and why it's better to stay on Mojave
MS-DOS (/ ˌ ɛ m ˌ ɛ s ˈ d ɒ s / em-es-DOSS; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft.Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and some operating systems attempting to be compatible with MS-DOS, are sometimes referred to as 'DOS' (which is also the generic acronym for disk operating system). Don’t you just love the good old MS-DOS games we used to play as kids? Now you can play them again, directly from your internet browser. Wherever you are, whether you are PC, Linux or Mac.
macOS Catalina has some excellent features, such as the iPad as a second display or the Apple Arcade. But, it also comes with a lot of problems if you are a retrogamer.
We have good and bad news regarding macOS Catalina.
As you probably already know, 32-bit applications cannot be executed anymore in macOS Catalina. With the previous OS versions, there was a warning, but you could still run old software. Instead, if your Mac has already moved to the beautiful Santa Catalina Island, you can only run 64-bit apps. Mojave is the last macOS that runs 32-bit software.
Just for your info, Windows 10 is less picky. In fact, it includes an emulator that allows you to use 32-bit software (pity that it doesn't work for 16-bit apps, but that's another story).
So, Catalina brings two main problems for GamesNostalgia Mac users: the first one can be solved; the second one, maybe not (or at least not yet). Let's review them in detail:
MS-DOS Games Wrappers
The majority of our DOS game wrappers were created with version 0.74 of DOSBox, which is a 32-bit application. This means if you have downloaded DOS games in the past from this site, and you have upgraded to macOS Catalina, you cannot play these games anymore.
Lucky for you, this problem is solved: we just completed a full upgrade of all the MS-DOS Mac wrappers, 300 games in total. The new wrappers include DOSBox 0.74-3, which is fully compatible with Catalina. We were hoping to include the 0.75, but it's not out yet, so we will have to wait. So if Ultima Underworld, Carmageddon, Heretic, and other DOS games don't work anymore, you just have to download the new version. Easy.
Windows Games Wrappers
Unfortunately, the second problem is more serious. As you know, we offer Mac versions of old Windows games, such as Hercules, Pharaoh, and Diablo. Those wrappers are created with a tool called Wineskin and a compatibility layer called Wine. As far as we know, Wine won't be compatible with Catalina, at least not in the near future. The developers of Wine are looking for a solution. You can read more about Wine and Catalina in this thread.
Right now, we can only give you a suggestion: don't upgrade to Catalina. Seriously, if you are ok with Mojave, and you like to play your old games, there is no need to install the upgrade. When we have news, we will let you know.
Another (but not so easy) fix is to install a real Windows 98 using a tool such as VirtualBox. If you can do it, this is definitely the best solution, also for Windows 10 users. We will publish a tutorial soon.
Final comment
We are sorry about the Windows games, but we hope you appreciate the effort regarding the DOS wrappers. If you try them, let us know what you think.
One more thing, remember that since our wrappers are not published on the App Store, they will appear from Unidentified Developers. Meaning, Catalina will try to block them. To avoid the block, Ctrl+Click the game icon and select 'Open.' This is true for all the Mac wrappers (DOS, Amiga, etc.).
It's all for now. If you have any suggestions, let us know. Happy retro gaming!
Free DOS Games
A lot of great PC games from past times are still available, and can also be downloaded. There are several websites that offer large collections of DOS games, like www.classicdosgames.com or www.dosgames.com. The games on these websites are freeware, shareware or released into public domain, which means you can download them legally. However, many old games don't work on modern PCs due to different memory management, processor speed, different sound settings etc. To make sure these things won't be a problem, you can try using either a DOS emulator, or a source port (if available).
How to play DOS games again - DOSBox DOS emulator
To play DOS games on 64 bit versions of Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista or XP, you need a DOS emulator. For 32 bit versions of Windows a DOS emulator is highly recommended. The most popular DOS emulator these days is DOSBox. Version 0.74 works with Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista and XP (32 and 64 bits). DOS games work like they should work in DOSBox, with sound and the right speed. To get a game working, follow instructions on our DOSBox page. If you have the original CD of a DOS game, you can follow our guide to install and play a game from CD.
Play DOS adventures with ScummVM
Another popular platform is ScummVM. It originally was built to play Lucasarts' Scumm adventures, like Maniac Mansion, Zak McKracken, Indiana Jones, Sam and Max and Monkey Island. Nowadays lots of other adventures can be played with ScummVM, like Sierra's Kings Quest, Police Quest and Space Quest as well as Leisure Suit Larry. The advantage of ScummVM over DOSBox is that you have 100% mouse support and a graphical user interface (GUI). Read more on our page to install and play games with ScummVM.
What about the Windows Command Prompt?
All Windows versions have a command prompt. That's a command line interpreter; a DOS-like environment where you have to type in commands to do stuff. Find it in Windows 7: press the start button and type 'command'. Find it in Windows 8 and Windows 10: press the windows key (on your keyboard) and S and type 'command'. Start the command prompt by clicking the command prompt result. You can use this command prompt to run DOS games or programs, but only when using a 32 bit version of Windows. Your DOS game most likely will start, but you might encounter sound problems. Tweaking the screen resolution of the command prompt window also is difficult, if not impossible. To avoid these problems, use a DOS emulator like DOSBox.
Source ports
DOSBox is great. But sometimes it gets better when there's a source port available for a particular game. A source port is a software project based on the source code of a computer game's engine that allows the game to be played on operating systems or computing platforms for which the game was not originally created. Thus compatibility problems show up when you try to run them on a newer or different platform. Examples are 3D games made for DOS, like Doom, Heretic and Hexen. We searched for the best source port out there and found them for the following games: Descent I, Descent II, Doom, Heretic and Hexen, Duke Nukem 3D, Dune II, Hexen II, Quake, Quake 2, Redneck Rampage, Strife, Wolfenstein 3D.
Install DOS (FreeDOS) on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP with VirtualBox
![Dos Dos](/uploads/1/1/8/9/118986362/850910896.jpg)
When DOSBox doesn't do the job and you can't find any software update or source port for your application, your last option is to set up a DOS-only system. There are several ways to do this, but we recommend to use FreeDOS for all of them. This is a free, open source, DOS-compatible operating system. You can download the CD image here. Some suggestions to install FreeDOS:
Ms Dos Games For Mac Os
- Setup a dual boot system
What is DOS?
Ms Dos Download Windows 10
DOS stands for Disk Operating System. MS-DOS (Microsoft DOS) was the most common known variant and made Microsoft as big as it is now. DOS was used before Windows. It used a command line interpreter (shell). That means that you had to type in commands to get things going, like copying files, starting programs, etc. Great stuff to think about, clicking around in your comfy Windows 8 suite. And the games, oh yes, the games...!