Search for games by legal status
Some shareware games were full versions that requested a donation to register the software if it was found to be useful. Most later shareware games included the first episode in a series, or had less levels or features than the registered version. Freeware games may be former shareware or commercial software, or games that have always been freeware. Public domain games are games that the copyright holder has officially abandoned all rights into the public domain (abandonware). Whenever the legal status of a shareware game is unknown, it is presumed to continue to be shareware.
Search for games by video mode
Games are listed by supported video modes. Games that have native support for more than one standard are listed under each supported standard. Video modes that have more than one resolution can be searched by resolution, or all games can be viewed by clicking on the name of the standard.
ASCII refers to games that are text-based; ASCII is not a video mode. Monochrome ASCII games can be played on Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA) or higher graphics cards, and color ASCII games can be played on CGA or higher graphics cards; all newer graphics standards are backwards compatible with these text modes.
Text modes
Graphics modes
Games that support "SVGA" graphics may use any of the standards defined by VESA, or any graphics mode beyond VGA supported by proprietary chipsets on SVGA graphics cards. While there are many more VESA standard modes, only the modes likely to be found in DOS games will be listed until games that use those modes are discovered.
Search for games by year
Games are listed by the year the first version was released.
