Wolfenstein 3D is a 1992 first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software and FormGen for MS-DOS. It was inspired by the 1981 Muse Software video game Castle Wolfenstein, and is the third installment in the Wolfenstein series.
Shooter
Wolfenstein 3D is a 1992 first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software and FormGen for MS-DOS. It was inspired by the 1981 Muse Software video game Castle Wolfenstein, and is the third installment in the Wolfenstein series. In Wolfenstein 3D, the player assumes the role of Allied spy William "B.J." Blazkowicz during World War II as he escapes from the Nazi German prison Castle Wolfenstein and carries out a series of crucial missions against the Nazis. The player traverses each of the game's levels to find an elevator to the next level or kill a final boss, fighting Nazi soldiers, dogs, and other enemies with a knife and a variety of guns.
Wolfenstein 3D was the second major independent release by id Software, after the Commander Keen series of episodes. In mid-1991, programmer John Carmack experimented with making a fast 3D game engine by restricting the gameplay and viewpoint to a single plane, producing Hovertank 3D and Catacomb 3-D as prototypes. After a design session prompted the company to shift from the family-friendly Keen to a more violent theme, programmer John Romero suggested remaking the 1981 stealth shooter Castle Wolfenstein as a fast-paced action game. He and designer Tom Hall designed the game, built on Carmack's engine, to be fast and violent, unlike other computer games on the market at the time. Wolfenstein 3D features artwork by Adrian Carmack and sound effects and music by Bobby Prince. The game was released through Apogee in two sets of three episodes under the shareware model, in which the first episode is released for free to drive interest in paying for the rest. An additional episode, Spear of Destiny, was released as a stand-alone retail title through FormGen.
Wolfenstein 3D was a critical and commercial success and is considered one of the greatest video games ever made. It garnered numerous awards and sold over 250,000 copies by the end of 1995. It has been termed the "grandfather of 3D shooters", and is widely regarded as having helped popularize the first-person shooter genre and establishing the standard of fast-paced action and technical prowess for many subsequent games in the genre, as well as showcasing the viability of the shareware publishing model at the time. FormGen developed an additional two episodes for the game, while Apogee released a pack of over 800 fan-created levels. Id Software never returned to the series, but did license the engine to numerous other titles before releasing the source code for free in 1995, and multiple other games in the Wolfenstein series have been developed by other companies since 2001.
Gameplay Video. Watch on YouTube
PC Longplay [563] Wolfenstein 3D, World-of-Longplays. Watch on YouTube
| Platform | Region | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Worldwide | 2007-08-03 |
Released 5 May 1992. The first episode was given away and the rest were ordered from Apogee.
The six Apogee episodes in a shop box.
The six Apogee episodes with Spear of Destiny and its two mission packs.
On Steam since 3 August 2007, later on GOG and the Microsoft Store. The Spear of Destiny mission packs were removed from the digital versions in September 2022.
| Service | Tier | Added | Left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Game Pass | PC | 18 Aug 2022 |
Wolfenstein 3D had no DLC. Spear of Destiny, a separate prequel sold at retail, comes with the digital versions.
Playable offline todayYes
Single-player only, with no online features.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Ever released on disc | Yes, floppy disks, 5 May 1992 |
| Ever released in the store | Yes, Steam, 3 August 2007 |
| In the store to buy today | Yes, US$4.99 on Steam, also on GOG and the Microsoft Store |
| Can be downloaded again if you already bought it | Yes |
| Disc runs with no patch | No A DOS game. It needs DOSBox or a source port on current Windows. |
| Disc runs with the final patch | No A DOS game. It needs DOSBox or a source port on current Windows. |
| Playable offline today: campaign | Yes |
| Playable offline today: local multiplayer | Does not exist |
| Playable offline today: DLC | Does not exist |
| Has online features | No Single-player only. |
| Online servers running today | Does not exist |
| Playable offline today: online multiplayer | Does not exist |
Plays offlineYes
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Developer | id Software |
| Publisher | Apogee Software |
| Director | Tom Hall |
| Designers | John Romero, Tom Hall |
| Programmers | John Carmack, John Romero |
| Artist | Adrian Carmack |
| Composer | Robert Prince |
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