Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting
Recommended reading
A screenshot of the rideable dragon in Doom The Dark Ages
Gaming PCs Doom: The Dark Ages should be avoided by handheld gaming PC fans for now – and it’s down to one issue that I’m finding increasingly frustrating
Three Guardians run alongside each other holding weapons. The background shows a mining facility on a desolate rocky planet
Consoles & PC The 16 best FPS games 2025
Screenshot from Doom Dark Ages
Gaming PCs DOOM: The Dark Ages looks stunning at 8K with new lighting effects – but it almost humbled my Nvidia RTX 5090
Doom: The Dark Ages.
Gaming Doom: The Dark Ages review: ripping and tearing is still satisfying, but the Slayer's scaled back moveset holds it back from greatness
Firing dual guns in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Gaming Don't miss the chance to grab a free copy of one of the best FPS games on Xbox and PC with Amazon Prime
Quake II Copilot Gaming Experience
Artificial Intelligence Microsoft Copilot just generated an AI version of one of the most iconic shooters of all time, and you can play it for free
An image of Sniper Elite 4 running on an iPhone 16 Pro Max
Gaming Sniper Elite 4 is a mini marvel on the iPhone 16 Pro
  1. Computing
  2. Desktop PCs
  3. Raspberry Pi

How to run Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Duke Nukem on your Raspberry Pi

How-to
By Nate Drake published 22 July 2017

First-person Pi

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Run classic FPS games on the Raspberry Pi

Run classic FPS games on the Raspberry Pi

Anyone over 30 may remember playing classic 90s first-person shooters such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. While a little formulaic, the games always kept you guessing and required super motor control as you navigated Nazi fortresses, hell-infested Martian bases and an alien-infested Earth respectively.

The Raspberry Pi has very humble specs compared to modern desktop computers, but is perfect for playing these classics given that it's over 10 times faster than the average machine in 1995, which had only 8MB of RAM and a 33Mhz processor.

Each of the games listed above was originally released as shareware, in that you could play the first 'episode' or 10 levels free of charge. This was done to drum up interest in the game. 

In this guide we'll explore how to download and install software 'engines' for these games, as well as how to play either the shareware or full versions. You won't need any in-depth knowledge of computers. 

Provided you have a Raspberry Pi and know how to copy and paste files and text, you'll be able to start playing in minutes.

Read on for more retro gaming nostalgia!

  • Want some more ideas for using the mini PC? Check out our collection of Raspberry Pi projects
Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
1. Prepare your Raspberry Pi

1. Prepare your Raspberry Pi

In order to begin, you'll need to have your own Raspberry Pi, ideally the Raspberry Pi 3. You'll also need to connect your Raspberry Pi to an external keyboard and to a monitor using an HDMI cable. 

Next, open Terminal on your Raspberry Pi and install the necessary software by running the following command:

sudo apt-get install cmake libsdl1.2-dev libsdl-mixer1.2-dev libsdl-net1.2-dev libbz2-dev libjpeg-dev libgtk2.0-dev python-imaging build-essential nasm libgl1-mesa-dev libglu1-mesa-dev libsdl2-dev libsdl2-mixer-dev flac libflac-dev libvorbis-dev libpng-dev libvpx-dev libgtk2.0-dev freepats

The installation process will take some time but once downloaded, these programs  will allow you to compile the game engines for Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Duke Nukem on your Raspberry Pi. 

After the installation is complete, you may wish to download the game engines themselves. 

