Underplayed Gems

Desktop Survivors 98 (2025)

Desktop Survivors 98 cover
Developer
Brandon Hesslau
Platforms
Windows
Genres
Action, Casual, Indie
Rating
4.8 of 5, 1,395 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 14 hours
Where to get it
Steam
The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A rapid-fire bullet hell where you guide your cursor through waves of enemies in randomly generated dungeons, testing your reflexes and decision-making in quick, intense rounds.

fast-pacedintenseretrochaoticreflex-basedbullet hellarcade-likerepetitive

What players say

Players love the nostalgic Windows 98 aesthetic and find the first hours fun with many unlocks, but note the gameplay becomes repetitive and single-target weapons are weak compared to AoE. Once you beat all levels, late-game incentive drops off, and the card game can trivialize money.

Screenshots

Desktop Survivors 98 screenshot 1Desktop Survivors 98 screenshot 2Desktop Survivors 98 screenshot 3Desktop Survivors 98 screenshot 4Desktop Survivors 98 screenshot 5

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.