Play Gorillas online — the original 1991 DOS game Works — the full original game runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
Gorillas — the QBasic game that came free with MS-DOS 5.0 in 1991. Two gorillas stand on skyscrapers and take turns throwing exploding bananas at each other: type an angle and a speed, allow for the wind arrow, and blow up the other gorilla. Click Play; it runs inside the original QBasic.
D-pad: aim & power · FIRE: space · ENTER: confirm
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| Type angle and speed | Number keys, then Enter |
| Start / continue | 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.
Gorillas 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/gorillas/NOTICE.md. Rights holders: it comes down within 48 hours on request.
About Gorillas
Microsoft shipped GORILLA.BAS with QBasic as a demonstration program, alongside Nibbles, and it became one of the most-played games on early-90s office and school PCs because it was already installed. Each round draws a random skyline. The setup asks for player names, the number of points to play to and the gravity, and pressing Enter at each takes the defaults. It plays two people on one keyboard; there is no computer opponent.
Tips for getting started
An angle near 45 and a speed around 60 is a reasonable first throw. Watch the wind arrow at the bottom of the screen: it changes every round and pushes the banana sideways.
How it runs here
This is the original DOS release of Gorillas, 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 Gorillas online for free?
Yes. Click Play and the original 1991 DOS version starts in your browser, running in a WebAssembly build of DOSBox. Nothing to install and no account.
Why is Gorillas hosted here?
Gorillas 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 (Microsoft) asks, it comes down within 48 hours.
Is this the real QBasic Gorillas?
Yes: GORILLA.BAS running in Microsoft's own QBASIC.EXE from MS-DOS, which is what the original needed.
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 Gorillas 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?
Gorillas 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.