Frequently asked questions

DOSGAME.AT is an independent retro and preservation project for classic DOS games. We create loaders, trainers, patches, and technical documentation that help old games start, run, and remain usable more comfortably on modern systems.

Our goal is to keep old DOS games technically accessible. Many games now work only with workarounds, old manuals, specific versions, copy-protection mechanisms, or special hardware. DOSGAME.AT documents these obstacles and, where possible, reduces them with carefully made loaders or trainers.

No. DOSGAME.AT does not offer complete commercial games for download. Our releases contain no original game files, disk images, or complete game packages.

Our releases are intended for players, collectors, retro enthusiasts, and preservation projects that own the respective original game and want to use it more comfortably today.

Many old DOS games are technically interesting, historically relevant, and difficult to access today. Often the obstacle is not the game itself, but copy-protection questions, old launch programs, version differences, or incompatible routines. That is exactly where DOSGAME.AT steps in.

Yes. Our loaders, trainers, and patches are intended for owners of the original versions. You need the original game files from your own installation.

No. Our downloads do not contain commercial original files from the respective game. They normally contain only loaders, trainers, patch files, source code, instructions, or supplementary technical files.

Our releases may generally be redistributed unchanged as long as they are not bundled with copyrighted game files. Whenever possible, please link to DOSGAME.AT so users receive the current version and its documentation.

In some cases, yes. Some loaders remove old manual, code, or protection questions so owners of the original can launch the game more comfortably today. We do not publish complete games or include original commercial game files.

Because DOSGAME.AT is not an abandonware portal. We want to provide technical preservation, analysis, and convenience improvements without distributing complete protected games. The original files must come from your own legal copy.

A loader is a small launch program that runs before the game. It identifies the installed game version, applies temporary adjustments when needed, and then starts the original game.

A trainer changes selected game values or program routines, such as lives, energy, or time. Some trainers remain resident in memory; others patch files before launch and restore them afterwards.

A loader starts the game and usually performs automatic preparation.

A trainer provides game-specific extras such as unlimited lives, unlimited time, or convenience options.

A patch deliberately changes selected files or routines. Depending on the release, a patch may be permanent or temporary.

Yes. Most releases are tested primarily with DOSBox or DOSBox-X. Several modern convenience functions, such as network launching through serial DOSBox configurations, are specifically intended for DOSBox users.

In some cases, yes. Many loaders and trainers are written for DOS and can work on real DOS hardware. Some functions require DOSBox, however, including automated network or configuration commands.

Old games often exist in many editions: different countries, floppy releases, budget editions, packed EXE files, CD versions, or later updates. Even small differences may use other offsets or routines. Every version therefore has to be checked separately.

This message means that the loader could not identify the available file as a supported version, or that the expected original bytes were not present. This prevents an unknown or already modified file from being patched incorrectly.

Many loaders apply changes only temporarily and undo them after the game starts or exits. Individual patches may intentionally change a file permanently. The README for each release explains how that specific release works. Keeping a backup of the original files is always sensible.

ScummVM is an excellent project and the best modern solution for many classic adventures. It does not replace every DOS environment, however, and does not support every game, version, or original launch process.

DOSGAME.AT deliberately works with DOSBox in many cases because our loaders, trainers, and patches operate directly on the original DOS files. This keeps the result closer to the original DOS version: original EXE files, interpreters, launch files, protection checks, and version-specific behavior.

ScummVM is ideal for some games. For others, DOSBox is closer to the original or technically necessary, especially for trainers, loaders, copy-protection routines, DOS-specific executables, batch launches, sound setups, or network modes.

DOSGAME.KEY is used by our loaders as a configuration file and is created automatically.

A DOSGAME.KEY purchased from us skips the waiting time before our loaders start. Everything else remains exactly the same.

No. The free versions are fully functional as a rule. The actual loader or trainer functions remain available without a key unless the respective README explicitly says otherwise.

Developing, analysing, and documenting old DOS games takes a great deal of time. The support screen is a short reminder that DOSGAME.AT is maintained through voluntary support.

A matching DOSGAME.KEY can be purchased for many releases. The keyfile removes the short wait or support screen before launch. The actual loader and trainer functions remain available without a purchased key.