To download the Wolfenstein 3D game engine, 'Chocolate Wolfenstein' run:

git clone https://github.com/fabiensanglard/Chocolate-Wolfenstein-3D 

To download the Doom game engine, 'Chocolate Doom' run:

wget https://www.chocolate-doom.org/downloads/2.2.1/chocolate-doom-2.2.1.tar.gz && tar xzf chocolate-doom-2.2.1.tar.gz

To download the Duke Nukem game engine:

wget http://dukeworld.duke4.net/eduke32/synthesis/20170711-6359/eduke32_src_20170711-6359.tar.xz && tar xpvf eduke32_src_20170711-6359.tar.xz 
Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
2. Download game data

2. Download game data

If you're interested in Wolfenstein 3D, you can download the free shareware version of the game data files, which contains only the first ten levels, by opening Terminal on your Raspberry Pi and running the command:

wget http://maniacsvault.net/ecwolf/files/shareware/wolf3d14.zip && unzip -X wolf3d14.zip

If you want the full game and have a Windows machine, consider buying the Steam version of Wolfenstein 3D. Once you've installed the game you can find the necessary data files (with the extension .WL6) in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Wolfenstein 3D\base. Copy these to your Raspberry Pi.

If you want to play Doom, you can download the free shareware version which contains only the first episode of ten levels by running:

wget http://www.doomworld.com/3ddownloads/ports/shareware_doom_WAD.zip && unzip shareware_doom_WAD.zip

Alternatively if you have access to a Windows computer you can buy Ultimate Doom on Steam. You can find the game data files (with the extension .WAD) in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Ultimate Doom\base

For Duke Nukem fans the setup is a little more complicated. If you have access to a Windows machine you can download and install the free shareware version of the game, which contains the first episode of the game.

Alternatively you can buy a copy of the game very inexpensively on Steam. Data files are stored in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Duke Nukem 3D\gameroot\classic. Copy the files named DUKE3D.GRP and DUKE.RTS to a USB stick, then onto your Raspberry Pi.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
3. Play Wolfenstein 3D

3. Play Wolfenstein 3D

Open Terminal on your Raspberry Pi and change to the directory where you downloaded the data files by running:

cd wolf3d14

Next, run:

for i in $(find . -type f -name "*[A-Z]*"); do mv "$i" "$(echo $i | tr A-Z a-z)"; done

This makes sure Chocolate Wolfenstein can read the files. Now move the data files to the game directory with:

mv *.wl1 /home/pi/Chocolate-Wolfenstein-3D

If you're using the full version of the game change .wl1 to .wl6.

Switch to the game directory by running:

cd /home/pi/Chocolate-Wolfenstein-3D

Then compile the code with:

sudo make

Once the program has compiled, the shareware version of Wolfenstein 3D will now ready to play and you can launch it any time by entering:

./Chocolate-Wolfenstein-3D

Add the option:

--res 640 480

or similar to adjust the screen resolution. See the Chocolate Wolfenstein page for a full list of command line parameters.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
4. Play Doom

4. Play Doom

Open the Terminal on your Raspberry Pi and switch to the newly created Doom directory:

/home/pi/cd chocolate-doom-2.2.1

Next, run:

./configure

This will prepare the necessary files. Now run :

make

This will begin compiling them. This can take some time so feel free to take a break. Once this completed run:

sudo make install

The WAD data file e.g. DOOM1.WAD you downloaded or copied from your Windows machine earlier must be in the 'chocolate-doom' directory. Use your mouse to move it there.

Use the command:

chocolate-doom-setup -WAD DOOM1.wad

This will launch the setup wizard. You can use this to configure, the display, sound, keyboard layout, mouse and even a gamepad if you have one.

To launch Doom run:

chocolate-doom -WAD DOOM1.WAD

Doom will automatically launch in full-screen mode, which can place a strain on the Raspberry Pi, so consider opening it in a window with this command:

chocolate-doom -WAD DOOM1.WAD -window 640x480

If you have a different WAD file substitute DOOM1.WAD for the file of your choice.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
5. Play Duke Nukem 3D

5. Play Duke Nukem 3D

Open the Terminal on your Raspberry Pi and switch to the eduke32 directory by running:

cd eduke32_20170711-6359

Locate the data files from either the shareware or full version of Duke Nukem 3D named DUKE3D.GRP and DUKE.RTS and copy them to this directory as well using your mouse. 

Next, re-open Terminal and run:

./eduke32

Click the 'Configuration' tab to adjust values such as the screen resolution. (640 x 800 is ideal for the Raspberry Pi). 

