Why are new DOS games still being made in the 21st century?

New DOS games are still being made because the platform is fun to develop for, retro culture keeps it visible, and DOSBox makes the results runnable almost anywhere — Windows, Linux, macOS, smartphones, tablets, and Raspberry Pi. DOS haven exists to collect those 21st-century releases and encourage more of them; at the time of the site snapshot it listed 265 games, with the newest additions dated 2026.

The homebrew scene is real, and it has a home

DOS haven describes itself as a collection of modern DOS games, new games for DOS, and DOS homebrew. The site's own framing is a question and an answer: plenty of new titles exist for almost every old platform, but few for the good old DOS-powered IBM PC — so it collects DOS games from the 21st century and encourages others to make new ones.

That collection is not theoretical. The site's "Last 6 games added" list shows recent, dated releases:

The site also carries a "Latest comments" feed where developers and players post suggestions, release notes, and bug reports — for example, a commenter noting an October 2026 release, another announcing a new DOS release, and one reporting a broken link. That mix is typical of a small, active homebrew community: releases, corrections, and requests all flow through the same channel.

Why someone would build a game for DOS today

DOS haven gives three reasons directly:

• Because it's fun, if you are into that sort of thing.
• Because it's retro, and retro is cool.
• Because DOSBox lets DOS programs run almost anywhere — Windows, Linux, macOS, smartphones, tablets, Raspberry Pi, "you name it."

The third point is the practical one. A DOS game written today is not trapped on 1990s hardware; an emulator layer turns it into something a modern audience can actually launch. That removes the main objection to targeting such an old platform.

What this means if you are a player

You can treat DOS haven as a discovery index rather than a store. The site organizes its catalog with filters, so you can narrow by what you actually want to play:

• Genre: Action, Adventure, Beat'em up, FPS, Interactive Fiction, Other, Platformer, Puzzle, Racing, Roguelike, RPG, Simulation, Sport, Strategy
• Presentation: Graphics, Textmode
• Released: year filters starting at 2001 and running through 2016 in the visible list

A practical workflow:

1. Open the filter panel and pick a genre and presentation style.
2. Narrow by release year if you want the newest or a specific era of the homebrew wave.
3. Check the game's entry and the comments — the comment feed is where broken links and release corrections show up, so it doubles as a status check.
4. Run the game under DOSBox or a comparable emulator on whatever machine you have.

The main friction point is link rot: the comments include at least one report of a broken link, so if a download fails, check the comments before assuming the game is gone.

What this means if you are a developer

The site's stated purpose is not just to catalog but to encourage new work. If you have released a DOS game, the visible path is the Suggestions section, which is where commenters announce releases and ask for additions. One commenter explicitly asks for a specific game to be added; another announces a new release from themselves.

Before you submit, it helps to know what the catalog tracks: genre, presentation (graphics or textmode), and release year. Having those three attributes clear makes your entry consistent with the rest of the index.

The bottom line

New DOS games exist because the toolchain is pleasant, the aesthetic has an audience, and emulation erased the compatibility barrier. DOS haven is the proof and the meeting point: a 265-game catalog with dated 2026 additions, a filter system for players, and a suggestion channel for developers. If you want to play, start with the filters and verify links via comments. If you want to publish, use the Suggestions path and bring your genre, presentation, and release year with you.