You can also support DOSGAME.AT directly through our Coffee link. This is currently a voluntary donation without an immediate benefit in return, although we are considering small additional benefits or thank-you extras for supporters in the future.

Every contribution helps us create more loaders, trainers, analyses, and documentation.

Because different game versions may have different internal layouts. Even when a game looks identical, routines, file sizes, offsets, or copy-protection locations may differ.

Yes. If you own an unsupported version, contact us. We can then check whether it can be added to an existing loader or supported as a separate variant.

Yes. Whenever possible, releases are tested with the supported versions. Differences can still occur with old DOS games because of the distribution, file condition, DOSBox version, real DOS hardware, or files that were modified previously.

No. Our loaders and trainers contain no advertising, no trackers, and no intentional malicious software. They are small DOS programs created for the exact purpose described in the release.

Trainers, loaders, and patchers modify program code or access files. Modern antivirus software may classify this behavior as suspicious in general, even when no malicious code is present. Such false positives are not unusual with old DOS tools and packed executables.

Not at present. If requests for it increase, we will consider making it available.

Yes. Many changes can be traced with hex editors, disassemblers, or DOS debuggers. Our README and patch-log files normally describe which files are affected and which functions are changed.

Purchases of DOSGAME.KEY currently run through external payment or support platforms such as Buy Me a Coffee. DOSGAME.AT does not process credit-card or bank data itself. Payment data is handled by the respective provider. We receive only the information needed to provide the keyfile and associate the support.

DOSGAME.KEY itself contains no personal data, game data, or hidden information about your computer. It only skips the support or coffee screen in compatible releases.

We do not sell user data, include trackers in our DOS tools, or use this data for advertising.

Yes. Bug reports are expressly welcome. Useful details include the exact game version, file size, error message, DOSBox version, and the point at which the error occurs.

Yes. Suggestions are welcome. Whether a request can be implemented depends on the game, the available version, the technical effort, and the legal context.

Plans can change because old games often present unpredictable technical obstacles. Some projects are completed quickly, while others require extensive analysis. Published releases can be found on DOSGAME.AT.

In principle, yes, but only where the subject is a good fit. DOSGAME.AT prefers to link to reputable retro, preservation, documentation, or collector sites that match the project. If that describes your site, feel free to contact us.

DOSGAME.AT does not distribute complete game packages. Our focus is technical analysis, preservation, loaders, trainers, and understandable improvements for owners of the original versions. This clearly distinguishes us from conventional download portals.

No. DOSGAME.AT is an independent project and has no official affiliation with GOG, Steam, the original rights holders, or other commercial platforms unless a specific release explicitly says otherwise.

Some of our loaders or trainers may work with particular GOG versions; others are intended specifically for old floppy, CD, or retail releases. When a GOG version is supported, we state this in the release description.

DOSGAME.AT provides no GOG game files, installers, or complete game packages. Our releases are technical additions for users who own the respective original version themselves.

TOSEC is primarily a cataloguing project for old software and relies heavily on checksums, DAT files, and version lists.

eXoDOS is a large curated collection of preconfigured DOS games designed to be as convenient to play as possible.

DOSGAME.AT takes a different approach: we do not distribute complete game packages, but create loaders, trainers, patches, and technical documentation for owners of the original games.

Our focus is concrete technical analysis: removing protection checks, solving launch problems, improving DOSBox convenience, identifying different versions, and making old games more usable with the owner’s own original files.

Conventional abandonware sites often provide complete games for download. DOSGAME.AT follows a different approach: we do not provide commercial original games, but tools, loaders, trainers, patches, and documentation for users who supply their own original files.

Our aim is not to redistribute games, but to keep old DOS games technically understandable, launchable, and playable.

WHDLoad is an excellent project for the Amiga world. It makes many classic Amiga games launchable directly from a hard drive, removes old floppy-disk obstacles, and keeps games more usable on modern or expanded Amiga systems.

DOSGAME.AT follows a similar basic idea in the DOS world, but with a different technical approach. While WHDLoad specialises in Amiga games and hard-drive installation, our loaders, trainers, and patches work with original DOS files, DOSBox, real DOS environments, and version-specific executable or data files.

We therefore do not see WHDLoad as competition, but as an excellent example of why technical preservation matters: old games should not only be collected, but kept practically playable.