Top 10 · 1987

The 10 best DOS games of 1987

The 10 best DOS games of 1987, as the players of dos.games rate them. King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown (1987) leads the list, ahead of Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness and King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne.

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 6, 2026How the lists are ranked

20DOS games of 1987 in the archive
10 of 10Play in your browser
3.4Score of #1, out of 5

1. King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown (1987)
1987 · Sierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure
3.4 out of 5Played all the time
King's Quest is an adventure game where you play Sir Graham, a brave knight who is sent on a quest to retrieve three treasures that were stolen by deception and stealth: a shield that protects its bearer from invaders, a mirror that foretells the future, and a treasure chest that is forever filled with gold.
Play now: King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown (1987)About the game
2. Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness
1987 · ORIGIN Systems, Inc. · Role-playing (RPG)
3.3 out of 5Played a lot
Ultima I is a remake of the classic RPG Ultima from 1981.
Play now: Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness About the game
3. King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne
1987 · Sierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure
3.3 out of 5Played a lot
After having recovered the three treasures, King Graham has been crowned king.
Play now: King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne About the game
4. Ghosts 'N Goblins
1987 · Capcom Co., Ltd. · Action
3.3 out of 5Played a lot
Ghosts'n Goblins is a sideways scrolling action platformer spread over six levels, each of which must be completed within three minutes (or a life is lost), taking in forest, village, mountain and cavern settings with increasing difficulty.Arthur the brave knight must rescue his beloved Princess from the Demon King Astaroth and his forces - amongst them are the various undead (ghosts, zombies), bats, ogres and goblins.
Play now: Ghosts 'N Goblins About the game
5. Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
1987 · Sierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure
3.3 out of 5Played a lot
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards is the first game in Al Lowe's Leisure Suit Larry series, largely inspired by the text adventure Softporn Adventure.
Play now: Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards About the game
6. Sid Meier's Pirates!
1987 · MicroProse Software, Inc. · Action
3.2 out of 5Played all the time
Take on the life of a buccaneer in the golden age of Caribbean Piracy!
Play now: Sid Meier's Pirates!About the game
7. Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients
1987 · Angelsoft, Inc. · Adventure
3.2 out of 5Played a lot
Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients is a text adventure game.
Play now: Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients About the game
8. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing!
1987 · The Software Toolworks, Inc. · Educational
3.2 out of 5Played a lot
Beautiful African female teacher Mavis Beacon enlists you in class to learn the touch typing.
Play now: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing!About the game
9. Defender of the Crown
1987 · Master Designer Software, Inc. · Strategy / tactics
3.2 out of 5Played a lot
Defender of the Crown puts you in the role of one of four Saxon knights in medieval England, in a time where the land is in turmoil as the King is dead and his crown was stolen.
Play now: Defender of the Crown About the game
10. Search and Destroy
1987 · T. L. Burlison · Simulation
3.2 out of 5Played a lot
Search and Destroy is a WWII-era naval simulator featuring a series of marine missions, all with the goal of defending groups of friendly ships from enemy sub attacks.
Play now: Search and Destroy About the game

Ranks 11–20

More great DOS games of 1987

11. Defender of the Crown CD-ROMMindscape, Inc. · Strategy / tactics · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
12. Ultima IV: Quest of the AvatarORIGIN Systems, Inc. · Role-playing (RPG) · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
13. Mixed-Up Mother GooseSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
14. Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death AngelSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
15. Space Quest II: Vohaul's RevengeSierra On-Line, Inc. · Adventure · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
16. Star Trek: The Rebel UniverseSimon & Schuster Interactive · Strategy / tactics · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
17. Test DriveAccolade, Inc. · Racing / Driving · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
18. Family FeudShareData, Inc. · Educational · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
19. SapiensLoriciels · Action · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5
20. Wizardry II: The Knight of DiamondsSir-tech Software, Inc. · Role-playing (RPG) · 1987Played often
Often
3.2 out of 5

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Questions

Frequently asked

How Best DOS Games are ranked

What is the best DOS game of 1987?

King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown (1987) (1987, Sierra On-Line, Inc.) is the best DOS game of 1987 by our players' ratings, ahead of Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness and King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne. The ranking follows players' ratings and real play time, so it changes as people play.

Can I play these DOS games of 1987 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 games of 1987 are there on dos.games?

20. 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.

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.