Play Ken's Labyrinth online — the complete game, free Works — the complete freeware release runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated October 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
Ken's Labyrinth — the 1993 first-person shooter Ken Silverman wrote as a teenager, a year before he built the Build engine behind Duke Nukem 3D. You are trapped in an alien labyrinth and shoot your way out, floor by floor. In 1999 Silverman released the complete game for free, with Epic MegaGames' permission — all of it is hosted here.
D-pad: move/turn · FIRE: ctrl · OPEN: space · RUN: shift
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Move / turn | Arrow keys | — |
| Shoot | left Ctrl | — |
| Open / use | Space | — |
| Run | left Shift | — |
| Strafe | right Ctrl | — |
| Fireballs | F1 | — |
| Sound | — | Use the Sound button under the screen to mute |
FREE This is the complete game, free. Ken Silverman released the complete game for free in 1999, with Epic MegaGames' permission.
Runs in your browser tab with DOSBox + WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Ctrl+F10 to release mouse.
Ken's Labyrinth was released free in full by its author, Ken Silverman, in 1999 with Epic MegaGames' permission. Every file of his release is included. Provenance: /apps/kens-labyrinth/NOTICE.md.
How it works & what to expect
The original DOS release running in a WebAssembly build of DOSBox. The whole game is under 1 MB. Every file from the author's release is included, as his README asks.
Playing tips
Fireballs are your first weapon and they bounce — fire around corners. Keys and coins are everywhere; the coins buy things from the vending machines on later floors. Press Space on doors to open them.
Why the whole game is free
Epic MegaGames published it as shareware. When Epic stopped selling its older titles, Silverman asked, and released the full version for free in November 1999. His only conditions are to keep every file of his archive together and not to sell it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ken's Labyrinth legal to play here?
Yes. Its author released the complete game for free in 1999 with Epic MegaGames' permission, asking only that every file stays in the package — which it does.
What are the controls?
Arrow keys move and turn, left Ctrl shoots, Space opens doors, left Shift runs and right Ctrl strafes. F1 selects the fireball weapon.
Does my progress save?
Yes — saved games persist in this browser between visits, best-effort.
More you can play in your browser
Related guides
- Duke Nukem 3DBuilt on the engine Silverman wrote next.
- Wolfenstein 3DThe other early-90s maze shooter.
- Blake StoneApogee's Wolfenstein-engine shooter.
- 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?
Ken's Labyrinth 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.