software-games
IA MS-DOS / Software Library
The Internet Archive's library of MS-DOS games and historical software, playable in-browser through emulation. It is searchable via the IA's advancedsearch interface, which this site queries directly, and items run right in your browser on archive.org. The quickest way to find and actually run a piece of vintage software without installing anything.
Why it’s useful & how it works
The Internet Archive's MS-DOS Software Library makes thousands of classic DOS games and applications playable right in your browser, with no installation required, using the EM-DOSBOX in-browser emulator. It covers action, strategy, adventure, and educational software from the DOS era, preserved by the Archive as part of its broader historical software mission. You can search the collection by game or software title through the Archive's search interface, and clicking through takes you directly to the item page where you can launch it in the browser. This is the most accessible way to experience vintage DOS software without setting up an emulator yourself.
What’s inside
Several thousand MS-DOS titles playable in the browser, part of the Internet Archive's broader software library which spans multiple platforms and eras of personal computing.
API access
IA advancedsearch collection:softwarelibrary_msdos_games
What we measured
Our own probes, not the archive’s own claims. Re-run periodically; every reading below is dated.
Reachability
- Direct request
- Responded HTTP 200 876 ms
- Through a datacenter proxy
- Responded HTTP 200 873 ms
- API, direct
- Responded HTTP 200 402 ms
- API, through a proxy
- Responded HTTP 200 882 ms
Did a real search return anything?
Returned results · 68 results for the sample query · median 2.4 s · stable across runs
Sample query: DOSBOX MARIOTYPING
Benchmark coverage
Found 3 of 3 test items (100%) in the Software / packages cluster. Median response 951 ms.
By how well known the item is: 1/1 well-known, 2/2 mid .
One item it found: Las Aventuras de Manolo Kabezabolo
Reachability measured 2026-08-22. Search checked 2026-08-22. Benchmark run 2026-08-22.
Access
Programmatic API access (a key may be required, see the API tag).