Many IBM PC compatible games released between 1981 and about 1990 were self-booting and did not use MS-DOS, IBM PC DOS, or compatible disk operating systems. The phrase "IBM PC compatible self-booting disk" is sometimes shortened to "PC booter". Self-booting disks were common for other computers as well.
These games were distributed on 5+1⁄4" or, later, 3+1⁄2", floppy disks that booted directly, meaning once they were inserted in the drive and the computer was turned on, a minimal, custom operating system on the diskette took over. This was used as a form of copy protection [ citation needed ] until it became obsolete as games grew larger. Due to bit rot, original working versions of these floppy disks are rare. Some have been ported to other operating systems.
| Title | Released | Genre | Publisher/developer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-K Trivia | 1984 | Strategy | IBM |
| Ace of Aces | 1986 | Combat flight simulator | Accolade / Artech |
| Agent USA | 1984 | Adventure / strategy | Scholastic / Tom Snyder Productions |
| Alley Cat | 1984 | Platform | IBM / Synapse Software |
| The Alpine Encounter | 1985 | Adventure | Random House |
| Amnesia | 1986 | Adventure | Electronic Arts |
| Apple Panic | 1982 | Platform | Broderbund |
| Archon: The Light and the Dark | 1984 | Strategy | Electronic Arts / Free Fall Associates |
| Attack On Altair | 1983 | Action | Windmill Software |
| Bannercatch | 1984 | Action | Scholastic |
| Battlezone | 1983 | Action | Atarisoft |
| B.C.'s Quest for Tires | 1984 | Action | Sierra On-line / Sydney Development |
| Below the Root | 1984 | Adventure | Windham Classics / Dale Disharoon |
| Beneath Apple Manor | 1983 | RPG | Quality Software |
| Beyond Castle Wolfenstein | 1984 | Stealth | Muse Software |
| Big Top | 1983 | Platform | Funtastic / Michael Abrash |
| The Black Cauldron | 1986 | Adventure | Sierra On-line |
| Borrowed Time | 1985 | Adventure | Activision / Interplay |
| Boulder Dash | 1984 | Puzzle | First Star Software |
| Boulder Dash II | 1985 | Puzzle | First Star Software |
| Bruce Lee | 1984 | Platform | Datasoft |
| Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom | 1984 | Action | Sega |
| Buggy Ranger | 1988 | Arcade | Dinamic Software / Iron Byte |
| BurgerTime | 1983 | Platform | Mattel Electronics |
| Buzzard Bait | 1983 | Fixed Shooter | SIRIUS |
| Centipede | 1983 | Action | Atarisoft |
| Championship Lode Runner | 1984 | Platform | Broderbund Software |
| Chess88 | 1984 | Board game | Unknown |
| Climber 5 | 1987 | Platform | COMPUTE! Publications |
| Commando | 1987 | Run and gun | Quicksilver / Data East |
| Conflict in Vietnam | 1986 | Simulation | MicroProse |
| Congo Bongo | 1984 | Isometric platformer | Sega |
| Conquest | 1983 | Platform | Windmill Software |
| Cosmic Crusader | 1982 | Fixed shooter | Funtastic / Michael Abrash |
| Crossfire | 1982 | Action | Sierra On-Line |
| Crusade in Europe | 1985 | Simulation | MicroProse |
| Crypto Cube | 1983 | Puzzle | DesignWare |
| Cutthroats | 1984 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Cyborg | 1982 | Interactive fiction | Sentient / Softsmith |
| Czorian Siege | 1983 | Action | Computer Applications Unlimited / Howard W. Sams |
| Deadline | 1982 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Decision in the Desert | 1985 | Simulation | MicroProse |
| Defender | 1983 | Scrolling shooter | Atarisoft |
| Defender of the Crown | 1987 | Strategy game | Master Designer Software / Mirrorsoft |
| Demon Attack | 1982 | Fixed shooter | Imagic |
| Demon's Forge | 1987 | Adventure | Saber Software |
| Destroyer | 1986 | Simulation | Epyx |
| Dig Dug | 1982 | Maze | Atarisoft |
| Digger | 1983 | Action | Windmill Software |
| Donald Duck's Playground | 1986 | Educational | Sierra On-Line |
