Play Digger online — the original 1983 DOS game Works — the full original game runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
Digger — Windmill Software's 1983 arcade game for the IBM PC, a cousin of Mr. Do!. Dig tunnels through the earth to collect emeralds, loosen gold bags so they fall on the Nobbins and Hobbins chasing you, and fire when the gun is charged. Click Play and press a key at the high-score screen to begin.
D-pad: move · CTRL / ALT: jump and fire · ENTER/ESC: menus
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| Dig | Arrow keys |
| Fire | F1 |
| Start | Any key |
| Quit | Esc |
Runs in your browser tab with DOSBox + WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Ctrl+F10 to release mouse.
Digger is no longer sold anywhere, and its publisher is gone or has left it unsold for decades. It is hosted here on the same footing as the Internet Archive's software collections. That is a practical position, not a legal claim. This page carries no advertising. Provenance: /apps/digger/NOTICE.md. Rights holders: it comes down within 48 hours on request.
About Digger
Windmill Software, a small Toronto firm, sold Digger on a self-booting disk with a copy-protection scheme of its own, and the game was everywhere on CGA PCs in the mid-80s. A Nobbin turns into a Hobbin that can dig after a while. Collect eight emeralds in a row for a bonus, and eat the cherry to turn the tables on the monsters for a few seconds.
How it runs here
This is the original DOS release of Digger, unmodified, running in DOSBox compiled to WebAssembly. The whole game is about 1 MB, so it starts within seconds on a normal connection. Sound and music play once you click into the game.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play Digger online for free?
Yes. Click Play and the original 1983 DOS version starts in your browser, running in a WebAssembly build of DOSBox. Nothing to install and no account.
Why is Digger hosted here?
Digger is not sold anywhere today; we checked the stores listed in its provenance note. It is preserved here the way the Internet Archive preserves old software. That is a practical position, not a legal claim. If the rights holder (Windmill Software (defunct); designer Rob Sleath) asks, it comes down within 48 hours.
Does my progress save?
Saved games persist in this browser between visits, best-effort. Clearing site data removes them.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Touch buttons for the keys Digger uses appear under the game on touch devices.
More you can play in your browser
Related guides
Want a game like this on your own site?
Digger isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.