Top 10 · Contemporary

The 10 best DOS contemporary games

The 10 best DOS contemporary games, as the players of dos.games rate them. Grand Theft Auto leads the list, ahead of SimCity Enhanced CD-ROM and Jagged Alliance.

Every game on the list plays in your browser, with nothing to install. The order comes from players' ratings and real play time, so it moves as people play.

Updated November 4, 2026How the lists are ranked

25DOS contemporary games in the archive
10 of 10Play in your browser
3.8Score of #1, out of 5

1. Grand Theft Auto
1997 · DMA Design Limited · Racing / Driving
3.8 out of 5Played all the time
Play now: Grand Theft Auto About the game
2. SimCity Enhanced CD-ROM
1993 · Maxis Software Inc. · Simulation
3.5 out of 5Played all the time
Build up your city and provide your citizens with what they need.
Play now: SimCity Enhanced CD-ROM About the game
3. Jagged Alliance
1995 · Madlab Software · Strategy / tactics
3.5 out of 5Played a lot
The land of Metavira needs your help!
Play now: Jagged Alliance About the game
4. Horké léto
1998 · Maxon · Adventure
3.5 out of 5Played all the time
Guide Honza Majer through Maxon's 1998 MS-DOS comedy adventure Horké léto, a point-and-click search for his kidnapped family voiced by Zdeněk Izer.
Play now: Horké léto About the game
5. Full Throttle
1995 · LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC · Adventure
3.4 out of 5Played all the time
The story is set in a dystopian future where motorized vehicles are giving way to anti-gravitational hovercrafts.
Play now: Full Throttle About the game
6. SimCity
1989 · Maxis Software Inc. · Simulation
3.3 out of 5Played all the time
SimCity sets you as the mayor of a new municipality, with the responsibility of building and maintaining a place where citizens can move to and work and be happy.
Play now: SimCity About the game
7. Steel Panthers III: Brigade Command - 1939-1999
1997 · Strategic Simulations, Inc. · Strategy / tactics
3.3 out of 5Played all the time
Steel Panthers III is the third in the Steel Panther series, which chronicles the exploits of tanks from a top-down hex-based setting.
Play now: Steel Panthers III: Brigade Command - 1939-1999 About the game
8. The Incredible Machine
1993 · Dynamix, Inc. · Puzzle
3.3 out of 5Played all the time
The Incredible Machine is a puzzle game where the player has to assemble a Rube Goldberg-type contraption to solve a simple puzzle.
Play now: The Incredible Machine About the game
9. Police Quest: SWAT
1995 · Sierra On-Line, Inc. · Action
3.3 out of 5Played a lot
Police Quest and SWAT are a series of police simulation video games produced and published by Sierra On-Line between 1987 and 1998.
Play now: Police Quest: SWAT About the game
10. Redneck Rampage Rides Again
1998 · Xatrix Entertainment · Action
3.3 out of 5Played a lot
This stand-alone sequel to Redneck Rampage finds Leonard and Bubba shooting their way back to Hickston after crash-landing the UFO at the end of the first game.
Play now: Redneck Rampage Rides Again About the game

Ranks 11–20

More great DOS contemporary games

11. Redneck Rampage: Suckin' Grits on Route 66Interplay Productions, Inc. · Action · 1998Played a lot
A lot
3.3 out of 5
12. Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail!Sierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1996Played all the time
All the time
3.3 out of 5
13. Airline Simulator 2NOMISSOFT GmbH · Simulation · 1999Played all the time
All the time
3.3 out of 5
14. Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating PectoralsSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1989Played a lot
A lot
3.3 out of 5
15. Redneck RampageInterplay Productions, Inc. · Action · 1997Played all the time
All the time
3.2 out of 5
16. Leisure Suit Larry: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards (SCI Remake)Sierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1991Played a lot
A lot
3.2 out of 5
17. Dark SeedCyberdreams, Inc. · Adventure · 1992Played a lot
A lot
3.2 out of 5
18. Police Quest 3: The KindredSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1991Played a lot
A lot
3.2 out of 5
19. SimCity ClassicMaxis Software Inc. · Simulation · 1992Played a lot
A lot
3.2 out of 5
20. Conspiracy (Enhanced CD)Virgin Games · Adventure · 1994Played a lot
A lot
3.2 out of 5

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Questions

Frequently asked

How Best DOS Games are ranked

What is the best DOS contemporary game?

Grand Theft Auto (1997, DMA Design Limited) is the best DOS contemporary game by our players' ratings, ahead of SimCity Enhanced CD-ROM and Jagged Alliance. The ranking follows players' ratings and real play time, so it changes as people play.

Can I play these DOS contemporary games online?

Yes. 10 of the games on this list play free in your browser on dos.games, with no download and no emulator to set up. Press Play on any of them; your progress can be saved.

How many DOS contemporary games are there on dos.games?

25. This list ranks the best 10 in full and the next ones below them; the catalogue has every one, with filters for year, studio and more.

Which year had the most great DOS contemporary games?

1995. 3 of the games on this list came out that year: Jagged Alliance, Full Throttle and Police Quest: SWAT.

How is this list ranked?

With the same score as our Best DOS Games ranking: players' ratings, pulled toward the archive's own rating while a game has few of them, plus a small bonus for the games people actually keep playing. No editor and no sponsor decides a place.