Classic MS-DOS Games from 1985

1985 saw MS-DOS gaming mature rapidly as EGA colour cards began appearing in homes. Electronic Arts published The Bard's Tale, one of the most influential early RPGs, while Richard Garriott continued the Ultima series with Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar — a game that replaced the typical 'defeat the villain' objective with a nuanced virtue system. Sid Meier's Pirates! brought open-world swashbuckling to the PC. The year demonstrated that DOS games could have genuine depth and narrative ambition.

Games from 1985

Related:

All Years 1984 1986 All Games

King's Quest II
King's Quest II – MS-DOS cover art
King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne is a classic fantasy adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1985. Designed by Roberta Williams as the second installment in the legendary King's Quest series, the game once again puts…
Genre: ADVENTURE
Release: 1985
Developer: Sierra On-Line
Publisher: -

The Bard's Tale
The Bard's Tale – MS-DOS cover art
The Bard’s Tale (1985) for MS-DOS, developed and published by Interplay Productions, is a landmark fantasy role-playing game that helped define the golden age of computer RPGs. Set in the icy city of Skara Brae, the game casts players as a party of…
Genre: RPG
Release: 1985
Developer: Interplay Productions
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar – MS-DOS cover art
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar is a landmark fantasy role-playing game released by Origin Systems for MS-DOS in 1985. Set in the realm of Britannia, it moves beyond the traditional quest to defeat a single evil villain and instead challenges the…
Genre: RPG
Release: 1985
Developer: Origin Systems
Publisher: -

Winter Games
Winter Games – MS-DOS cover art
Winter Games is a winter sports game released by Epyx in 1985 as part of its popular series of multi-event sports titles. Inspired by the Winter Olympics, the game lets players represent a country and compete for medals across a variety of snowy and…
Genre: SPORTS
Release: 1985
Developer: Epyx
Publisher: U.S. Gold