List of IBM PC MS-DOS Shoot 'em ups
Posted for quick reference purposes, this is a chronological list of IBM PC shoot 'em ups that are being covered in my History of Shoot 'em ups.
This list thus far contains 69 original infographics that can be mouse-wheeled through in order to get an idea of the IBM PC shoot 'em up catalogue with no non-IBM PC admixture. You can also right-click the images and open them in a new tab at full resolution (2k-5k px).
This document was last updated on January 6, 2025.
If a shooter entry has "IBM PC original" appended, that means the shooter was originally coded for IBM PC MS-DOS (or as PC Booter); that is, it is not a coinop or other-micro port, but rather an IBM PC MS-DOS-native game.
I also append "IBM PC exclusive" to the relevant entries. IBM PC-exclusive shooters are those that were only released for IBM PC MS-DOS or self-booter. I do not care if some IBM PC MS-DOS shooters were ported to "current gen platforms" decades later; that is utterly irrelevant to my authentic commentary. If you're playing 2020s ports of 1990s PC shooters on your cellphone, I don't care, they don't count, the shooters are still IBM PC-exclusives.
I also append "Best on IBM PC" to the relevant entries.
1982 PC Shoot 'em ups
Space Strike IBM PC Booter 1982
IBM PC exclusive.
Cosmic Crusader IBM PC Booter 1982
IBM PC exclusive.
Depth Charge IBM PC Booter 1982
Jerry Kotler coded Depth Charge for the IBM PC in 1982. Displaying in monochrome 640x400, it is based on Gremlin's Depthcharge coinop of 1977.
1983 PC Shoot 'em ups
Galaxian IBM PC Booter 1983
Robotron 2084 IBM PC Booter 1983
Defender IBM PC Booter 1983
Centipede IBM PC Booter 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 PC Shoot 'em ups
Zaxxon IBM PC Booter 1984
Sega's Zaxxon coinop of 1982 was ported to i808x by Sega Enterprises Inc. in 4-color CGA 320x200. An isometrically-scrolling shoot 'em up, Zaxxon's 20 kbyte PC Booter executable requires an IBM PC compatible with 64 kbytes of RAM.
Zaxxon features 4-way movement on the playfield. Control is via joystick input or keyboard. Zaxxon was ported to the Amiga as Public Domain / Freeware in 1995.
Defender only features a playfield made up of line-draws whereas Zaxxon features solid-color square-fills.
1985 PC Shoot 'em ups
IBM PC exclusive (in the sphere of home computers).
River Raid IBM PC Booter 1985
1986 PC Shoot 'em ups
1987 PC Shoot 'em ups
Wizball IBM PC Booter 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 PC Shoot 'em ups
A list of IBM PC Shoot 'em ups that were released in 1988:
Uridium IBM PC MS-DOS 1988
Xenon IBM PC MS-DOS 1988
Astro Blaster IBM PC Booter 1988
Rolf Franzon coded Astro Blaster for IBM PC in 1988. Astro Blaster is based on Gremlin Industries' Astro Blaster coinop of 1981.
Contra IBM PC 1988
Sidewinder IBM PC MS-DOS 1988
James McBride of Synergistic Software coded Sidewinder for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1988.
Sidewinder displays in 16-color EGA 320x200. And while its playfield may seem small at 248x200, it also scrolls horizontally to a degree, not just vertically, which means Sidewinder actually features more effective screenspace than most other v-shooters.
1989 PC Shoot 'em ups
Silpheed IBM PC MS-DOS 1989
Starglider 2 IBM PC MS-DOS 1989
Argonaut Software released Starglider 2 for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1989. Starglider 2 is notable for its fast 3D flat-shaded rendering engine.
DeathTrack IBM PC MS-DOS 1989
Developed by Dynamix in 1989, the hybrid shooter-racer DeathTrack is one of the most technically advanced and well-presented MS-DOS games of the late-80s. DeathTrack is one of the first big and fully thugged out arcade-action games on the PC.
Rendered similarly to the original MechWarrior of 1989 (which is a simulation), DeathTrack features 3D polygonal graphics for its tracks, supercars and other objects. Indeed, aside from its scrolling horizon and sprite-based explosions DeathTrack is a fully 3D shooter-racer.
DeathTrack was programmed by Darek Lukaszuk.
The DeathTrack weapons system consists of machinegun, caltrops, lasers, mines, missiles, beams, ramspikes, wheelspikes and terminators.
DeathTrack displays in 16-color EGA 320x200. DeathTrack was distributed on 1x 3.5" 720kB DD diskette or 2x 5.25" 360kB DD floppy disks and extracts and installs to hard disk drive via DeathTrack Hard Disk Installation. The install size is 800 kbytes and consists of 84 files.
