Today we are trying something oldschool. If you ever wanted to know how to play DOS games on Windows 7, you will find out how today. For this example I will download and install the DOS game Themepark on Windows 7. Back to the roots!

Installing DOS Games on Windows 7

To install DOS games on Windows 7, you will first need a DOS emulator. The DOSBOX is one of the best DOS emulators that works with Vista x86/x64 and Windows 7 x86/x64.
You can download the DOSBOX for free from their official website:
Download DOSBOX (yes, this also works on Solaris and Gentoo)
After downloading and installing the DOSBOX, start it via the Start menu.


Oh yea, that’s DOS!!! I kinda missed the DOS interface ;)
Ok, next we have to mount the folder with our DOS games that we want to play on Windows 7.
No worries, it’s really simple and everyone can do it.

Create folder with DOS games

1. Create a new folder and copy your DOS games into the folder. I created my folder on C:/ and named it “DOSGAMES”, but feel free to create it somewhere else.

Mount drive

2. Switch back to your DOSBOX and enter the following line:
MOUNT C C:\DOSGAMES

Sidenote: To make a backslash hold down ALT + 092. In this case it is not needed.

Switch to drive

3. Switch to your mounted drive by entering “C:”

CD to DOS Gamefolder

4. CD to your DOS game. Enter “CD DOSGAMEFOLDERNAME” (replace DOSGAMEFOLDERNAME with the actual folder name of your DOS game. In our example it would “CD themepark”.
CD stands for ChangeDirectory and allows you to switch the folder of your DOS game. Keep in mind that DOS folders can only have 8 characters (yes, old systems like DOS only allowed up to 8 characters for each folder or filename). If you want to CD to “themepark”, this is going to happen:

“directoryname is longer than 8 characters and/or contains spaces.”
5. Simply rename your folder to “themep” and then repeat step 4.

Install the DOS game

6. (Optional) Enter install.exe to install the DOS game on Windows 7.

Sidenote: You don’t have to install themepark to play it.

How to play Themepark on Windows 7

If you want to play themepark, you don’t have to install it, you can simply run it.
Follow steps 1-5 and then enter “main” to run the game.

Where to download DOS games for Windows 7?

You can find plenty of the old-school DOS games on http://dosgamer.com/top50/.
Themepark can be downloaded from there as well.

TOP 50 DOS games

1.Theme Park
2. Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus
3. FIFA International Soccer
4. Flashback The Quest for Identity
5. Elvira III Waxworks
6. Classic Concentration II
7. Ford Simulator: 5.0
8. Ford Simulator: III
9. Ford Simulator: II
10. Ford Simulator: I
11. Simusex
12. Three Sisters’ Story
13. Knights of Xentar
14. Interactive Girls
15. Classic Concentration
16. Marble Cooking
17. Leather Goddesses of Phobos II
18. Duke Nukem
19. Kings Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
20. Doom II: Hell on Earth
21. Duke Nukem 3D Atomic Edition
22. Sex Olympics
23. Theme Hospital
24. Kings Quest VII: The Princless Bride
25. Wolfenstein 3D
26. Quake
27. Ladylove
28. Cover Girl Strip Poker
29. Leisure Suit Larry I: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards
30. Jones in the Fast Lane
31. Kings Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder
32. 1994 Penthouse Pet of the Year Play-off
33. Duke Nukem II
34. Aladdin 1693 Downloads
35. Sim City 2000
36. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle
37. Strip Poker III
38. Sam & Max Hit the Road
39. X-COM: Apocalypse
40. Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
41. Cobra Mission
42. Command & Conquer
43. Doom III: Mr Smiley Heads Safari
44. Warcraft I: Orcs and Humans
45. Quest for Glory
46. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego Enhanced
47. Metal & Lace
48. Porntris
49. Angel
50. Police Quest IV: Open Season