Top 10 PC Games of the 1980's
For this list, we chose the best early computer games of the 1980s, be it on Apple II's, Commadore's or Microsoft built PC, and ranked the titles based on how good they seemed at the time, and on how well they've held up. We had to limited ourselves to games that debuted on the PC due to the sheer amount of titles, meaning anything that was ported from the Arcade or Console's are out. As usual, one game per franchise.
Special Thanks to our user "David NM" for suggesting this topic on our website Watchmojo.com suggest
#10: “Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards” (1987)
Technology may have been simplistic in the 80’s, but this point-and-click game still set the standard for smut in video games, for a while at least. Protagonist Larry Laffer is a middle-aged virgin who lives in his mother’s basement and hopes to get laid. His cheesy disco outfit, perpetual use of double-extenders, and bad luck with women make it tough, but the game is so funny that it’s entertaining to try.
#9: “Maniac Mansion” (1987)
Telltale Games recently made the point-and-click game cool again with their “Walking Dead” series, but this title is widely credited with starting the genre. The evil Dr. Fred has been sucking out people’s brains, and protagonist Dave Miller suspects that his girlfriend might be the villain’s latest victim. You can take two friends with you to rescue her, and, whoever you choose, the witty dialogue and writing will help you enjoy the journey.
#8: “Sid Meier’s Pirates!” (1987)
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Before Sid Meier solidified his place in history with his “Civilization” series, he made this open-world strategy game. You start as a privateer for one of four countries, though, since you’re a pirate, your allegiance can change fairly easily. Many of the factors which affect your experience, such as diplomatic relations between countries, are randomized and out of your control, but again being a pirate, sometimes it’s best to answer diplomacy with a sword.
#7: “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?” (1985)
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We all hated geography class, but we had a lot of fun with this game. You had to chase the titular villain and her henchmen around the world, all in the hopes of arresting her before time runs out. The game gave you clues about the cities where you could find the suspects, thus teaching you about the world in the process of your search. The game has been constantly remade over the years to make use of the new technology, though the foundations have always stayed the same.
#6: “Wasteland” (1988)
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Many credit this turn-based RPG with being the first post-apocalyptic game, and it started the genre well. It begins after a nuclear war between the US and the Soviets has desolated the world, and you have to help the American Desert Rangers to save survivors and fight bad guys. It may not look like much today, but for 1988, Wasteland was considered to be groundbreaking in terms of strategic gameplay and graphics.
#5: “Prince of Persia” (1989)
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This action platformer started off one of the most beloved series of all time, and the title itself was pretty great. In under an hour, you have to defeat the evil wizard Jaffar, free your love interest, and escape a dungeon. You’ll also face challenges like spike traps, guillotines, and hostile swordsmen along the way, all of which keep things interesting. Additionally, the animation was revolutionary for the time, though the slow pace may throw off gamers today.
#4: “King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella” (1988)
Before even Point and Click adventure’s were a thing, was the graphic text adventure where you had to type your input, and this series was at the forefront with the 4th game featuring one of the earliest female protagonists in video games. Her name is Rosella, and she’s a princess who you have to help get magic fruit to save her dying father. The innovative gameplay takes place in real-time, over about a 24 hour period, and the beautiful drawn graphics were equally inventive.
#3: “Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar” (1985)
Preceded by three hack and slash games, this ROG title was more story-driven and concerned with ethics, creating fantastic results. Instead of allowing you to assign stats to your player, his virtues get determined by your answers to ethical dilemmas, making for a more personalized and complex experience than other RPGs of the time. Ethics aside, fighting your way around the world of Britannia was a lot of fun, which was what really counted.
#2: “The Oregon Trail” (1985)
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If you’re the right age, you probably remember this game from elementary school, but it holds up beautifully even outside of the classroom. You play as a settler tasked with getting his family from Missouri to Oregon, and you’re sure to encounter hardships like bandits and diminishing supplies along the way. You’ll definitely learn something from the experience, no matter how many times you die of dysentery. Before we get to our number one, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions: “Battle Chess” (1988) “Lode Runner” (1983) “Paratrooper” (1982) “Zork” series (1981-1983) “Flight Simulator 4.0” (1989) “Elite” (1984)
#1: “SimCity” (1989)
Taking the top spot is a city simulator that forever altered the landscape of strategy games. Designer Will Wright managed to make urban planning both fun and educational, all while creating one of the most influential games ever made. It allows you to construct buildings, set tax rates, and build power grids, all in the interest of developing your city to its maximum potential. Most importantly, it allowed players to be creative in a time when what you could do in games was rigidly limited. Do you agree with our list? What PC game of the 1980’s fills you with Nostalgia? For more classic top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
