Best Classic DOS Games from the 1990s

The 1990s were arguably the greatest decade in PC gaming history. MS-DOS games reached new heights of complexity, storytelling, and technical achievement. The early 90s saw the rise of the FPS with Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM, while mid-decade brought legendary RPGs like Ultima VII and Baldur's Gate. Real-time strategy boomed with Dune II, Warcraft, and StarCraft. By the late 90s, DOS was giving way to Windows — but the games from this era remain some of the most beloved in all of gaming. Explore the best of the decade below.

Games of all genres

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Super Cars International
Super Cars International
Super Cars International, released in 1996 by Magnetic Fields, is a top-down arcade racing game that delivers fast, competitive action with a touch of vehicular mayhem. An updated version of the classic Super Cars II, the game features a lineup of sl...
Genre: RACING
Release: 1996
Developer: Magnetic Fields
Publisher: Gremlin Graphics

Blackthorne
Blackthorne
Blackthorne, released in 1994 by Blizzard Entertainment, is a cinematic action-platformer that blends gritty sci-fi fantasy with smooth, rotoscoped animation and intense gunplay. Players take on the role of Kyle "Blackthorne" Vlaros, a rugged, shotgu...
Genre: PLATFORMER
Release: 1994
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Interplay Productions

Cool Spot
Cool Spot
Cool Spot, released in 1994 by Virgin Games, is a vibrant and stylish platformer starring the red, sunglasses-wearing mascot of 7UP. Set in a series of colorful and whimsical environments, the game follows Cool Spot on a mission to rescue his fellow ...
Genre: PLATFORMER
Release: 1994
Developer: Virgin Interactive
Publisher: -

Caesar
Caesar
Caesar, released in 1992 by Sierra On-Line (originally developed by Impressions Games), is a city-building strategy game set in the grandeur of ancient Rome. As a Roman governor, players are tasked with founding and managing provinces across the empi...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1992
Developer: Impressions Games
Publisher: Sierra On-Line

Warlords II Deluxe
Warlords II Deluxe
Warlords II Deluxe, released in 1995 by Strategic Studies Group, is an enhanced version of the classic turn-based strategy game that immerses players in epic fantasy warfare. Set in a richly detailed world of swords, sorcery, and conquest, players co...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1995
Developer: Strategic Studies Group
Publisher: -

Alien Breed
Alien Breed
Alien Breed, released in 1993 by Team17, is a top-down sci-fi shooter that plunges players into the heart of a deadly alien invasion aboard a futuristic space station. Drawing inspiration from classic sci-fi horror, the game puts you in the role of a...
Genre: ACTION
Release: 1993
Developer: Team17
Publisher: -

Heart of China
Heart of China
Heart of China, released in 1991 by Dynamix, is a cinematic point-and-click adventure that whisks players away to a romantic and dangerous journey across 1930s Asia. Blending action, drama, and light-hearted charm, the game follows Jake “Lucky” Maste...
Genre: ADVENTURE
Release: 1991
Developer: Dynamix
Publisher: Sierra On-Line

The Incredible Machine
The Incredible Machine
The Incredible Machine, released in 1993 by Dynamix, is a delightfully inventive puzzle game that challenges players to solve problems using whimsical contraptions and Rube Goldberg-style logic. The game provides an assortment of everyday objects—lik...
Genre: PUZZLE
Release: 1993
Developer: Dynamix
Publisher: -

Scorched Earth
Scorched Earth
Scorched Earth, released in 1991 by Wendell Hicken, is a turn-based artillery game that became a staple of early '90s PC gaming. Dubbed “The Mother of All Games,” it pits players against each other in strategic tank battles across destructible, 2D la...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1991
Developer: Wendell Hicken
Publisher: -

Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad, released in 1995 by Apogee Software, is a fast-paced, over-the-top first-person shooter that builds on the legacy of Wolfenstein 3D with more weapons, mayhem, and mid-'90s attitude. Players take on the role of a member of the HUNT ...
Genre: SHOOTER
Release: 1995
Developer: Apogee Software
Publisher: -

Carmageddon
Carmageddon
Carmageddon, released in 1997 by Interplay Productions, is a chaotic vehicular combat game that blends high-octane racing with dark humor and outrageous violence. Set in a dystopian future, players take on the role of a deranged driver competing in d...
Genre: RACING
Release: 1997
Developer: Stainless Games
Publisher: Interplay Productions