Click the 'Game' tab to verify you have the right version of Duke Nukem installed e.g. Atomic Edition. Click the 'Start' button at the bottom right to begin playing the game. 

Duke Nukem 3D supports a number of official and unofficial add ons which can be installed by follow the Official Guide on the eduke32 wiki. 

The fan-made add on Nuclear Showdown adds support for widescreen, many new Duke quotes and new weapons. 

To get started, download the ZIP file e.g. Nuclear_Showdown_V2.1.zip using the link above and extract the contents to the eduke32 directory.

Return to Terminal on your Raspberry Pi and switch to the eduke32 directory by running:

cd eduke32_20170711-6359

Next run the below command to play Nuclear Showdown:

./eduke32 /ICDGAME.CON /GDukedc.grp /showdown.grp -ns.def

You can now play these classic FPS games on your Raspberry Pi!

  • How to turn a Raspberry Pi into a retro games console
Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Nate Drake

Nate Drake is a tech journalist specializing in cybersecurity and retro tech. He broke out from his cubicle at Apple 6 years ago and now spends his days sipping Earl Grey tea & writing elegant copy.

See more Computing How Tos
Read more
A screenshot of the rideable dragon in Doom The Dark Ages
Doom: The Dark Ages should be avoided by handheld gaming PC fans for now – and it’s down to one issue that I’m finding increasingly frustrating
Three Guardians run alongside each other holding weapons. The background shows a mining facility on a desolate rocky planet
The 16 best FPS games 2025
Screenshot from Doom Dark Ages
DOOM: The Dark Ages looks stunning at 8K with new lighting effects – but it almost humbled my Nvidia RTX 5090
Doom: The Dark Ages.
Doom: The Dark Ages review: ripping and tearing is still satisfying, but the Slayer's scaled back moveset holds it back from greatness
Firing dual guns in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Don't miss the chance to grab a free copy of one of the best FPS games on Xbox and PC with Amazon Prime
Quake II Copilot Gaming Experience
Microsoft Copilot just generated an AI version of one of the most iconic shooters of all time, and you can play it for free
Latest in Raspberry Pi
white keyboard PC with mouse and book
The Raspberry Pi 500 is a state-of-the-art keyboard PC...just like the Tandy 1000 in the 1980s
Raspberry Pi strapped to a satellite takes stunning picture of Earth
Kali Linux on Pi 4
Raspberry Pi 4 gets Kali Linux, a distro aimed at ethical hackers
Worried about Alexa spying on you? This Raspberry Pi smart speaker for kids puts privacy first
How to install Ubuntu on the Raspberry Pi
New Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ is somehow even smaller and cheaper
Latest in How Tos
Novak Djokovic plays a forehand at Wimbledon 2025
How to watch Evans vs Djokovic online: live stream Wimbledon 2025 tennis FREE
Google Chrome logo on desktop and mobile
How to private browse in Chrome on Windows, Android and ChromeOS
The ball for Women's Euro 2025
How to watch Women's Euro 2025: live stream soccer options, TV channels, watch for FREE, Day 2 fixtures
Coco Gauff practicing for Wimbledon 2025
How to watch Yastremska vs Gauff at Wimbledon 2025 on BBC iPlayer (it's free)
Jamie Smith and Joe Root celebrate after walking off unbeaten in their test victory against India at Headingley, Leeds.
How to watch England vs India 2nd Test: Live stream cricket online – India 310-5 after Day 1 Gill century
Emma Raducanu preparing for Wimbledon 2025
How to watch Raducanu vs Xu online: live stream Wimbledon 2025 tennis FREE
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Microsoft is laying off 9,000 employees in its latest huge job cut
  2. 2
    3 new Max movies to stream with over 94% on Rotten Tomatoes in July 2025
  3. 3
    Security breach reveals Catwatchful spyware is snooping on thousands of phones - here's how to stay safe
  4. 4
    Nobody wants 8GB GPUs from Nvidia and AMD – and this retailer just made that clear
  5. 5
    Netflix just added my favorite sci-fi thriller series in July – here’s why you should make it your next binge watch

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...