1980s Adventure games

26 Adventure classics first released 1980 to 1989, in release order, and 99 games looking back to them.

Games looking back to them

• Hadean Lands: Kickstarted alchemical text adventure in the Infocom tradition.
• Thaumistry: In Charm's Way: Kickstarted text adventure by Infocom veteran Bob Bates.
• It Takes Two to Tangle: Rosella-starring fan sequel made in Adventure Game Studio, hosted on the creator's site.
• King's Quest 2 1/4: Breast Intentions: AGI-engine episode set between King's Quest II and III.
• King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown (AGD Interactive VGA remake): Free point-and-click VGA remake of King's Quest I, distributed from AGDI's own site.
• King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones: Free reimagined VGA remake of King's Quest II.
• King's Quest III Redux: To Heir Is Human: Enhanced VGA retelling of King's Quest III with voice acting.
• King's Quest III Redux: To Heir Is Human: Free expanded remake of King's Quest III.
• King's Quest III VGA (Infamous Adventures): Free VGA remake first offered on the team's site, now also on itch.io.
• King's Quest III VGA Remake: VGA remake with voice acting, released June 2006.
• King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella Retold: Point-and-click retelling; 2025 version adds VGA graphics and voices.
• King's Quest ZZT: ZZT-engine King's Quest sequel set after King's Quest VII.
• Order of the Thorne: The King's Challenge: Short Sierra-style adventure from the Quest for Infamy team.
• Owl's Quest: Every Owl Has Its Day: Parody adventure starring Cedric the owl, set after King's Quest VIII.
• ScummVM: Huge project that reimplements hundreds of adventure and RPG engines from LucasArts, Sierra, Origin and more.
• The Crimson Diamond: Solo-made EGA mystery adventure in the Sierra style.
• The Silver Lining: Episodic unofficial King's Quest sequel set after King's Quest 8, released with Activision's permission.
• Pledge Quest I and II: Satirical Sierra-style adventures about the Kickstarter era, on their own site.
• Space Quest -1: Decisions of the Elders: Space Quest prequel fan game on Game Jolt.
• Space Quest 0: Replicated: AGI-style Space Quest prequel fan game.
• Space Quest 3D: The Pirates of Pestulon: 3D reimagining of Space Quest III.
• Space Quest for Glory: Short free parody of two Sierra classics.
• Space Quest II VGA (Infamous Adventures): Free VGA remake of Vohaul's Revenge.
• Space Quest II VGA Remake: VGA remake with new animations and full voice cast.
• Space Quest IV.5: The Voyage Home: AGS Space Quest interquel.
• Space Quest: A Son of Xenon: Newer Space Quest fan game from the same author.
• Space Quest: Incinerations: Action-blockbuster take on Space Quest, hosted on the author's own site.
• Space Quest: The Lost Chapter: Often called the first finished Space Quest fan game, set between SQ2 and SQ3.
• Space Quest: Vohaul Strikes Back: Nine years of volunteer work; set after Space Quest 6 with Roger fighting Sludge Vohaul.
• SpaceVenture: Kickstarted 2012 Space Quest successor; full release in December 2025.
• 2 Ship 2 Harkinian: Unofficial PC port of Majora's Mask from decompiled code; needs your own copy.
• Alwa's Awakening: The 8-Bit Edition: NES port of the NES-style metroidvania Alwa's Awakening.
• Anodyne: Surreal Game Boy Zelda-style adventure by a two-person team.
• Anodyne 2: Return to Dust: Mixes PS1-style 3D overworld with 2D Zelda-like dungeons.
• Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King: Top-down action adventure modeled on A Link to the Past.
• Death's Door: Isometric action adventure with Zelda-style dungeons.
• Defi de Zeldo: Two-chapter French Zelda parody on Solarus.
• Dink Smallwood: Top-down tile RPG, freeware and open source since 2003, given away from RTsoft's site.
• Dusklight: PC port project for Twilight Princess.
• Hyper Light Drifter: Kickstarted action RPG drawing on 16-bit Zelda.
• Infernax: Gory NES-style action adventure with branching moral choices.
• Lenna's Inception: Procedural Zelda-style action RPG that glitches between 8-bit and 32-bit worlds.
• Loonyland 2: Winter Woods: Action RPG sequel to Loonyland.
• Loonyland: Halloween Hill: Top-down action adventure sold from Hamumu's site, later on itch.io.
• Mina the Hollower: Game Boy Color-styled action adventure from the Shovel Knight team.
• Ocarina of Time Unreal Engine 5 Remake: Unreal Engine 5 fan remake released as free demos through the creator's Discord.
• Ocean's Heart: Commercial top-down adventure in the A Link to the Past mold, built with Solarus.
• Panzer Paladin: NES-style action platformer about a pilot and her mech.
• Secrets of Grindea: Co-op pixel action RPG made over 13 years as a tribute to Secret of Mana and SNES classics.
• Ship of Harkinian: PC port of Ocarina of Time built from the decompilation; needs the ROM.
• Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove: NES-style action platformer that set the bar for modern 8-bit throwbacks.
• Solarus: Free open-source action RPG engine made for Zelda-style fan games, with its own quest library.
• The Adventures of Green Guy!: RPG inspired by EarthBound and Zelda.