| Donkey Kong | 1982 | Platform | Atarisoft |
| Dr. J and Larry Bird Go One on One | 1983 | Sports | Electronic Arts |
| Dunjonquest: Morloc's Tower | 1983 | Dungeon crawl | Epyx / Automated Simulations |
| Earthly Delights | 1983 | Adventure | Datamost |
| Eden Blues | 1987 | Adventure | ERE Informatique |
| Enchanter | 1986 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Evolution | 1982 | Action | Sydney Development Corp. |
| Executive Suite | 1982 | Life simulation | Armonk Corporation |
| The Exterminator | 1982 | Action | Nufekop / Bubble Bus |
| F-15 Strike Eagle | 1984 | Combat flight simulator | MicroProse |
| FaceMaker | 1982 | Educational | DesignWare / Spinnaker |
| Five-a-Side Indoor Soccer | 1986 | Sports | Mastertronic Group |
| Fleet Sweep | 1983 | Action | Mirror Images |
| Floppy Frenzy | 1982 | Action | Windmill Software |
| Forbidden Castle | 1985 | Adventure | Angelsoft / Mindscape |
| Forbidden Quest | 1983 | Adventure | Pryority Software |
| The Fourth Protocol | 1985 | Adventure | Electronic Pencil Company / Hutchinson Computer Publishing |
| Freddy Fish | 1983 | Action | Mirror Images |
| Freddy Hardest | 1988 | Platform | Dinamic Software |
| Freddy Hardest in South Manhattan | 1989 | Platform | Dinamic Software/ Iron Byte |
| FriendlyWare P.C. Action | 1983 | Action | FriendlySoft |
| FriendlyWare PC Introductory Set | 1983 | Action | FriendlySoft |
| Frogger | 1983 | Action | Sierra On-Line |
| Frogger II: ThreeeDeep! | 1984 | Action | Sega |
| Full Count Baseball | 1984 | Sports | Lance Haffner Games |
| Galactic Gladiators | 1983 | Tactical combat | Strategic Simulations |
| Galaxian | 1983 | Fixed shooter | Atarisoft |
| Game Over | 1987 | Run and gun | Dinamic Software / Imagine Software |
| Game Over II | 1987 | Shoot em' up | Dinamic Software |
| Gamma Force in Pit of a Thousand Screams | 1988 | Interactive fiction | Tom Snyder Productions / Infocom |
| Ghostbusters | 1986 | Miscellaneous | Activision |
| Gremlins | 1984 | Fixed shooter | Atarisoft |
| Guerrilla War | 1987 | Run and gun | Quicksilver / Data East |
| Hacker II: The Doomsday Papers | 1986 | Puzzle / strategy | Activision |
| Hard Hat Mack | 1984 | Platform game | Electronic Arts |
| Harrier Combat Simulator | 1987 | Simulation | Mindscape |
| HellCat Ace | 1984 | First person shooter | MicroProse |
| High Stakes | 1986 | Card game | Angelsoft / Mindscape |
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | 1984 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| The Hobbit | 1983 | Interactive fiction | Beam Software / Melbourne House |
| The Holy Grail | 1984 | Adventure | Hayden Software |
| I, Damiano: The Wizard of Partestrada | 1985 | Interactive fiction | Imagic / Bantam Software |
| Ikari Warriors | 1987 | Run and gun | Quicksilver / Data East |
| Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road | 1988 | Run and gun | Quicksilver / Data East |
| Indianapolis 500: The Simulation | 1989 | Racing | Electronic Arts |
| Infidel | 1983 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| International Hockey | 1987 | Sports | Artworx / Superior Quality Software |
| J-Bird | 1983 | Puzzle | Orion Software |
| James Bond 007: Goldfinger | 1986 | Interactive fiction | Angelsoft / Mindscape |
| Jet | 1985 | Simulation | Sublogic |
| John Elway's Quarterback | 1988 | Sports | Leland / Melbourne House |
| Joust | 1983 | Platform | Atarisoft |
| Jumpman | 1984 | Platform / puzzle | Epyx, IBM |
| Jungle Hunt | 1983 | Action | Atarisoft |
| Karnov | 1989 | Platform | Quicksilver / Data East |
| Kindercomp | 1983 | Educational | Spinnaker |
| King's Quest: Quest for the Crown | 1984 | Adventure | Sierra On-Line |
| King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne | 1985 | Adventure | Sierra On-Line |
