Top 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 | Zork I: The Great Underground Empire | adventure |
3.96
|
| 02 | Paratrooper | shooter |
3.87
|
| 03 | PC-Man | action |
3.74
|
| 04 | Executive Suite | simulation |
3.74
|
| 05 | Deadline | adventure |
3.71
|
| 06 | Microsoft Decathlon | sports |
3.65
|
| 07 | Astro Dodge | shooter |
3.61
|
| 08 | Crossfire | shooter |
3.52
|
| 09 | Adventure in Serenia | adventure |
3.50
|
| 10 | The Battle of the Bulge: Tigers in the Snow | strategy |
3.41
|
| # | 1983 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Frogger | action |
4.08
|
| 02 | Lode Runner | action |
4.04
|
| 03 | Rogue | rpg |
4.00
|
| 04 | Digger | action |
4.00
|
| 05 | Sleuth: A Murder Mystery | simulation |
3.95
|
| 06 | Galaxian | shooter |
3.90
|
| 07 | Defender | shooter |
3.90
|
| 08 | Battlezone | shooter |
3.87
|
| 09 | The Hobbit | adventure |
3.86
|
| 10 | Donkey Kong | action |
3.80
|
| # | 1984 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Alley Cat | action |
4.11
|
| 02 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | adventure |
3.99
|
| 03 | Soko-Ban | puzzle |
3.96
|
| 04 | Montezuma's Revenge | action |
3.91
|
| 05 | DND | rpg |
3.84
|
| 06 | Zork III: The Dungeon Master | adventure |
3.79
|
| 07 | King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown | adventure |
3.77
|
| 08 | Jumpman | action |
3.77
|
| 09 | Pong v.2.1 clone | action |
3.77
|
| 10 | Styx | action |
3.74
|
| # | 1985 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | A mind forever voyaging | adventure |
4.09
|
| 02 | Rambo First Blood Part 2 | adventure |
4.01
|
| 03 | The mist | adventure |
4.00
|
| 04 | 9 Princes in Amber | adventure |
4.00
|
| 05 | King's Quest 2: Romancing the Throne | adventure |
3.97
|
| 06 | James Bond 007: A View to a Kill | adventure |
3.92
|
| 07 | Spacewar | shooter |
3.89
|
| 08 | Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar | rpg |
3.89
|
| 09 | Hacker | simulation |
3.88
|
| 10 | Silent Service | vehicle simulation |
3.71
|
| # | 1986 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Turbo Prolog 2.0 | application |
4.14
|
| 02 | Alter Ego: Female Version | simulation |
4.10
|
| 03 | Norton Commander 5.5 | application |
4.06
|
| 04 | Space Quest 1: The Sarien Encounter | adventure |
4.04
|
| 05 | Gunship | vehicle simulation |
4.03
|
| 06 | The Great Escape | action-adventure |
4.00
|
| 07 | Conflict in Vietnam | strategy |
4.00
|
| 08 | Alter Ego: Male Version | simulation |
4.00
|
| 09 | Wargame Construction Set | strategy |
3.93
|
| 10 | Starflight | rpg |
3.93
|
| # | 1987 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Borland Turbo Basic 1.0 | application |
4.17
|
| 02 | Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards | adventure |
4.17
|
| 03 | Maniac Mansion | adventure |
4.09
|
| 04 | Elite | vehicle simulation |
4.09
|
| 05 | Sid Meier's Pirates! | strategy |
4.08
|
| 06 | Test Drive | racing |
4.07
|
| 07 | Tetris | puzzle |
4.06
|
| 08 | Police Quest 1: In Pursuit of the Death Angel | adventure |
4.00
|
| 09 | The Great Giana Sisters | action |
3.98
|
| 10 | The Bard's Tale | rpg |
3.94
|
| # | 1988 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Star Wars | vehicle simulation |
4.09
|
| 02 | Arkanoid | action |
4.07
|
| 03 | 2400 A.D. | rpg |
4.07
|
| 04 | F-19 Stealth fighter | vehicle simulation |
4.05
|
| 05 | Alternate Reality: The City | rpg |
4.04
|
| 06 | Autoduel | racing |
4.04
|
| 07 | Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny | rpg |