• The Labors of Zeldo: Comic Zelda parody built with Solarus.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Dream: Remake of Link's Awakening in A Link to the Past style on Solarus.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Solarus remake): Recreation of A Link to the Past on the Solarus engine, available as a demo.
• The Legend of Zelda: Book of Mudora: Complete fan game with eight dungeons and a large open world.
• The Legend of Zelda: Forgotten Legend: Solarus fan game available as a demo.
• The Legend of Zelda: Mercuris Chest: Large Solarus fan sequel, available as a demo.
• The Legend of Zelda: Mystery of Solarus DX: Fan sequel to A Link to the Past and the first game built on the Solarus engine, remaking a 2002 RPG Maker original.
• The Legend of Zelda: Mystery of Solarus XD: Short parody April Fools spin-off of Mystery of Solarus DX.
• The Legend of Zelda: Oni-Link Begins: Second game of Jouillat's Zelda fan trilogy.
• The Legend of Zelda: Onilink Begins SE: Solarus edition of the second Roth trilogy game.
• The Legend of Zelda: Parallel Worlds (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ROM hack): An all-new, much harder Hyrule with new dungeons and story on the A Link to the Past engine.
• The Legend of Zelda: Region of Deseraph: Solarus Zelda fan game available as a demo.
• The Legend of Zelda: Return of the Hylian SE: Solarus edition of the first game of the Roth trilogy, set after A Link to the Past.
• The Legend of Zelda: Time to Triumph: Final game of Jouillat's Zelda fan trilogy.
• The Legend of Zelda: XD2 Mercuris Chess: Comic Solarus follow-up to Mystery of Solarus XD.
• Treasure Adventure Game: Free open-world 8-bit-style adventure, later remade as Treasure Adventure World.
• Tunic: Isometric adventure built around the feel of the first Zelda.
• Tunics: Roguelike Zelda-style game with randomly generated dungeons on Solarus.
• zelda3: Reimplementation of A Link to the Past in C.
• Zelda30Tribute: Free browser-based 2.5D tribute remake of the first Zelda.
• ZQuest Classic (Zelda Classic): Free open-source engine and editor born as a NES Zelda replica, with hundreds of fan-made quests.
• Leisure Suit Larry 2 (fan remake): Fan remake of Larry 2.
• Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded: Kickstarted remake with original creator Al Lowe.
• Delores: A Thimbleweed Park Mini-Adventure: Small follow-up made to test Ron Gilbert's new engine.
• Infested: NES-style sci-fi point-and-click adventure.
• Maniac Mansion Deluxe: 2004 VGA remake of Maniac Mansion made in Adventure Game Studio.
• Meteor Mess: 3D take on Maniac Mansion.
• Thimbleweed Park: Kickstarted point-and-click by Maniac Mansion's creators.
• Thimbleweed Park 2: Announced sequel listed for 2028.
• The New Adventures of Zak McKracken: Zak McKracken fan sequel.
• Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space: German fan sequel to Zak McKracken.
• Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator Case 1 - In Search of the Skunk-Ape: Free AGS point-and-click mystery in the Sierra style.
• Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator Case 3 - The Sorceress of Smailholm: Free AGS adventure episode.
• Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator Case 4 - Horror at Number 50: Free AGS adventure episode.
• Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator Case 5 - Land of the Rising Dead: Free AGS adventure episode set in Japan.
• Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator Case 6 - Scourge of the Sea People: Free AGS adventure episode.
• Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator Case 7 - The Cardinal Sins: Free AGS adventure episode.
• Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption: Kickstarted RPG-adventure by the Quest for Glory creators.
• Heroine's Quest: The Herald of Ragnarok: Free Quest for Glory-style adventure RPG set in Norse myth.
• Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Elements: Kickstarted VGA-style adventure RPG from the AGD Interactive fan-remake team.
• Quest for Glory 4 1/2: So You Thought You Were a Hero: Fan interquel revisiting the first Quest for Glory town; notoriously controversial.
• Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire (AGD Interactive VGA remake): Free VGA remake of the EGA-only Quest for Glory II.
• Quest for Infamy: Kickstarted VGA-style adventure RPG modeled on Quest for Glory.
• Summer Daze: Tilly's Tale: Hero-U visual-novel spin-off by Lori and Corey Cole.
• Unavowed: Party-based supernatural adventure from a studio that sells its retro adventures directly.
• Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure: Kickstarted return of Tex Murphy by its creators.

The classics

• Adventure (Atari 2600) (1980)
• Mystery House (1980)
• Zork (1980)
• Deadline (1982)
• The Hobbit (1982)
• Enchanter (1983)
• Planetfall (1983)
• The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983)
• King's Quest (1984)
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1984)
• A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985)
• Hacker (1985)
• MacVenture (1985)
• The Pawn (1985)
• Space Quest (1986)
• The Legend of Zelda (1986)
• Trinity (1986)
• Freescape (1987)
• Leisure Suit Larry (1987)
• Maniac Mansion (1987)
• Police Quest (1987)
• Snatcher (1988)
• Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (1988)
• Laura Bow (1989)
• Quest for Glory (1989)
• Tex Murphy (1989)