Before Windows took over the PC gaming world, MS-DOS was the home of countless ground-breaking titles. These games laid the foundation for entire genres—platformers, RPGs, shooters, and simulations all flourished in the DOS era. Limited by hardware but driven by creativity, DOS games often punched far above their weight.
Below, we’ve highlighted some of the best DOS games ever made. From Doom to SimCity, these titles defined PC gaming in the ’80s and ’90s—and many remain playable (and enjoyable) today.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Best MS DOS Games You Can Play Today
Image Credit: id Software
Doom
Released in 1993, Doom wasn’t the first first-person shooter, but it definitely defined the genre. Fast, brutal, and endlessly replayable, Doom set a new standard for PC gaming with its pseudo-3D graphics, tight controls, and endless modding capability.
It’s hard to overstate its cultural impact. Doom innovated features like multiplayer deathmatch, level editors, modding, and level design itself. If you’re talking about the best DOS games, Doom is a must play.
The Secret of Monkey Island
LucasArts’ The Secret of Monkey Island brought humor, creativity, and charm to the point-and-click genre. Its clever puzzles and sharp writing, paired with memorable characters like Guybrush Threepwood, made it an instant classic.
With its now-iconic insult sword-fighting mechanic, it remains one of the best adventure games ever created—and a highlight of DOS-era storytelling.
SimCity
SimCity introduced players to the world of open-ended simulation. No set objectives, no final boss—just the challenge of building and managing a thriving metropolis. Traffic, pollution, and natural disasters all had to be accounted for.
DOS was the perfect home for this cerebral experience, and SimCity would go on to inspire a genre that’s still going strong today.
Image Credit: id Software
Wolfenstein 3D
Before Doom, there was Wolfenstein 3D. Another id Software title, this proto-FPS put players in the boots of BJ Blazkowicz as he escaped a Nazi stronghold.
The action was fast, the enemies plentiful, and the shock value undeniable. Wolfenstein 3D was raw and unfiltered—and helped set the stage for everything that followed in first-person gaming.
Ultima VII: The Black Gate
The Ultima series evolved alongside PC hardware, but Ultima VII is widely considered its crowning achievement. With its spreading world, deep lore, and flexible gameplay, it remains one of the most ambitious DOS RPGs ever made.
What set it apart was the interactivity—nearly everything could be picked up, used, or combined. It was a true sandbox before the term existed.
X-COM: UFO Defense
Equal parts strategy, simulation, and horror, X-COM: UFO Defense tasked players with defending Earth from an alien invasion. It featured base building, research, squad tactics, and punishing difficulty.
Permadeath and limited resources created tension with every mission. It’s still one of the most influential strategy games of all time—and it all started in DOS.
Master of Orion
A space-based 4X strategy game (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate), Master of Orion invited players to build a galactic empire. With deep tech trees, diplomacy, and tactical battles, it quickly became a cornerstone of the genre.
If you’ve played Civilization or Stellaris, you’ve felt the ripple effects of this DOS gem.
Image Credit: Bullfrog
Theme Hospital
Bullfrog’s Theme Hospital let players run a satirical, cartoonish hospital full of wacky diseases like Bloaty Head and Slack Tongue. The game combined resource management with slapstick humor and remains one of the most entertaining sims ever made.
Even with limited graphics, its sense of character and comedy came through loud and clear on DOS machines.
Grand Theft Auto
Before it became one of the biggest franchises in the world, Grand Theft Auto started life as a top-down, open-world crime simulator on DOS. Released in 1997, the original GTA featured a free-roaming city, radio stations, chaotic missions, and a gleefully anarchic tone.
While it lacked the cinematic storytelling of later entries, the core was already there: freedom, satire, and mayhem. Driving through pixelated cities and evading cops in the original GTA remains one of the most uniquely ’90s PC gaming experiences.
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II expanded on the foundation of the original with tighter controls, improved visuals, and a bigger, bolder storyline. With its mix of base building, resource gathering, and strategic combat, it helped define real-time strategy on DOS.
The game’s orc-versus-human campaign, detailed sprite art, and memorable voice lines made it a favorite for years—and a clear stepping stone to the juggernaut that is World of Warcraft. For many players, Warcraft II was their first true taste of high fantasy warfare on a PC.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Few DOS games captured Cold War paranoia quite like Red Alert. A spin-off of the original Command & Conquer, it pitted the Allies against a time-traveling Soviet threat in an alternate history filled with Tesla coils, chrono-shifting tanks, and exaggerated 1950s futurism.
The tight RTS gameplay, cinematic cutscenes, and pulsing industrial soundtrack made it one of the most iconic games of its generation. Red Alert didn’t just entertain—it helped turn Command & Conquer into a household name among strategy fans.