Play Duke Nukem 3D online — the free shareware episode Works — shareware episode 1 runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
Duke Nukem 3D — 3D Realms' 1996 Build-engine shooter, the one with the pig cops, the interactive everything and the one-liners. The shareware episode, L.A. Meltdown, is hosted here exactly as 3D Realms released it — click Play and it boots in your browser. Leave it alone at the title screen and it plays its own demo; press Esc for the menu and pick New Game.
D-pad: move/turn · FIRE: ctrl · OPEN: space · JUMP: A · RUN: shift
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Move / turn | Arrow keys | — |
| Fire | Ctrl | — |
| Open / use | Space | — |
| Jump | A | — |
| Crouch | Z | — |
| Run | hold Shift (Caps Lock toggles) | — |
| Strafe | Alt + arrows | — |
| Inventory | [ and ] to pick, Enter to use | — |
| Map | Tab | — |
| Menu / save / load | Esc · F2 · F3 | — |
| Sound | — | Use the Sound button under the screen to mute |
Runs in your browser tab with DOSBox + WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Ctrl+F10 to release mouse.
Episode 1 of Duke Nukem 3D is 3D Realms' shareware episode, hosted under its licence's grant to free websites with every original file unmodified. The commercial episodes are not hosted. Provenance: /apps/duke-nukem-3d/NOTICE.md.
Get the full game
The shareware episode plays here free. The rest of Duke Nukem 3D was the commercial release, and is still sold:
How it works & what to expect
The original DOS release (version 1.3D) running in a WebAssembly build of DOSBox, set to give it as much CPU as your device has. On a recent laptop or desktop it plays smoothly; a phone or an older Chromebook will be choppier, because every instruction of a game that wanted a fast 486 is being emulated. The package is under 6 MB and is cached after the first load.
Playing tips
Keys open doors and the coloured card readers — the shareware levels hide them behind vents you can kick or shoot open. Hold Shift to run, which you will want almost all the time. The jetpack and steroids in your inventory are selected with [ and ] and used with Enter. Mirrors, toilets and arcade cabinets all react — that is the game, not a bug.
Shareware episode — and the full game
Episode 1 is the shareware episode, and its licence lets free websites offer it — so long as every one of its files ships unmodified, which they do here. Episodes 2 and 3 (and the later Atomic Edition's fourth) were the commercial release and are not included; the full game is still sold.
Frequently asked questions
Is Duke Nukem 3D legal to play here?
Yes. This is the official shareware episode, whose licence explicitly allows free websites to make it available. The commercial episodes are not hosted.
What are the controls?
Arrow keys move, Ctrl fires, Space opens doors and uses switches, A jumps, Z crouches, Shift runs and Tab shows the map. The full table is under the game.
Why is it slow on my phone?
Duke 3D wanted a fast 486 in 1996, and here every one of its instructions is emulated in your browser. A recent desktop or laptop handles it; a phone or a budget Chromebook will drop frames.
Does my progress save?
Yes — saved games persist in this browser between visits, best-effort. Save from the game's own menu with F2.
Can I play the full game here?
Only the shareware episode is hosted. If you own the DOS version, drop its folder into the DOS emulator page and it runs the same way.
More you can play in your browser
Related guides
- DOOMid's shareware episode — the shooter Duke answered.
- Rise of the TriadApogee's other mid-90s shooter, shareware episode.
- Wolfenstein 3DWhere the genre started, playable instantly.
- Duke Nukem (1991)Duke's first, side-scrolling outing.
- Run your own DOS gameHave the registered version or another DOS game? Drop it in the DOS player.
- Games that need nothing installedThe full list of titles that run on a locked-down school or work network.
Want a game like this on your own site?
Duke Nukem 3D 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.