The best demo games
Let's begin with a crucial point: not every old game is abandoned. With the resurgence of "vintage," there's a renewed interest in all things retro, including video games. As a direct consequence, some companies have acquired entire back catalogs of old games and started selling them. That's why many interesting games on Abandonware DOS are marked as "NOT abandonware"; they are available for purchase online.
Enter demos. As you probably already know, game demos, short for demonstration, are limited versions of video games that are released by game developers or publishers to give players a taste of the gameplay before they decide to purchase the full game. These demos are often released ahead of the full game's launch or alongside it. Game demos typically showcase a portion of the game, allowing players to experience the mechanics, graphics, and overall feel of the gameplay.
Game demo versions are a relic of the past. You don't often see demos of recent games on platforms like Steam or GOG, but in the late 80s and 90s, demo versions of games were quite common. This trend was especially notable when video game magazines started including floppy disks or CDs, at a time when the internet was almost non-existent.
Building on this premise, I have embarked on a journey to collect old game demos and make them accessible online through Abandonware DOS, with a specific focus on commercial games. Enjoy!
Most popular demo games
strategyWindows XP/98/95
adventureDOS
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The Secret of Monkey Island
DOS1990protecteddemo LucasArts
The Secret of Monkey Island is perhaps the most popular point and click adventure game developed by Lucasfilm Games and designed by the trio Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer. In Monkey Island you're the would-be pirate Guybrush Threepwood on a quest to become a fearsome pirate in the Caribbean. Monkey Island uses one of the most friendlie...
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
DOS1991protecteddemo LucasArts
Monkey Island 2 is the second game of the Monkey Island series, a point and click adventure game set in a world of pirates and mysterious treasures. Monkey Island 2 utilizes a command-based SCUMM interface and a branching dialogue system.
X-Men: Children of the Atom
DOS1997demo Capcom
X-Men: Children of the Atom is a fighting video game developed by Capcom and released in arcades in 1994. The game features characters from Marvel Comics' X-Men series, including popular mutants like Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Magneto, among others.The gameplay follows traditional fighting game mechanics, with players selecting a character and ...
Loom
DOSLinuxMac OS1990protecteddemo LucasArts
Loom is a graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games (now LucasArts). It was designed by Brian Moriarty and is known for its unique gameplay mechanics and emphasis on storytelling. Loom is distinctive for its interface, which revolves around musical notes and spells. The protagonist, Bobbin Threadbare, is a young weaver ...
Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings
Windows XP/98/951999protecteddemo Ensemble Studios
Eye of the Beholder 2: The Legend of Darkmoon
DOS1991protecteddemo Westwood Studios
Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon is a first-person party-based role-playing game (RPG) developed by Westwood Associates and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). It was released in 1991 as a sequel to the successful "Eye of the Beholder" game.Set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, specifically the Forgotten Realms ...
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
DOSMac OS1992protecteddemo LucasArts
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a graphical point and click adventure game created by LucasArts and published in 1992, based on the popular movie character. As the famous archaeologist Indiana Jones, you will travel the world searching for the mythical land of Atlantis. Fate of Atlantis is the sequel to the acclaimed Indiana Jones and the...
Quake
DOSWindows XP/98/951996protecteddemo id software
Quake is a first-person shooter (FPS) video game developed by id Software and released in 1996. It is the successor to id Software's immensely popular "Doom" series and is known for its groundbreaking 3D graphics, fast-paced gameplay, and multiplayer capabilities. The game was created by a team led by John Carmack and John Romero, two of the co-fou...
Dungeon Hack
DOS1993protecteddemo DreamForge Intertainment
Dungeon Hack is a dungeon-crawling role-playing game (RPG) developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). It was released in 1993 for MS-DOS and is known for its randomly generated levels, making each playthrough a unique experience. The game is set in a first-person perspective, and players explore dungeo...
Heretic
DOS1994protecteddemo Raven Software
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist
DOSWindows XP/98/95Windows 3.xMac OS1993protecteddemo Sierra On-Line
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist is a humorous point-and-click adventure game from 1993 developed by Sierra On-Line and co-designed by Al Lowe (creator of Leisure Suit Larry) and Josh Mandel. Set in the Old West, Freddy Pharkas is a blend of comedy and Western tropes. The game follows Freddy Pharkas, a former gunslinger who left his gun-sli...
Doom
DOS1993protecteddemo id software
Doom was released by id Software in 1993. It is widely regarded as one of the most influential and groundbreaking video games of all time, particularly within the first-person shooter (FPS) genre.Set in the future on the moons of Mars, the game follows the player-controlled character, known as the "Doom Marine", as they battle through a research fa...
