Classic MS-DOS Strategy Games

Strategy games thrived on MS-DOS, benefiting from the keyboard and mouse interface that PCs offered over consoles. Turn-based games like Civilization and Master of Orion offered deep empire-building and diplomacy, while Dune II and Command & Conquer invented and popularised the real-time strategy genre. City-builders like SimCity and Theme Park gave players creative control over virtual worlds. DOS strategy games rewarded patience, planning and long-term thinking — and many of them still feel remarkably modern to play today.

Games in the "strategy" genre (alphabetical)

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Command & Conquer
Command & Conquer
Command & Conquer is a groundbreaking real-time strategy game released in 1995 by Westwood Studios for MS-DOS. Set in an alternate near-future conflict, the game tells the story of a global war between the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the myst...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1995
Developer: Westwood Studios
Publisher: Virgin Interactive

Civilization
Civilization
Sid Meier's Civilization, released in 1991 by MicroProse Software, is a groundbreaking strategy game that set the standard for the 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) genre. In "Civilization," players take on the role of a leader guiding a...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1991
Developer: MicroProse
Publisher: -

Centurion: Defender of Rome
Centurion: Defender of Rome
Centurion: Defender of Rome, released in 1990 by Electronic Arts, is a strategy game that places players in the role of a Roman centurion tasked with building and leading the Roman Empire to glory. Combining elements of turn-based strategy, real-time...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1990
Developer: Bits of Magic
Publisher: Electronic Arts

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

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: -

Battle Chess
Battle Chess
Battle Chess, released for MS-DOS in 1988 by Interplay Productions, brought the classic game of chess to life with a unique and entertaining twist. Instead of simple moves on a static board, each piece was represented by a fully animated character, t...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1988
Developer: Interplay Productions
Publisher: -

Battle Bugs
Battle Bugs
Battle Bugs is a quirky real-time strategy game developed by Epyx and released for MS-DOS in 1994. Set entirely on everyday household battlegrounds like kitchen floors, picnic blankets, and backyard patios, the game pits teams of cartoon-style insect...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1994
Developer: Epyx
Publisher: Sierra On-Line

Alien Legacy
Alien Legacy
Alien Legacy (1994) is a science-fiction strategy and simulation game for MS-DOS developed and published by Sierra On-Line. The player leads humanity’s first interstellar colony on the distant planet Calypso, following a richly written narrative that...
Genre: STRATEGY
Release: 1994
Developer: Ybarra Productions
Publisher: Sierra On-Line
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