| Kobyashi Naru | 1987 | Adventure | Mastertronic |
| Lane Mastodon vs. the Blubbermen | 1988 | Adventure | Tom Snyder Productions / Infocom |
| Livingstone supongo | 1987 | Action | Opera Soft |
| Livingstone supongo II | 1989 | Action | Opera Soft |
| Lock-On | 1987 | First person shooter | Tatsumi Electronics, Data East |
| Lode Runner | 1983 | Platform / puzzle | Broderbund / Ariolasoft |
| M.U.L.E. | 1983 | Strategy | Electronic Arts, K-Byte |
| Marble Madness | 1986 | Platform / racing | Broderbund, Ariolasoft |
| Master Miner | 1983 | Action | Funtastic |
| Math Maze | 1983 | Racing | DesignWare |
| Metropolis | 1987 | Simulation | Arcadia Systems, Melbourne House |
| MicroLeague Baseball | 1984 | Sports | MicroLeague |
| Microsoft Adventure | 1981 | Interactive fiction | Microsoft, IBM |
| Microsoft Decathlon | 1982 | Sports | Microsoft, IBM |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 | 1982 | Simulation | Sublogic / Microsoft |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.0 | 1984 | Simulation | Sublogic / Microsoft |
| Mindshadow | 1984 | Adventure | Interplay / Activision |
| Mine Shaft | 1983 | Puzzle | Sierra On-Line, IBM |
| Miner 2049er | 1983 | Platform | Big Five Software / Micro Fun |
| Montezuma's Revenge | 1984 | Platform | BCI Software |
| Moon Bugs | 1983 | Action | Windmill Software |
| Moon Patrol | 1983 | Scrolling shooter | Atarisoft |
| Morloc's Tower | 1983 | Adventure | Automated Simulations |
| Mouser | 1983 | Platform / puzzle | Gebelli Software, IBM |
| Ms. Pac-Man | 1983 | Maze | Atarisoft |
| Mundial de Fútbol | 1990 | Sports | Opera Sports, Opera Soft |
| Murder on the Zinderneuf | 1984 | Adventure | Free Fall Associates, Electronic Arts |
| Narco Police | 1989 | Action / shooter | Iron Byte, Dinamic Software |
| Night Mission Pinball | 1982 | Pinball | Sublogic |
| Night Stalker | 1983 | Maze | Mattel Electronics |
| Oil's Well | 1984 | Maze | Sierra On-Line |
| Pac-Man | 1983 | Maze | Atarisoft |
| Paratrooper | 1982 | Shooter | Greg Kuperberg, Orion Software |
| PC Arcade | 1983 | Action | Friendlysoft |
| PC Pool | 1983 | Sports | Hesware, IBM |
| PC Pool Challenges | 1984 | Sports | Hesware, IBM |
| PC-Man | 1982 | Maze | Orion Software |
| Pinball Construction Set | 1985 | Pinball | Electronic Arts |
| Pitfall II: Lost Caverns | 1984 | Platform | Activision |
| Pitstop II | 1984 | Racing | Synergistic Software, Epyx |
| Planetfall | 1983 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Portal | 1986 | RPG | Nexa Corporation, Activision |
| Prowler | 1987 | Simulation | Icon Design Ltd., Mastertronic |
| Psi-5 Trading Company | 1986 | Strategy | Accolade |
| Rasterscan | 1987 | Puzzle | Binary Design, Mastertronic |
| Rescue at Rigel | 1983 | RPG | Epyx |
| Rescate en el Golfo | 1991 | Shooter | Opera Soft |
| River Raid | 1984 | Scrolling shooter | Activision |
| Robotron: 2084 | 1983 | Fixed shooter | Atarisoft |
| Rockford | 1988 | Arcade | Arcadia Systems |
| Rollo and the Brush Bros. | 1983 | Puzzle | Windmill Software |
| Satan | 1990 | Platform | Dinamic Software |
| ScubaVenture | 1983 | Action | Gebelli Software, IBM |
| Seastalker | 1984 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Serpentine | 1982 | Action | Broderbund |
| Sol Negro | 1988 | Arcade | Opera Soft |
| The Seven Cities of Gold | 1987 | Adventure | Ozark Softscape, Electronic Arts |
| Shamus | 1984 | Action | William Mataga, Synapse Software |
| Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow | 1985 | Adventure | Imagic, Bantam Software |
| Sid Meier's Pirates! | 1987 | Action / adventure | MicroProse |
| Sidewinder | 1988 | Shoot em' up | Synergistic Software, Arcadia Systems |
| Sierra Championship Boxing | 1985 | Sports | Evryware, Sierra On-Line |