IBM PC exclusive.
Rambo 3 IBM PC MS-DOS 1989
Space Harrier IBM PC MS-DOS 1989
David R. Mattern and Brian A. Rice of Sega Computer Software ported Sega's Space Harrier coinop of 1987 to IBM PC in 1989. Space Harrier is a super-scaling railshooter.
Blasteroids IBM PC MS-DOS 1989
Alien Syndrome IBM PC MS-DOS 1989
Sky Shark IBM PC MS-DOS 1989: P-90 Flying Fortress
Sky Shark of 1989 is an interesting shoot 'em up in terms of presentation and controls. For example, Sky Shark features joystick, keyboard and mouse control. In addition, it features a scripted tutorial with animations. And the scrolling is smooth enough. However, the MS-DOS port is nowhere near Taito's 1987 coinop.
Requiring 512 kbytes of RAM to run, Sky Shark runs in 16-color EGA graphics mode.
Sky Shark Weapons System (P-90): 1-7 Shots, Bomb, 1-up, Yellow Formation.
1990 PC Shoot 'em ups
A list of IBM PC Shoot 'em ups that were released in 1990:
Xenon 2 IBM PC MS-DOS 1990
1991 PC Shoot 'em ups
Super Space Invaders IBM PC MS-DOS 1991
Forgotten Worlds IBM PC MS-DOS 1991
Arc Developments ported Capcom's Forgotten Worlds coinop of 1988 to IBM PC in 1991. Forgotten Worlds displays in EGA 320x200 graphics mode.
Duke Nukem IBM PC MS-DOS 1991
IBM PC exclusive.
1992 PC Shoot 'em ups
A list of IBM PC Shoot 'em ups that were released in 1992:
Overkill IBM PC MS-DOS 1992
Ste Cork of Tech-Noir coded Overkill for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1992. Overkill is a Xenon 2-like. Graphics by Martin Holland. Composed by Anthony Williams.
Llamatron 2112 IBM PC MS-DOS 1992
Comanche IBM PC MS-DOS 1992
NovaLogic released Comanche: Maximum Overkill for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1992. Comanche displays in square-pixel 320x240 and was programmed by Kyle Freeman. Comanche sound effects support Sound Blaster whereas Comanche music supports Sound Blaster, Roland MT-32/LAPC-1 and AdLib.
1993 PC Shoot 'em ups
A list of IBM PC Shoot 'em ups that were released in 1993:
Star Wars: Rebel Assault IBM PC MS-DOS 1993
Alien Breed IBM PC MS-DOS 1993
Duke Nukem 2 IBM PC MS-DOS 1993
IBM PC exclusive.
Zone 66 IBM PC MS-DOS 1993: The 32-bit Arcade Game
A labor of love, Zone 66 by Renaissance is a multi-directional scroller that displays in VGA 320x200 and requires an i80386 CPU, 2 megs of RAM and MS-DOS 3.0.
Zone 66 is a Rational Systems' DOS/4GW Protected mode run-time.
In terms of features and design Zone 66 was impressive for its time. The objective of each of the eight campaigns is to destroy all air, ground and naval enemy targets using a fighter jet equipped with gatling gun, missiles, lasers and bombs. There are also two tactical maneuvers to employ: shadow mode (cloak) and escape mode (extra speed).
Zone 66 was programmed by Thomas Pytel.
IBM PC exclusive.
Major Stryker IBM PC MS-DOS 1993
Major Stryker by Apogee Software is a vertically-scrolling shoot 'em up that displays in 16-color EGA 320x200 and requires 640 kbytes RAM. Major Stryker features good controls, three layers of parallax scrolling, digitized sounds effects and cinematization.
Major Stryker was programmed by Allen H. Blum III, drawn by Gary Sirois, composed by Robert Prince and written by Scott Miller.
Major Stryker was distributed on 1x 3.5" 1.44MB HD diskette and extracts and installs to hard disk drive via Major Stryker Installer and PKSFX Fast! Self-extract Utility v2.04g by PKWARE. The install size is 5 megs and consists of 8 files.
Major Stryker audio supports PC Internal Speaker, AdLib and Sound Blaster. Major Stryker supports joystick, Gravis GamePad or keyboard control.
IBM PC exclusive.
The Last Eichhof IBM PC MS-DOS 1993
Released in 1993 as freeware, The Last Eichhof is a Xenon 2-inspired shooter developed by Alpha-Helix of Switzerland. The Last Eichhof features high-quality sprite-shifting, weapon configs, digitized sound effects and a square-pixel 320x240 VGA display. The Last Eichhof requires 4 megs of RAM but will use up to 8 megs of EMS memory.