4.03
|
| 08 | Star Command | strategy |
4.01
|
| 09 | Grand Prix Circuit | racing |
4.00
|
| 10 | Rampage | action |
4.00
|
| # | 1989 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Pipe Dream | puzzle |
4.12
|
| 02 | Dungeon Master | rpg |
4.11
|
| 03 | Indianapolis 500 | racing |
4.10
|
| 04 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | adventure |
4.09
|
| 05 | Cartooners | application |
4.09
|
| 06 | F-15 Strike Eagle II | vehicle simulation |
4.08
|
| 07 | Bubble Bobble | action |
4.08
|
| 08 | A-10 Tank Killer | vehicle simulation |
4.08
|
| 09 | Hero's Quest: So you want to be a hero | adventure |
4.07
|
| 10 | Street Rod | racing |
4.06
|
| # | 1990 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Secret of Monkey Island | adventure |
4.22
|
| 02 | Prince of Persia | action |
4.12
|
| 03 | Kick off 2 | sports |
4.10
|
| 04 | Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire | rpg |
4.09
|
| 05 | Elvira: Mistress of the Dark | adventure |
4.08
|
| 06 | F29 Retaliator | vehicle simulation |
4.08
|
| 07 | The Oregon Trail | simulation |
4.06
|
| 08 | The Bard's Tale 3: Thief of Fate | rpg |
4.06
|
| 09 | Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers get all the girls | adventure |
4.06
|
| 10 | North and South | strategy |
4.06
|
| # | 1991 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon | rpg |
4.17
|
| 02 | Civilization | strategy |
4.14
|
| 03 | Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe | vehicle simulation |
4.12
|
| 04 | Golden Axe | action |
4.10
|
| 05 | Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge | adventure |
4.09
|
| 06 | Chip's Challenge | puzzle |
4.08
|
| 07 | SimAnt: The Electronic Ant Colony | simulation |
4.08
|
| 08 | Another World | action-adventure |
4.08
|
| 09 | Eye of the Beholder | rpg |
4.07
|
| 10 | Volfied | action |
4.06
|
| # | 1992 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ultima 7 Part 1: The Black Gate | rpg |
4.21
|
| 02 | Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis | adventure |
4.13
|
| 03 | Sensible soccer | sports |
4.11
|
| 04 | Wolfenstein 3D | shooter |
4.10
|
| 05 | B-17 Flying fortress | vehicle simulation |
4.09
|
| 06 | Aces of the Pacific | vehicle simulation |
4.09
|
| 07 | Alone in the Dark | action-adventure |
4.09
|
| 08 | KGB | adventure |
4.08
|
| 09 | Dune II: The building of a dynasty | strategy |
4.08
|
| 10 | Mega lo Mania | strategy |
4.08
|
| # | 1993 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Doom | shooter |
4.16
|
| 02 | The Lost Vikings | action |
4.16
|
| 03 | The Incredible Machine | puzzle |
4.13
|
| 04 | Syndicate | strategy |
4.12
|
| 05 | The Settlers | strategy |
4.11
|
| 06 | Championship Manager Italia | sports |
4.11
|
| 07 | Populous 2: Trials of the Olympian Gods | strategy |
4.11
|
| 08 | Castle of the Winds | rpg |
4.10
|
| 09 | Legend of Kyrandia 2: Hand of fate | adventure |
4.10
|
| 10 | Mortal Kombat | action |
4.09
|
| # | 1994 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | X-COM: Ufo Defense | strategy |
4.24
|
| 02 | Panzer General | strategy |
4.11
|
| 03 | One Must Fall 2097 | action |
4.11
|
| 04 | Master of Magic | strategy |
4.10
|
| 05 | Warcraft: Orcs and Humans | strategy |
4.09
|
| 06 | The Incredible Machine 2 | puzzle |
4.09
|
| 07 | Colonization | strategy |
4.09
|
| 08 | Disney's Aladdin | action |
4.09
|
| 09 | Quarantine | racing |
4.08
|
| 10 | Heretic | shooter |
4.08
|
| # | 1995 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Grand Prix 2 | racing |