Master of Orion
Master of Orion
Master of Orion, released in 1993 by MicroProse, is a genre-defining 4X strategy game that invites players to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate their way to galactic dominance. Set in a vast and procedurally generated universe, the game puts ...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1993
Developer: Simtex
Publisher: MicroProse

Waxworks
Waxworks
Waxworks, released in 1992 by Horror Soft, is a gruesome first-person horror RPG that plunges players into a macabre journey through time and terror. As the last surviving heir of a cursed bloodline, you must explore a mysterious wax museum where eac...
Genre: HORROR
Release: 1992
Developer: Horror Soft
Publisher: Accolade

Rise of the Dragon
Rise of the Dragon
Rise of the Dragon, released in 1990 by Dynamix, is a cyberpunk adventure game that blends noir storytelling with point-and-click gameplay in a gritty, dystopian future. Set in a crime-ridden Los Angeles in the year 2053, players assume the role of B...
Genre: ADVENTURE
Release: 1990
Developer: Dynamix
Publisher: Sierra On-Line

Battle Isle 2
Battle Isle 2
Battle Isle 2, released in 1994 by Blue Byte, is a turn-based strategy game that continues the sci-fi conflict on the planet Chromos. As the commander of the Drullian forces, players are tasked with repelling the invading Titan-Net army across a seri...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1994
Developer: Blue Byte
Publisher: -

Quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine, released in 1996 by GameTek, is a gritty, futuristic vehicular combat game that blends high-speed driving with first-person shooter elements. Set in the dystopian city of Kemo, where a failed corporate experiment has turned the population...
Genre: ACTION
Release: 1996
Developer: Imagexcel
Publisher: GameTek

The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons, released in 1991 by Novotrade, is a side-scrolling action game based on the hit animated TV series. Originally an arcade game developed by Konami, this MS-DOS adaptation offers a single-player experience where players take on the role o...
Genre: ACTION
Release: 1991
Developer: Novotrade
Publisher: Konami

Legends of Valour
Legends of Valour
Legends of Valour, released in 1992 by Synthetic Dimensions, is an ambitious first-person RPG that offers players an open-ended adventure in a vast medieval fantasy city. Set in the sprawling metropolis of Mitteldorf, the game allows players to explo...
Genre: RPG
Release: 1992
Developer: Synthetic Dimensions
Publisher: U.S. Gold

Dark Seed
Dark Seed
Dark Seed, released in 1992 by Cyberdreams, is a psychological horror adventure game that plunges players into a nightmarish world inspired by the disturbing biomechanical art of H.R. Giger. The game follows Mike Dawson, a writer who moves into a mys...
Genre: ADVENTURE
Release: 1992
Developer: Cyberdreams
Publisher: -

Comanche: Maximum Overkill
Comanche: Maximum Overkill
Comanche: Maximum Overkill, released in 1992 by NovaLogic, is a groundbreaking helicopter combat simulator that introduced voxel-based graphics for unprecedented terrain detail. Players take control of the advanced RAH-66 Comanche, a stealth attack h...
Genre: SIMULATION
Release: 1992
Developer: NovaLogic
Publisher: -

Gunship 2000
Gunship 2000
Gunship 2000, released in 1991 by MicroProse, is a highly detailed combat flight simulator that puts players in the cockpit of advanced attack helicopters. As the sequel to Gunship, the game expands on its predecessor with improved graphics, enhanced...
Genre: SIMULATION
Release: 1991
Developer: MicroProse
Publisher: -

Cannon Fodder
Cannon Fodder
Cannon Fodder, released in 1993 by Sensible Software, is a tactical action-strategy game that blends humor, fast-paced combat, and strategic squad-based gameplay. Players command a small team of soldiers as they embark on deadly missions across vario...
Genre: ACTION
Release: 1993
Developer: Sensible Software
Publisher: Virgin Interactive

The Chaos Engine
The Chaos Engine
The Chaos Engine, released in 1993 by The Bitmap Brothers, is a top-down run-and-gun shooter set in a steampunk-inspired alternate history. In a world where a rogue inventor’s machine has twisted time and unleashed monstrous cybernetic creatures, pla...
Genre: ACTION
Release: 1993
Developer: The Bitmap Brothers
Publisher: Renegade Software
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