Even though it does not support joystick control, The Last Eichhof is a king-tier shoot 'em up.
The Last Eichhof was lead-programmed by Dany Schoch aka Tritone, and Zynax.
IBM PC exclusive.
Star Wars: X-Wing IBM PC MS-DOS 1993
IBM PC exclusive.
1994 PC Shoot 'em ups
A list of IBM PC Shoot 'em ups that were released in 1994:
Star Wars: TIE Fighter IBM PC MS-DOS 1994
IBM PC exclusive.
The Chaos Engine IBM PC MS-DOS 1994
Tubular Worlds IBM PC MS-DOS 1994
Creative Game Design of Germany released Tubular Worlds for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1994. Tubular Worlds is a slick multi-directional auto-scroller (primarily scrolls horizontally). Tubular Worlds features super-smooth screen-scrolling and sprite-shifting as well as big, multi-screen bosses.
Tubular Worlds programmed by Andreas Scholl.
Tubular Worlds was distributed by Dongleware Verlags (Bolo) on 1x 3.5" 1.44MB HD diskette and extracts and installs to hard disk drive via Tubular World Installation Program and LHA's SFX 2.12L by Yoshi. The install size is 3.5 megs and consists of 106 files.
Raptor IBM PC MS-DOS 1994
Cygnus released Raptor: Call of the Shadows for IBM PC MS-DOS 5.0 in 1994. Raptor is a Rational Systems' DOS/4GW Protected mode run-time. Raptor displays in 256-color VGA 320x200 and requires an i80386-20MHz and 2 megs of RAM, but an i80486 and 4 megs of RAM is recommended.
A 27-level blaster featuring seven weapon bonuses, five money bonuses and 10 purchaseable weapons, Raptor features high sprite-counts and smooth, parallax screen-scrolling. Control is via mouse, 3-button joystick or keyboard.
Raptor Weapons System:
- Weapon Bonuses: Air-to-Air Missile, Air-to-Ground Missile, Dumb-fire Missile, Energy Pod, Mega Bomb, Missile Pod, Phase Shield.
- Special Weapons: Bomb, Death Ray, Ion Scan, Laser Turret, Micro Missile, Mini Gun Turret, Mini Gun, Power Disruptor, Pulse Cannon, Twin Laser.
Raptor was distributed on 3x 3.5" 1.44MB HD diskettes and extracts and installs to hard disk drive via Raptor Installer and PKSFX Fast! Self-extract Utility v2.04g by PKWARE. The install size is 15 megs and consists of 16 files.
Raptor sound supports PC Internal Speaker, General MIDI, Sound Canvas, Sound Blaster, Pro Audio Spectrum, Gravis UltraSound and AdLib.
Raptor music supports General MIDI, Sound Canvas, WaveBlaster, Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster AWE 32, Pro Audio Spectrum, Gravis UltraSound and AdLib.
Raptor was programmed by Scott Host.
IBM PC exclusive.
Raiden IBM PC MS-DOS 1994
Coded by Steve Cullen in 1994 MS-DOS Raiden was only a passable port of Seibu Kaihatsu's 1990 coinop; nowhere near arcade-quality. In 1994 MS-DOS Raiden should have been close to arcade-perfect. For example, on the first level you don't even take off from an aircraft carrier at the start; nor are there two boss units. There is just too much missing, even for a port. Still, beggars can't be choosers.
At minimum Raiden requires i80386, 384 kbytes RAM and MS-DOS 3.0.
Here is the Raiden coinop that we poured our pocket money into:
Desert Strike IBM PC MS-DOS 1994: Apache AH-64 Gunship
Electronic Arts' Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf (1994) features multi-directional scrolling of an isometric playing field. In addition to its momentum mechanic (toggleable with F4), Desert Strike features sprite rotation, strafing, and sprite drop-shadows. Its sequel 1995 Jungle Strike was more of the same.
Both Desert Strike and Jungle Strike display in VGA 320x200 and require i808386 and 4 megs of RAM (544K of free conventional RAM).
The Amiga version of Desert Strike runs in 64-color extra half-brite mode.
Jetstrike IBM PC MS-DOS 1994
1995 PC Shoot 'em ups
Tyrian IBM PC MS-DOS 1995
Developed by Eclipse in 1995 Tyrian displays in 256-color VGA 320x200 and requires i80386/33 and 4 megs of RAM. Tyrian is a full-featured shoot 'em up; indeed, it includes the kitchen sink.