| Silent Service | 1986 | Submarine simulator | MicroProse |
| The Slugger | 1988 | Sports | Ocean Software, Mastertronic |
| Snack Attack II | 1982 | Maze | Funtastic |
| Solo Flight | 1983 | Simulation | MicroProse |
| Solomon's Key | 1988 | Puzzle | U.S. Gold |
| Sorcerer | 1984 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Space Strike | 1982 | Action | Michael Abrash, Datamost |
| Spellicopter | 1983 | Edutainment | DesignWare |
| Spiderbot | 1988 | Platform | Addictive Games, Epyx |
| Spitfire Ace | 1984 | Flying shooter | MicroProse |
| Spy Hunter | 1984 | Vehicular combat | Sega |
| Starcross | 1982 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Stargate | 1983 | Scrolling shooter | Atarisoft |
| Storm | 1987 | Puzzle | Mastertronic |
| Strategy Games | 1983 | Strategy | IBM |
| Styx | 1983 | Puzzle | Windmill Software |
| Sub Mission | 1987 | Shooter | Tom Snyder Productions, Mindscape |
| Summer Games II | 1986 | Sports | Epyx |
| Super Boulder Dash | 1986 | Action | First Star Software, Electronic Arts |
| Super Football Sunday | 1985 | Sports | Quest / Avalon Hill |
| Super Zaxxon | 1984 | Shoot em' up | Sega |
| Suspect | 1984 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Suspended | 1983 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Tag Team Wrestling | 1985 | Sports | Quicksilver / Data East |
| Tapper | 1983 | Action | Bally Midway |
| Tass Times in Tonetown | 1986 | Adventure | Brainwave Creations / Interplay, Activision |
| The Last Mission | 1987 | Action | Opera Soft |
| Timothy Leary's Mind Mirror | 1986 | Interactive fiction | Futique, Electronic Arts |
| Touchdown Football | 1984 | Sports | Imagic, IBM |
| The Tracer Sanction | 1984 | Adventure | Interplay / Activision |
| Trilogy | 1987 | Adventure | Mastertronic |
| Trivia 101 | 1984 | Educational | Digital Learning Systems, IBM |
| Troll's Tale | 1984 | Adventure | Sierra On-Line |
| TV and Cinema 101: Trivia from Talkies to Trekkies | 1984 | Game show | Digital Learning Systems, IBM |
| Ulysses and the Golden Fleece | 1982 | Hi-res adventure | Sierra On-Line |
| Up'n Down | 1984 | Platform | Sega Enterprise, Ltd. |
| Voodoo Island | 1985 | Interactive fiction | Angelsoft / Mindscape |
| Warrior of Ras: Volume I - Dunzhin | 1982 | RPG | Intelligent Statements Inc., Computer Applications Unlimited |
| Will Harvey's Music Construction Set | 1984 | Educational | Electronic Arts |
| Winter Games | 1986 | Sports | Epyx |
| The Witness | 1983 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Wizard and the Princess | 1982 | Adventure | On-Line Systems |
| Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | 1984 | RPG | Sir-Tech |
| Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds | 1985 | RPG | Sir-Tech |
| Wizardry III: Legacy of Llylgamyn | 1986 | RPG | Sir-Tech |
| Wizardry IV: The Return of Werdna | 1987 | RPG | Sir-Tech |
| Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom | 1988 | RPG | Sir-Tech |
| Wizball | 1987 | Shoot 'em up | Sensible Software, Ocean Software |
| Word Spinner | 1984 | Educational | The Learning Company |
| World Games | 1986 | Sports | K-Byte / Epyx |
| World Karate Championship | 1986 | Fighting | Epyx / System 3 |
| The World's Greatest Baseball Game | 1985 | Sports | Quest Inc., Epyx |
| Zaxxon | 1984 | Action | Sega |
| Zork: The Great Underground Empire | 1982 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz | 1983 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| Zork III: The Dungeon Master | 1984 | Interactive fiction | Infocom |
| ZorkQuest: Assault on Egreth Castle | 1988 | Adventure | Tom Snyder Productions / Infocom |
| ZorkQuest: The Crystal of Doom | 1989 | Adventure | Tom Snyder Productions / Infocom |
| Zyll | 1984 | Interactive fiction | IBM |