CGA IBM PC Games
CGA stands for Color Graphics Adapter. CGA was released by IBM in 1981. As it pertains to IBM PC games, CGA displays four on-screen colors drawn from a palette range of 16 colors at 320x200 or two colors at 640x200 (1 color + black) . Thus, many of the best CGA games pale in comparison to the best VIC II games on the Commodore 64. However, CGA was strong before the C64 started getting native-VIC II games rather than just ports.
CGA display memory stands at 16 kbytes.
Generally excluded from this list are CGA games that had EGA versions. I also exclude 16-color CGA+ games (PCjr, Tandy TGA). This is a chronological list of IBM PC games that were coded to display CGA 320x200 as opposed to CGA+, TGA, 16-color EGA 320x200 and 256-color VGA 320x200.
I append "Best on CGA" to the relevant entries. I also append "IBM original" and "IBM exclusive" to the relevant entries.
1982 CGA Games
Space Strike IBM PC 1982
Programmed by legendary coder and computer scientist, Michael Abrash (Quake), Space Strike is an early clone of Space Invaders packed into a 60 kbyte PC-Booter executable.
A polished and playable fixed-screen shoot 'em up that displays in 4-color CGA 320x200 and requires just 64 kbytes RAM, Space Strike supports joystick input and keyboard control.
IBM PC original. IBM PC exclusive.
Cosmic Crusader IBM PC 1982
Also coded by Michael Abrash for i808x with 64 kbtytes RAM, Cosmic Crusader is one of the best early shoot 'em ups for IBM PC.
Not only is Cosmic Crusader highly playable even in 2024, but it is technically impressive as well due to the sheer number of on-screen sprites that it smoothly and simultaneously shifts across the playfield with its 60 kbyte of code. Displayed in CGA 320x200 Cosmic Crusader supports joystick input and keyboard control.
IBM PC original. IBM PC exclusive.
1983 CGA Games
Galaxian IBM PC 1983
Robotron 2084 IBM PC 1983
Defender IBM PC 1983
Centipede IBM PC 1983
Atarisoft ported Atari Inc.'s Centipede coinop of 1981 to IBM PC Booter in 1983. Centipede is a fixed-screen shooter. Centipede features 4-way movement and progressive destructibility.
R. J. Grafe cloned Atari Inc.'s Centipede coinop of 1981 to IBM PC in 1983. Joystick support. This is a very good clone.
1984 CGA Games
Boulder Dash IBM PC Booter 1984
Zaxxon IBM PC 1984
Alley Cat IBM PC Booter 1984
Bill Williams programmed Alley Cat in 1984 for IBM PC. Alley Cat is a well-coded platform game with good controls, animations and collision detection.
1985 CGA Games
Boulder Dash 2 IBM PC Booter 1985
1986 CGA Games
1987 CGA Games
Wizball IBM PC 1987
Sensible Software ported their Commodore 64-original Wizball of 1987 to IBM PC in the same year. Wizball is a horizontally-scrolling shooter with an innovative ball-bounce mechanic: the Wizball bounces off the ground and off objects while shooting and collecting.
The 75 kbyte executable taps into about 200 kbytes of data.
1988 CGA Games
Astro Blaster IBM PC 1988
Rolf Franzon coded Astro Blaster for IBM PC in 1988.
Astro Blaster is based on Gremlin Industries' Astro Blaster coinop of 1981.
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