adventure |
4.18
|
| # | 2000 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Deus Ex | rpg |
4.19
|
| 02 | Ground Control | strategy |
4.18
|
| 03 | Zeus: Master of Olympus | simulation |
4.15
|
| 04 | Nox | rpg |
4.13
|
| 05 | Patrician 2: Quest for Power | simulation |
4.12
|
| 06 | 3D Ultra Lionel Traintown | puzzle |
4.03
|
| 07 | Gal Pani X | action |
4.03
|
| 08 | Cultures | strategy |
4.00
|
| 09 | Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn | rpg |
3.90
|
| 10 | Arrakis | strategy |
3.88
|
| # | 2001 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | ScummVM | application |
4.21
|
| 02 | Empire Earth | strategy |
4.20
|
| 03 | Capitalism 2 | simulation |
4.14
|
| 04 | Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura | rpg |
4.13
|
| 05 | Creatures Village | action-adventure |
4.13
|
| 06 | Mario and Luigi | action |
4.13
|
| 07 | Zoo Tycoon | simulation |
4.12
|
| 08 | Anachronox | rpg |
4.09
|
| 09 | Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel | strategy |
4.06
|
| 10 | Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds | strategy |
4.05
|
| # | 2002 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 | simulation |
4.20
|
| 02 | Chessmaster 9000 | strategy |
4.16
|
| 03 | Hooligans: Storm Over Europe | strategy |
4.13
|
| 04 | Crazy Taxi | racing |
4.13
|
| 05 | DOSBox | application |
4.11
|
| 06 | Sid Meier's SimGolf | sports |
4.06
|
| 07 | Syberia | adventure |
4.05
|
| 08 | Industry Giant 2 | simulation |
3.96
|
| 09 | Icewind Dale 2 | rpg |
3.82
|
| 10 | X-COM: Alliance | shooter |
3.73
|