Running on MS-DOS as well as Windows, Tyrian 2000 of 1999 added even more features and another episode, but Quake had well and truly taken over PC Gaming from 1996 onwards, and so barely anyone gave a damn.
Running at 60 FPS Tyrian features smooth sprite-shifting, parallax scrolling and transparency effects. Tyrian also supports serial and modem networking.
Tyrian Weapons System (upgradeable):
- Front Gun, Rear Gun, Shield, Generator, Sidekick Weapons.
- Special Weapons: Retractor, Repulsor, Ice Beam.
- 2-Player ships: Dragonhead and Dragonwing.
Tyrian was programmed by Jason Emery and Andreas Molnar.
IBM PC exclusive.
Space Invaders IBM PC MS-DOS 1995
The Flying Tigers IBM PC MS-DOS 1995
Coded by Jay Kramer The Flying Tigers is a 1995 vertical-scroller that displays in 256-color VGA square-pixel 320x240 and requires an i80386 CPU and 4 megs of XMS RAM.
Control and collision are fine, the scrolling is smooth, the sprites are well drawn and every projectile is drop-shadowed, but the waves are repetitive and winning is too easy. Control via joystick or keyboard.
IBM PC exclusive.
IBM PC exclusive.
1996 PC Shoot 'em ups
A list of IBM PC Shoot 'em ups that were released in 1996:
Stargunner by WizardWorks was impressive in 1996. Stargunner displays in 256-color VGA square-pixel 320x240 and requires an i80486, 2 megs of RAM and 256 KB vRAM. However, it is recommended to run Stargunner on Pentium 90 MHz, 16 megs of RAM and VESA 2.0 video card with 2 megs of vRAM.
Stargunner's graphics are prerendered; that is, models were constructed in a 3D program, rendered out as raw 2D images and then modified for game-engine employment. In Stargunner, this allows for smooth sprite rotations. Stargunner also features parallax scrolling at 60 FPS.
Stargunner was programmed by Craig Allsop and David Pevreal. Stargunner was composed by Lee Jackson and drawn by James Podesta, Leo Plaw and James Storey.
Stargunner was distributed by Apogee on 1x CD-ROM and extracts and installs to hard disk drive via Stargunner Installation Program. The install size is 42 megs and consists of 5 files.
Stargunner digital audio supports Sound Blaster series, Pro Audio Spectrum series and Gravis UltraSound. Stargunner control supports keyboard, joystick and gamepad.
IBM PC exclusive.
Seek and Destroy IBM PC MS-DOS 1996
1997 PC Shoot 'em ups
Gradius Windows PC 1997
Nebula Fighter IBM PC MS-DOS 1997
Developed by Holodream Software and released as shareware in 1997, Nebula Fighter is a horizontally-scrolling shoot 'em up that displays in VGA square-pixel 320x240. Nebula Fighter features pre-rendered graphics, digitized sound effects and parallax scrolling.
Nebula Fighter requires a Cyrix 686 P150 or Pentium 90 MHz CPU and 8 megs of RAM at minimum, but it is recommended to run Nebula Fighter on Pentium 150 MHz with 16 megs of RAM and 1 meg of vRAM. Nebula Fighter supports joystick, mouse or keyboard controls.
IBM PC exclusive.
1998 PC Shoot 'em ups
IBM PC exclusive.
cf.
- History of Shoot 'em Ups 1976-2000
- TRS-80 Shoot 'em ups Listed in Chronological Order
- Amiga Shoot 'em ups Listed in Chronological Order
- Commodore 64 Shoot 'em ups Listed in Chronological Order
- Invader-likes: clones and ports of Taito's Space Invaders 1978
- Galaxian-likes: clones and ports of Namco's Galaxian 1979
- Asteroids-likes: clones and ports of Atari's Asteroids 1979
- Berzerk-likes: clones and ports of Stern Electronics' Berzerk 1980
- Defender-likes: clones and ports of Williams' Defender 1981
- Scramble-likes: clones and ports of Konami's Scramble 1981
- Galaga-likes: clones and ports of Namco's Galaga 1981
- Robotron-likes: clones and ports of Vid Kidz's Robotron 1982
- Xevious-likes: clones and ports of Namco's Xevious 1982
- Gravitar-likes: clones and ports of Atari's Gravitar 1982
- Gyruss-likes: clones and ports of Konami's Gyruss 1983
- Gradius-likes: clones and ports of Konami's Gradius 1985
- R-Type-likes: clones and ports of Irem's R-Type 1987
- Western Computer-game Machines
- History of Computer Games 1976-2024
- History of 1990s Computer Games
- cRPG Blog (Master Index)
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