Classic ASCII game NetHack debuts version 5.0 just 11 years after last major release
- Reference: 1777962729
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/05/05/nethack_5/
- Source link:
NetHack and its ilk trace their origins back to [1]Rogue , a game for Unix systems launched in 1980 that took the DNA of very early text games like Star Trek and Colossal Cave Adventure and mashed that up with tropes from Dungeons & Dragons. The result was a game in which players roamed around a multi-level dungeon filled with monsters, treasure, and magic items – all represented with ASCII characters.
NetHack adopted that template and arguably improved it by adding more complex quests, more levels to play, and plenty of witty pop culture references.
[2]
The game’s developers have kept it alive since its 1987 debut, and in 2015 [3]delivered a major upgrade in the form of version 3.60. Seven point releases emerged in the years since. 2018’s version 3.6.1 saw the project move its source code to [4]GitHub , but most recent releases fixed bugs or added minor gameplay changes.
[5]
[6]
Version 5.0, which appeared on May 2nd, is a major release.
One change is compliance with the C99 standard, a version of the open standard for the C programming language that became obsolete in 2011. If it seems a bit daft for this new version to comply with an old standard, know that the default configuration for those who compile the code is SysV/Sun/Solaris2.x – because that’s the system NetHack’s devs used to house the code.
[7]
A more modern inclusion is the addition of accessibility features.
According to the [8]NetHack Wiki , the new version introduces four new monsters including a [9]genetic engineer which attacks by inflicting random mutations.
It’s also now possible to revive an egg by applying royal jelly, and wearing a wet towel reduces damage from a poison cloud.
[10]
In what feels a lot like a nod to Indiana Jones admirers, players who choose the class Archaeologist will enjoy a little more luck if they wear the in-game fedora.
[11]Microsoft opens door to the past by releasing 86-DOS and PC-DOS 1.00
[12]Retro tech fan views LaserDisc movie data with a budget microscope
[13]Speccy clone storms back for Christmas without a shred of Sinclair code
[14]Retro nerd hacks LEGO's Game Boy into the real deal
The Register took the new version for a spin and can report it’s as slick and fun as ever. The download for Windows includes a graphical version of the game and the ASCII/TTY interface. Pleasingly, a game saved in one will open in the other, a feature The Register notes because playing the TTY version looks a lot like using a terminal – and therefore might look like work to the untrained or youthful eye – while the Windows version is obviously a game.
NetHack’s developers have created a version for Windows on Arm. The Register tested it on PCs running Qualcomm and AMD processors: Both versions ran just fine. Binaries for MSDOS and the Amiga are also available. The game’s source code includes versions for Linux, macOS, Windows CE, OS/, Unix (*BSD, System V, Solaris, HP-UX and other *nixes too) BeOS, and VMS.
That list of OSes means almost every Register reader can surely experience one of the foundational texts of computer gaming by spending some time playing NetHack! ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_(video_game)
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2afm_vlIHIJF6HoqmcikwsAAAAMo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2015/12/08/nethack_three_point_six_released/?_gl=1*jrcylx*_ga*MTI0MjE1MDMxNS4xNzE5OTg5NTg5*_ga_JXW44Y23NM*czE3Nzc5NTYxNjQkbzIyMTUkZzEkdDE3Nzc5NTgzOTQkajYwJGwwJGgw
[4] https://github.com/NetHack/NetHack
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44afm_vlIHIJF6HoqmcikwsAAAAMo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33afm_vlIHIJF6HoqmcikwsAAAAMo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44afm_vlIHIJF6HoqmcikwsAAAAMo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/NetHack_5.0.0
[9] https://nethackwiki.com/wiki/Genetic_engineer
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33afm_vlIHIJF6HoqmcikwsAAAAMo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/29/microsoft_pc_dos_1_point_oh/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/10/laserdisc_microscope/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/01/the_spectrum/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/03/lego_game_boy/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Time is the problem
I'm ashamed - no, dammit, proud - that my first action on reading the news of this 5.0 release was to download the Amiga binary, and run it on my old A4000/040 desktop (albeit under WinUAE emulation, the original hardware being somewhere deep, deep in my garage). Yes, I could have just downloaded the native Windows binary but where's the fun in that?
It works perfectly and is just as addictive as I remember.
I might have got a better degree is it hadn't been for Nethack 3.0
It was still Rogue when I was doing my degree.
Many hours spend playing in the terminal room, when I should have been doing other things.
Wasn't there even a browser version at one point?
I remember playing it many moons ago on pc may have been in the 386.or 486 era, but I am pretty sure I also played it in a browser at some long past moment.Or do I need to start taking dementia tests?
Edit: I can hold off on the dementia tests for a little while yet... https://dos.zone/nethack-1992/
Don't think it has been updated to the latest version yet however.
Do we just ignore the fact that we've #jumped from version 3.6 to 5.0 without explanation?
The Cat of Curiosity brushes up against your leg. You die.
Slackware has ...
... kept the tradition alive. 5.0 available on a mirror near you in the usual games directory.
Concur with the rest, it looks like a fun flashback. Will probably while away an afternoon in the next week or so.
Probably used C99 rather than C11 because there is wider compiler support.
Time is the problem
It's so easy to get so engrossed in these games that you forget the work you're supposed to be doing (and being paid for). However, as most of us original players are prolly retired now, that no longer matters.
Good to see it's cross platform. See you when I resurface :)