NetHack

Congratulations adventurer!
Your quest is at an end for you have reached the home of NetHack.
Within, the Wizard of Yendor has no power, the Oracle speaks with utmost clarity, and the grid bugs do not bite.
Click, friend, and enter.

Announcements

2026-05-02 VERSION 5.0.0
  NetHack 5.0.0 released.
2026-05-02
  The website is starting a long journey to include accessibility functionality.
2025-07-13
  NetHack.com now has an RSS feed that will track announcements on this page! Just copy the link from the RSS icon above and add it to your favorite RSS reader.
2025-07-02 22:00
  NEW New Windows 3.6.7 binaries are available that correct a packaging error from earlier today. If you downloaded the Windows binaries in the last eight hours, please download this update.
2025-07-02 14:00
  New Windows 3.6.7 binaries are available that include the missing curses interface.
2025-04-18
  Patch file for building 3.6.7 with GCC 15.1.
2023-02-24
  Patch file for building 3.6.7 with newer headers on macOS with some toolchains.
2023-02-16 Current Version 3.6.7
  This is a bugfix release and includes a serious security fix.
2022-12-05
  Patch file for building old version 3.4.3 with Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition
2022-09-10
 
Never Alone exhibit entry wall image thumbnail Never Alone exhibit introductory text image thumbnail list of games in the exhibition thumbnail NetHack inside projection image thumbnail NetHack outside screen image thumbnail The DevTeam is proud to announce that NetHack has been inducted into The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York, USA (MoMA) as part of their video game collection and is included in the exhibition "Never Alone: Video Games and Other Interactive Design" which runs from Sep 10, 2022 to July 16, 2023.
More Announcements

Help!

What is NetHack? How do I get it? Read our Information page.

What is rec.games.roguelike.nethack? How do I access it? Why do I want to? Read our USENET information page.

Information for Developers

NetHack References on the Web

(Links marked with a dagger† are now served from archive.org.)

AI versus NetHack!  Tech Crunch gives a quick summary of The NetHack Challenge.

ASCII art + permadeath: The history of roguelike games

Roguelike Celebration: Accessibility - Alexei Pepers

NetHack in 12 Amazing Terminal Based Games for Linux Enthusiasts

NetHack mentioned in a history of ASCII Art

Computerized Dungeons and Randomly Generated Worlds: From Rogue to Minecraft Published in Proceedings of the IEEE ( Volume: 105, Issue: 5, May 2017 )

NetHack  Mr. Wendel on Games

NetHack: THE BEST GAME OF ALL TIME?† on Linux Voice

NetHack in Time's list of All-TIME 100 Video Games

NetHack† in IGN's "Fifteen Really, Really, Really Hard Games"

NetHack in Gamasutra's "Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs"

NetHack shows up in The DM Of The Rings

NetHack meets EverQuest II†. (At least on April Fool's Day.)

NetHack† (a song parody), by Rob Balder

The Beeb discovers NetHack - the Computer Game

Top 11 Signs You've Got an Old Computer†

Play NetHack†, a theme song for NetHack.

Our pet dog is one of the Top Ten Videogame Sidekicks†. Congratulations!

Dudley's dungeon, a web comic

BBspot† on NetHack: New ATI Card Pushes Limits in ASCII Gaming†

The USENET Oracle contemplates encountering a woodchuck
The USENET Oracle contemplates the amulet
The USENET Oracle contemplates stairs
The USENET Oracle contemplates sacrifice
The USENET Oracle contemplates coping with loss
The USENET Oracle contemplates NetHack in Denver
The USENET Oracle contemplates the greatness of NetHack

NetHack in the comics at User Friendly:

Cartoon for October 13, 2014†    Cartoon for September 15, 2014†    Cartoon for September 13, 2014†    Cartoon for September 12, 2014†    Cartoon for September 11, 2014†    Cartoon for September 7, 2013†    Cartoon for May 9, 2013†    Cartoon for May 3, 2013†    Cartoon for May 2, 2013†    Cartoon for May 1, 2013†    Cartoon for January 10, 2013†    Cartoon for November 8, 2012†    Cartoon for November 7, 2012†    Cartoon for May 1, 2012†    Cartoon for August 25, 2009†    Cartoon for September 18, 2008†    Cartoon for August 31, 2008†    Cartoon for July 31, 2008†    Cartoon for May 20, 2006†    Cartoon for May 22, 2006†    Cartoon for May 23, 2006†    Cartoon for May 24, 2006†    Cartoon for May 25, 2006†    Cartoon for May 26, 2006†    Cartoon for May 27, 2006†    Cartoon for May 29, 2006†    Cartoon for May 30, 2006†    Cartoon for May 31, 2006†    Cartoon for June 1, 2006†    Cartoon for October 17, 2005†    Cartoon for June 24, 2005†    Cartoon for June 25, 2005†    Cartoon for September 11, 2003†    Cartoon for September 12, 2003†    Cartoon for September 13, 2003†    Cartoon for September 15, 2003†    Cartoon for August 24, 2003†    Cartoon for September 7, 2002†    Cartoon for May 1, 2002†    Cartoon for May 2, 2002†    Cartoon for May 3, 2002†    Cartoon for May 4, 2002†    Cartoon for May 6, 2002†    Cartoon for May 7, 2002†    Cartoon for May 8, 2002†    Cartoon for May 9, 2002†    Cartoon for April 12, 2002†    Cartoon for November 7, 2001†    Cartoon for November 8, 2001†    Cartoon for May 1, 2001†   

NetHack makes techtv's† list of Best Internet Games†

Backhanded compliment of the month award: ignpsx's† review of Darkstone†:

Ten bucks buys you an awful lot of dungeon-hacking -- it sure ain't NetHack but it ain't bad.
Gamespy.com's "The History of Computer Games" continues with Worlds in Boxes† - and NetHack gets another mention.†
Gamespot.com: Unsung Heroes - NetHack†
Gamespy.com: NetHack is simply an anomaly...†
See what happens when NetHack meets T-rex - isn't USENET great?
Salon Technology: "The Best Game Ever" mentioned† in Gamespy.com's developer week: "The History of Computer Games - Part I"†

NetHack in Print

IEEE Spectrum, February 2016, "Games: NetHack and the Joy of Text".

IEEE Computer, February 2011, "Certainty through Uncertainty?". We even got a screenshot.

30th Annual IEEE/NASA Software Engineering Workshop, April 2006, "Understanding Open Source Software through Software Archaeology: The Case of NetHack". The abstract is available online.

"Fatal Distractions", 1994, David Gerrold, The Waite Group.

NetHack Quotes

Nethack is one of my all-time favorite games, one I've been playing since 1200 baud was smokin' fast.
-- Actor Wil Wheaton, http://www.wilwheaton.net
In short, NetHack 3.1.3 is the most elaborate role-playing environment you are ever likely to explore. This is a place to return again and again, each time for a different experience. You're really going to have to play it for a year or two and see for yourself.
-- "Fatal Distractions" by David Gerrold
Thank you for the latest release of gradewrecker. My GPA just went in the corner and shot itself.
-- USENET posting, author unknown