The most popular shoot 'em up games

Shoot 'em ups were extremely popular in the '80s and '90s. In a classic shoot 'em up, the player controls a vehicle, a spaceship or an aircraft with the only goal of destroying the largest number of enemies as possible while dodging bullets and staying alive. Through the years, shoot 'em ups evolved to include features like end level bosses, multiple weapons and power-ups. Some of the most popular DOS shoot 'em ups were: Raptor, Tyrian 2000, Xenon 2.

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Spacewar

DOS1985

Spacewar is one of the earliest digital computer games and is often considered the first interactive video game. It was created in 1962 by Steve Russell, Martin Graetz, and Wayne Wiitanen at the MIT. The game was developed on the PDP-1 minicomputer; this is a DOS port, released in 1985.Spacewar! features two spaceships, controlled by players, that ...

Raptor: Call of the Shadows

DOSWindows XP/98/95Mac OS1994protecteddemo Cygnus Studios

Raptor: Call of the Shadows is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Cygnus Studios and published by Apogee Software. The game was first released in 1994 for MS-DOS and later ported to other platforms. In Raptor, players control a fighter jet through various levels filled with enemy aircraft, ground targets, power-ups and boss...

Solar Winds 2: Galaxy

DOS1993 Stone Interactive Media

Space Invaders

DOS1995remake

Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf

DOS1994 Electronic Arts

Zaxxon

DOS1984 Sega

Zaxxon is a classic arcade video game that was first released by Sega in 1982 for the arcades and later for a number of platforms. It is considered one of the pioneering titles in the shoot 'em up or scrolling shooter genre. Zaxxon was notable for its use of isometric graphics, which gave the game a unique 3D perspective.

IBM Centipede

DOS1983 IBM

Tyrian 2000

DOS1999freeware Eclipse Software

Tyrian 2000 is an old DOS science fiction classic shoot'em up, developed by Eclipse Software and designed by Alexander Brandon, Jason Emery, Daniel Cook. Tyrian 2000 is one of the most popular shoot'em ups ever published for DOS and it's still remembered by retro gaming fans to this day.

Xatax

DOS1994 Pixel Painters Corporation

Xenon

DOS1988 Bitmap Brothers

Xenon, released in 1988, was a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by The Bitmap Brothers. Xenon was initially released for the Commodore 64, and later, it was ported to other platforms, including DOS, the ZX Spectrum and Amiga.In Xenon, players control a futuristic tank-like craft and navigate through levels filled with enemy ve...

Command Adventures: Starship

DOS1995 Future Vision

Galactix

DOS1992 Cygnus Studios

Xenon 2: Megablast

DOS1990 Bitmap Brothers

Xenon 2: Megablast is a classic shoot'em up developed by Bitmap Brothers and released by Image Works in 1990 for DOS and for a plethora of other systems. Xenon was good, Xenon 2 was far better. Compared to today standards Xenon 2 is perhaps a mediocre shoot 'em up, but at the time every shooter fan loved it. Plus, it was developed by Bitmap Brother...

R-Type

DOS1989 Irem Software Engineering

R-Type is a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up developed and published by Irem in 1987. The game quickly gained popularity for its challenging gameplay and impressive graphics at the time. R-Type is known for its tough and memorable enemy designs, as well as challenging boss battles. The game features various power-ups that enhance the player...

Solar Winds: The Escape

DOS1993 Stone Interactive Media

Space Invaders 2001

Windows XP/98/952001remake

Wings of Fury

DOS1989 Broderbund

Ack-Ack Attack!

DOS1995remake PLBM Games

In The Hunt

Windows XP/98/951993 Irem Software Engineering

Taito's Super Space Invaders

DOS1991 Taito

Super Space Invaders is a video game developed and published by Taito Corporation, released in 1991. It's a sequel to the classic arcade game Space Invaders, which was originally released in 1978 and is one of the most iconic video games of all time.In Super Space Invaders, the core gameplay mechanics remain similar to the original Space Invaders, ...

The Ancient Art of War in the Skies

DOS1992 Evryware

River Raid remake

DOS1995freewareremake

Star Goose!

DOS1988 Logotron

Star Goose is a classic video game developed by Logotron and released in 1988 for various home computer systems of that era, including the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. It is a top-down, vertically scrolling shooter that combines elements of shoot 'em up gameplay with exploration and power-up mechanics.