Before there was Steam, there was MS-DOS. A chunky, no-nonsense platform that ran some of the most unforgettable games of all time — games that shaped not just genres, but the entire medium.
This was the golden age, where everything felt raw, wild, and groundbreaking. These were experiences we lived through floppy disks and CRT monitors, and they continue living in our heads long after.
7 Honorable mention — Dangerous Dave (1988)
Perhaps my first platformer ever
Right off the bat, I’ll admit that Dangerous Dave is not one of the most important DOS games ever. Regardless, I can’t help but take this chance to write my own love letter to this game, seeing how it was one of the first games I ever played.
I discovered it on a computer in the school’s computer room, and in what is a rite of passage for every gamer, I copied its shortcut onto a floppy disk I swiped from my dad’s office, only to come home and realize that it wouldn’t play. A slow, methodical platformer on DOS, Dangerous Dave looked amazing for its time, with its bright red colors and vibrant enemies that chased you.
6 STAR WARS: TIE Fighter (1994)
Hey look! I can play as the bad guy!
The only piece of Star Wars media I have ever interacted with, across the movies, TV shows, and even the games, has been Tie Fighter. Sure, the game might have been released in 1994, but I happened to play it almost a decade later, in the early 2000s. The sound of the Tie-Fighter’s shots, to this day, is ingrained in my head. In fact, even as I booted up the Star Wars map in Fortnite today, the sounds of a Tie-Fighter overhead only remind me of this game that I’d played two decades ago.
I might not remember anything about the story, but the feeling of controlling a speeding spacecraft as it ran through tight tunnels, all in 3D space, was something out of a fairy tale for my six-year-old self. Even the game’s prequel, X-Wing, was a fantastic game, and could very well have taken its place on this list as one of the most memorable MS-DOS games ever.
5 Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
Mecha-Hitler looked perfectly killable even on DOS
For a moment, I thought putting Doom on this list would be enough, and would eliminate the need to include either Quake or Wolfenstein 3D, since they’re part of the same bunch — same developers, same importance. However, while Doom is certainly gaming royalty and one of the most important games of all time, Wolfenstein 3D isn’t too far behind, either.
After all, for a game to have been played by four Indian toddlers on a single PC every single evening in the early 2000’s, just because it was the only game, not just on that computer, but in the whole block — that certainly speaks to just how fantastic and renowned Wolfenstein 3D became.
Furthermore, this was id Software flexing their muscles and skills with their DOS games now, and the game truly put the PC on the map as a viable gaming platform — one that would remain that way for the rest of eternity.
4 Sid Meier’s Civilization (1991)
One of the most influential computer games in history
Much like the phenomenal Doom franchise, the Civilization franchise, too, was born in the MS-DOS era, and is still going strong to this day. Personally, I never had the pleasure of playing this game in the early 2000s after I got a PC, and over the years, I’ve actively refrained from it because the genre has never resonated with me. Regardless, none of that takes away from the fact that Civilization, all the way back in 1991, became one of the most important DOS games ever made, thanks to its innovative gameplay that charted the course for years to come.
This was the game that gave players an entire world and asked them to build an empire — not just with brute force, but with diplomacy, culture, and technology. Its reach extended far beyond what most games at the time could dream of. Turn-based strategy was forever changed, and PC gaming had yet another reason to be taken seriously. Civilization was never my jam, but I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve seen disappear into its depths for days at a time. Respect where it’s due.
3 Prince of Persia (1989)
A precursor to one of the greatest 3D platformers ever
I did play Prince of Persia, and for the life of me, I could never get past the spikes — not back then, and even today, I take a second to greet an old enemy before passing by it. This DOS game was unlike anything else I had seen or played at the time. The animations were unbelievably smooth, the setting was mysterious and oddly haunting, and the time limit ticking down in the background only made everything more intense. For a game from 1989 running on DOS, this felt like magic, and playing it in the early 2000s, during summer vacation at my cousins’ house, still held the same weight.
There was something gripping about trying to navigate a 2D labyrinth full of traps, ledges, guards, and that godforsaken mirror version of yourself. Even though I was terrible at it, I kept going back. Prince of Persia wasn’t just challenging — it was atmospheric, polished, and had a cinematic quality most games couldn’t dream of back then. It’s no wonder it laid the foundation for one of the greatest gaming trilogies, and for platformers at large. I may never finish it, but Prince of Persia has earned its place in the pantheon.
2 SimCity 2000 (1993)
A million units sold in six years
I’ll be completely honest here — I’ve never played SimCity 2000. Not then, not now. The city-building genre just doesn’t click with me, and I’ve never had the patience to fiddle with budgets, utilities, or zoning residential vs. commercial districts. If a game doesn’t have a jump button or a gun, it better be pretty damn special. But that being said — even I can’t ignore what SimCity 2000 meant for PC gaming, and for DOS in particular.
Released in 1993, this was the game that made kids and adults alike feel like digital mayors. It wasn’t just about plopping down buildings — you had to think like an urban planner, a strategist, and sometimes, even a god. It gave you power and responsibility in equal measure, and for those who loved it, it was dangerously addictive. Its isometric graphics were cutting-edge at the time, and its influence is still being felt today in modern city sims. So no, I didn’t play it, and I probably never will — but for what it did and what it sparked, SimCity 2000 absolutely belongs on this list.
1 DOOM (1993)
Every head must bow to gaming royalty
The granddaddy of all first-person-shooter games, id Software’s DOOM started it all. In 1993, DOOM came out, and it told you to pick up a gun and start shooting demons in the face. Thirty-two years later, the Slayer is still going at it on the path of eternal torment, and you can check out our review of the latest Doom: The Dark Ages here.
DOOM is the game that led to the ESRB system, and was a true game-changer in every sense of the term. After all, it even led to the development of DirectX itself, and popularized speedrunning and network multiplayer gaming. So much of what we enjoy today as a community can be traced back to Doom in one way or another, making it not just the most important DOS game of all time, but also one of the most significant titles across platforms and decades.
The starting point for a lot of us
DOS gaming was where a lot of us truly began. Whether you were sneaking past guards, fighting demons, building cities, or just figuring out how to run .exe files, these games laid the groundwork for everything that followed.
Some hold deep nostalgic value, others I never fully got into — but every single one of them matters. If you’ve never explored this era, you’re missing out on a formative chapter in gaming history.
