Play Borrowed Time Online
You wake up with hazy memories, typing commands into the dark as the game taunts you with cryptic clues—mess up and that smug "GAME OVER" feels like a punchline. The typewriter whispers, your pocket watch lies, and every decision tastes like cheap whiskey regret.
Borrowed Time, released by Activision in 1985 for MS-DOS, is a text adventure with graphics that places you in the middle of a noir mystery. It was part of that wave of early PC games where typing commands and reading descriptions made up most of the interaction, relying on imagination as much as the screen. The setting is gritty, the stakes are personal, and the whole thing feels like a race against the clock from the moment it begins.
You control a detective who must type out actions like "examine body" or "open drawer" to investigate a murder you’re framed for. The main goal is to gather evidence and find the real killer before time runs out, navigating locations screen by screen in a tense, non-linear exploration. Key mechanics include using a pocket watch that doesn’t tell reliable time and a typewriter that offers hints, both of which deepen the uncertainty. The pacing is deliberate, almost anxious, and the difficulty comes from obscure puzzles and unforgiving dead ends. Playing it feels like walking a tightrope without a net, where one wrong guess can send everything crashing down.
Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".
Download Borrowed Time ROM
You can download this ROM to play Borrowed Time offline using an MS-DOS emulator (Top Emulators).
*This ROM is provided for backup and educational purposes only.