Age of Wonders
Windows XP/98/951999protecteddemo Triumph Studios
WaxWorks
DOSMac OS1992protecteddemo Horror Soft
Waxworks was a horror-themed first-person role-playing game developed by Horror Soft, a subsidiary of Adventure Soft, published in 1992. The game is set in a wax museum where players must travel through different historical periods, each represented by a wax exhibit. Each exhibit serves as a portal to a different time and place, featuring vari...
Worms
DOS1995protecteddemo Team 17
Age of Empires
Windows XP/98/951997protecteddemo Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires, published by Microsoft and developed by Ensemble Studios, is one of the most popular historical RTS and started a successful series. The player must guide a civilization from prehistory to the iron age, battling other civilizations, building and gathering resources.
Gunship
DOS1986demo MicroProse Software
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
DOS1989protecteddemo LucasArts
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure is a point-and-click adventure game released in 1989 by Lucasfilm Games. The game was designed by Ron Gilbert, David Fox, and Noah Falstein. It is based on the 1989 film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", directed by Steven Spielberg.The game follows the plot of the movie closely and incl...
Duke Nukem 3D
DOS1996protecteddemo 3d Realms
Duke Nukem 3D is a classic first-person shooter that was developed by 3D Realms (formerly known as Apogee Software) and published by GT Interactive. It was released in 1996 for MS-DOS and later for various other platforms, including Windows, Mac OS, and gaming consoles.
Midtown Madness
Windows XP/98/951999demo Angel Studios
Midtown Madness is a car racing game developed by Angel Studios (later known as Rockstar San Diego) and released by Microsoft in 1999 for Windows. Midtown Madness is known for its open-world design, allowing players to explore a virtual representation of Chicago and engage in various racing events and challenges within the city.
StarCraft
Windows XP/98/95Mac OS1998protecteddemo Blizzard Entertainment
StarCraft is a classic RTS (Real-Time Strategy) game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in 1998 for Windows and Macintosh. StarCraft takes the Warcraft experience to a sci-fi setting with an interesting story, three very different races (the militaristic Humans, the alien Zerg and the religious Protoss) and one of the best gameplay ex...
Warcraft: Orcs and Humans
DOS1994protecteddemo Blizzard Entertainment
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is the first real-time fantasy strategy game from Blizzard Entertainment. Two separate story lines (Orcs and Humans) evolve with 12 scenarios per side telling the tale of the battle for the Kingdom of Azeroth. Players must mine gold and chop wood in order to construct buildings and create units. Each side tries to destro...
Legend of Kyrandia 3: Malcolm's Revenge
DOSMac OS1994protecteddemo Westwood Studios
The Legend of Kyrandia: Malcolm's Revenge is the third and final installment in the Legend of Kyrandia series. This point-and-click adventure game was developed and published by Westwood Studios, released in 1994. Unlike the first two games, where players assumed the role of a protagonist fighting against the villain Malcolm, Malcolm's Revenge take...
Legend of Kyrandia 2: Hand of fate
DOSMac OS1993protecteddemo Westwood Studios
The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate is the second installment in the Legend of Kyrandia point and click adventure game series developed by Westwood Studios. It was released in 1993 as a sequel to The Legend of Kyrandia.The game's story revolves around Zanthia, a young alchemist who resides in the land of Kyrandia. The villainous jester, Malcolm, r...
Descent
DOS1995protecteddemo Parallax Software
Descent is a first person shooter with a unique six degree of freedom gameplay developed by Parallax Software and released by Interplay Productions in 1995.. You control a spaceship and must pilot it in a mine, through a series of 3d levels. The goal of the game is to find a series of keys, shoot down enemy ships and find your way to the next level.
Dogs of War
Windows XP/98/951996demo Software Engineering
Full Throttle
DOS1995protecteddemo LucasArts
Diablo
Windows XP/98/951996protecteddemo Blizzard Entertainment
The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time
Windows XP/98/95Mac OSWindows 3.x1995protecteddemo Presto Studios
The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Presto Studios, released in 1995 as a sequel to The Journeyman Project. The Journeyman Project series is set in a future where time travel has been discovered and is regulated by a temporal security agency called the Temporal Security Annex (TSA). Players...
Phantasmagoria
Windows XP/98/95DOSMac OS1995protecteddemo Sierra On-Line
Phantasmagoria is a point-and-click horror adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line, released in 1995. Directed by Roberta Williams, Phantasmagoria departed from Sierra's usual fantasy and comedic themes to explore a darker, more mature narrative.The game follows the story of Adrienne Delaney, played by Victoria Morsell, and her hus...