4.14
|
| 02 | Steel Panthers | strategy |
4.12
|
| 03 | FIFA Soccer 96 | sports |
4.11
|
| 04 | Frontier: First Encounters | vehicle simulation |
4.10
|
| 05 | Screamer | racing |
4.08
|
| 06 | The Dig | adventure |
4.08
|
| 07 | Worms | strategy |
4.06
|
| 08 | The Need for Speed | racing |
4.05
|
| 09 | Heroes of Might and Magic | strategy |
4.05
|
| 10 | Extreme Pinball | action |
4.05
|
| # | 1996 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares | strategy |
4.24
|
| 02 | Civilization 2 | strategy |
4.17
|
| 03 | FIFA 97 | sports |
4.13
|
| 04 | Duke Nukem 3D | shooter |
4.12
|
| 05 | Conquest of the New World (Deluxe Edition) | strategy |
4.07
|
| 06 | Command & Conquer: Red Alert | strategy |
4.07
|
| 07 | Albion | rpg |
4.06
|
| 08 | Quake | shooter |
4.06
|
| 09 | Fantasy General | strategy |
4.05
|
| 10 | Discworld 2: Mortality Bytes! | adventure |
4.05
|
| # | 1997 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Age of Empires | strategy |
4.11
|
| 02 | Virtua Cop | shooter |
4.08
|
| 03 | Theme Hospital | simulation |
4.08
|
| 04 | Fallout | rpg |
4.08
|
| 05 | Virtua Cop 2 | shooter |
4.07
|
| 06 | Dungeon Keeper | strategy |
4.07
|
| 07 | Total Annihilation | strategy |
4.06
|
| 08 | Blood | shooter |
4.05
|
| 09 | Panzer General 2 | strategy |
4.05
|
| 10 | Blade Runner | adventure |
4.05
|
| # | 1998 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Dune 2000 | strategy |
4.09
|
| 02 | Sanitarium | adventure |
4.07
|
| 03 | House of the Dead | shooter |
4.07
|
| 04 | 101: The Airborne Invasion of Normandy | strategy |
4.06
|
| 05 | Dope Wars | simulation |
4.05
|
| 06 | Railroad Tycoon 2 | simulation |
4.04
|
| 07 | Axis and Allies | strategy |
4.03
|
| 08 | Mega Man X3 | shooter |
3.97
|
| 09 | People's General | strategy |
3.95
|
| 10 | Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines | strategy |
3.95
|
| # | 1999 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Tyrian 2000 | shooter |
4.17
|
| 02 | System Shock 2 | action-adventure |
4.10
|
| 03 | Three Sisters' Story | adventure |
4.07
|
| 04 | Age of Wonders | strategy |
4.05
|
| 05 | Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings | strategy |
4.04
|
| 06 | Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia | strategy |
4.03
|
| 07 | Pharaoh | simulation |
4.00
|
| 08 | Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty | strategy |
4.00
|
| 09 | Star Trek: Starfleet Command | vehicle simulation |
3.98
|
| 10 | Yoot Tower | simulation |
3.91
|
| # | 2000 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Zeus: Master of Olympus | simulation |
4.05
|
| 02 | Patrician 2: Quest for Power | simulation |
4.04
|
| 03 | Cultures | strategy |
3.96
|
| 04 | Ground Control | strategy |
3.82
|
| 05 | Arrakis | strategy |
3.76
|
| 06 | Icewind Dale | rpg |
3.76
|
| 07 | 3D Ultra Lionel Traintown | puzzle |
3.66
|
| # | 2001 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds | strategy |
4.05
|
| 02 | Empire Earth | strategy |
3.86
|
| 03 | Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura | rpg |
3.86
|
| 04 | Mario and Luigi | action |
3.85
|
| # | 2002 | genre | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | DOSBox | application |
4.12
|
| 02 | Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 | simulation |
4.00
|
| 03 | Syberia | adventure |
3.97
|
| 04 | Sid Meier's SimGolf | sports |
3.93
|
| 05 | Industry Giant 2 | simulation |
3.87
|
| 06 | Icewind Dale 2 | rpg |
3.85
|
