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Top 10 · Strategy

The 10 best DOS strategy games

The 10 best DOS strategy games, as the players of dos.games rate them. Sid Meier's Civilization leads the list, ahead of Command & Conquer and Theme Hospital.

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 How the lists are ranked

  • 105DOS strategy games in the archive
  • 10 of 10Play in your browser
  • 3.9Score of #1, out of 5

  3. 3. Theme Hospital

    1997 · Bullfrog Productions, Ltd. · Strategy / tactics

    3.71 rating

    Theme Hospital is a level-based hospital management simulation where players have to start on an empty building, and then assemble rooms with all kinds of material, from desks and file cabinets for the general diagnosis to the expensive ultra-scanners and x-rays to diagnose such bizarre diseases such as Bloaty Head, Slack Songue or Alien DNA, and treat them with with even more bizarre machines like an Head Inflator or a DNA fixer.

    Play now: Theme HospitalAbout the game

  4. 4. Earth 2140

    1997 · TopWare Programmy Sp. z o.o. · Strategy / tactics

    3.61 rating

    It's the year 2140, earth is almost completely destroyed after numerous wars and environmental catastrophes, and the people primarily live underground.

    Play now: Earth 2140About the game

  5. 5. Z

    1996 · The Bitmap Brothers · Strategy / tactics

    3.61 rating

    Z is a real-time strategy game in which you fight for control of the sectors, some of which contains manufactories that can gain you additional units.

    Play now: ZAbout the game
Ranks 11–20

More great DOS strategy games

  1. Master of Orion — playable in the browserMicroProse Software, Inc. · Strategy / tactics · 1993Not played yet
    3.4
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings5.00 × 11% · average of 1 rating0.56
    Archive default3.20 × 89% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings2.84
    Blended rating3.40
    Play activitynobody has booted it here · capped at +0.50+0.00
    Score3.4

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Master of Orion
  2. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness — playable in the browserBlizzard Entertainment · Strategy / tactics · 1995Most played
    3.4
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity2 players · 1.6h · capped at +0.50+0.17
    Score3.4

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
  3. Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Red Dawn — playable in the browserSorry Software · Strategy / tactics · 1997Most played
    3.4
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity3 players · 14m · capped at +0.50+0.16
    Score3.4

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Red Dawn
  4. Spellcross — playable in the browserJRC Interactive · Strategy / tactics · 1997Most played
    3.3
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity2 players · 31m · capped at +0.50+0.14
    Score3.3

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Spellcross
  5. Scorched Earth — playable in the browserFreeware · Strategy / tactics · 1991Often played
    3.3
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity2 players · 7m · capped at +0.50+0.13
    Score3.3

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Scorched Earth
  6. Strip Poker Professional rev. B — playable in the browserArtworx Software Company, Inc. · Strategy / tactics · 1995Often played
    3.3
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity2 players · 4m · capped at +0.50+0.12
    Score3.3

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Strip Poker Professional rev. B
  7. Strip Poker Professional Volume II — playable in the browserArtworx Software Company, Inc. · Strategy / tactics · 1995Often played
    3.3
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity2 players · 4m · capped at +0.50+0.12
    Score3.3

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Strip Poker Professional Volume II
  8. Steel Panthers III: Brigade Command - 1939-1999 — playable in the browserStrategic Simulations, Inc. · Strategy / tactics · 1997Often played
    3.3
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity1 player · 37m · capped at +0.50+0.11
    Score3.3

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Steel Panthers III: Brigade Command - 1939-1999
  9. KKND: Krush Kill 'N Destroy — playable in the browserMelbourne House · Strategy / tactics · 1997Regularly played
    3.3
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity1 player · 13m · capped at +0.50+0.09
    Score3.3

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open KKND: Krush Kill 'N Destroy
  10. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty — playable in the browserVirgin Interactive Entertainment, Inc. · Strategy / tactics · 1992Regularly played
    3.3
    How this score is built
    SignalAdds
    Player ratings0% · no ratings yet0.00
    Archive default3.20 × 100% · never scored by the catalogue · stands in for 8 ratings3.20
    Blended rating3.20
    Play activity1 player · 5m · capped at +0.50+0.08
    Score3.3

    Recomputed from the database as ratings and sessions land. Every title in the archive goes through this same arithmetic — there is no manual adjustment step.

    Open Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
Keep exploring

More top lists by genre

See them all in the catalogue
Questions

Frequently asked

How Best DOS Games are ranked
What is the best DOS strategy game?

Sid Meier's Civilization (1991, MPS Labs) is the best DOS strategy game by our players' ratings, ahead of Command & Conquer and Theme Hospital. The ranking follows players' ratings and real play time, so it changes as people play.

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

105. 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 strategy games?

1995. 3 of the games on this list came out that year: Command & Conquer, Jagged Alliance and Heroes of Might and Magic.

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.