Wolfenstein 3D is a first-person shooter developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software in 1992 for MS-DOS. Casting the player as an American prisoner of war attempting to escape a Nazi stronghold, it established the template for the genre with its fast-paced maze navigation, hidden secrets, and frantic gunplay. The shareware release of the first episode became a phenomenon, and the full game, along with the standalone prequel Spear of Destiny, cemented id Software as a defining force in early 1990s PC gaming. Over the years it was ported to numerous platforms, including the Super Nintendo, 3DO, Atari Jaguar, and Game Boy Advance, often with significant technical compromises due to the hardware limitations of the time.
The Vault · 1992
Wolfenstein 3D
The 1992 first-person shooter that defined a genre and put id Software on the map.
WolfensteinDOSWindows 95/98Shooter
Screenshots
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How to Play TodayYour options for running this game in 2026
Original Hardware
The DOS original shipped as shareware and full episodes. It runs on period DOS hardware.
Modern Re-release
Available digitally on Steam and in id collections, plus numerous official console ports over the years.
Emulation / Other Options
Runs in DOSBox, and source ports make it playable natively on modern systems.