A while back Matt wrote an article on how to run DOS applications on your Windows machine. What better way is there to make use of that than to load up the old classic DOS games that we loved playing growing up? They may seem outdated, but a classic is still a classic.
There are hundreds of old games with cheesy sound effects and questionable graphics that will make you wonder how you ever played them as a kid – but you’ll probably find yourself diving in headfirst into the ultimate memory lane in all of geekdom.
Mac users can also get in on the fun using the free app, Boxer. The free application uses a simple drag and drop approach to install and play games on your Mac.
Abandonware Games
Abandonware Games has a large selection of DOS games available for download. The categories included are action, racing, RPG and strategy games. With just over 700 games to choose from, you’re bound to find some of your favourites on this site. You can also search the site by game title or keyword. Each game is accompanied by a wealth of information from the year of release to the types of visuals, to how many times it has been downloaded.
DOS Games
After Abandonware Games, DOS Games has one of the biggest collections with over 500 games and counting in its database. The updates are spaced out, but every now and then, a bunch of new games are added. Browse the games by genre, or simply browse the entire list and see what catches your eye.
Free Game Downloads
The design and graphics on the site, Free Game Downloads are about as exciting as the graphics of a DOS game. But their massive collection of games, and easy to navigate categories, make up for a pretty dull design. They also have a list of Atari games available for download.
Free Classic DOS Games
Free Classic DOS Games has a list of about 200 games. Each game is accompanied by a review, description and screenshots, and most importantly, a download link. Search the site for your favourites or go through the entries one by one.
RGB Classic Games
RGB Classic Games is another great repository with a huge combination of classics, previously unreleased games, and even a few “modern” DOS games. Browse the games by category, search the database, or chat with other DOS gamers in the forums.
Free Game Empire
Free Game Empire offers a method of playing DOS games in your browser – but you do still need to download a couple of things. The site provides an easy-to-use emulator and, while you download the game to your computer, the game play takes place in your browser. Only Firefox and Internet Explorer are supported by the site.
Of course you only have to download the game the first time, after which you can return to the site and play it any time. The emulator can be uninstalled from your control panel. Mac and Linux users are out of luck as the site only works with Windows.
Play.VG
If you’d rather not download anything at all to your computer, you can play some classic DOS games online at Play.VG. Forget tennis on the Wii, when you can be playing a pixelated game of tennis using nothing more than your arrow keys and spacebar – we were so easy to please back then. Other classics include Pacman and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Also be sure to check out Simon’s article on 4 other great resources for free DOS games.
What are your favourite DOS games on these sites? Let us know in the comments.
Tagged: dos • downloads • old-school
