Catacomb 3-D: 6 Open Source Clones Compared
Catacomb 3-D: The Descent, The Catacomb Abyss, The Catacomb Apocalypse, and The Catacomb Armageddon are the original companies' own released DOS source code for each separate game in the series, not fan remakes — each needs game data acquired separately, and three of the four also require a specific command-line argument (or a source change) just to launch the compiled executable. CatacombGL is the actively developed modern alternative: a source port covering all four of those games plus the free Catacomb Abyss shareware release, replacing the original's 16-color software rendering with OpenGL and adding features the DOS versions never had, like wall-sliding and a configurable automap, though it currently has no game-controller support and can't load original DOS save files. ReflectionHLE is a separate, broader source-port project (inspired by Chocolate Doom) that covers Catacomb 3-D alongside several other DOS titles — Wolfenstein 3D, Keen Dreams, and BioMenace — under one shared codebase, rather than focusing on Catacomb specifically.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- DOS
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 12y ago
- Stars
- 206
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesGame data must be legally acquired separately.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 2d ago
- Stars
- 189
- Contributors
- 10
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires original game data (levels, pictures, sounds, etc.) from the original Catacomb 3D games or the Catacombs Pack.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux, OSX, Android
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- Android
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 2mo ago
- Stars
- 137
- Contributors
- 8
- License
- —
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesDoes not include game data; original game files must be obtained separately.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- DOS
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 12y ago
- Stars
- 87
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesGame data must be legally acquired separately.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- DOS
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 12y ago
- Stars
- 42
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesYou will need to legally acquire the game data in order to use the exe built from this source code.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- DOS
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 12y ago
- Stars
- 37
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesYou will need to legally acquire the game data in order to use the exe built from this source code.
| Title | Catacomb 3-D: The Descent | CatacombGL | ReflectionHLE | The Catacomb Abyss | The Catacomb Apocalypse | The Catacomb Armageddon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Playable | Playable | Playable | Playable | Playable |
| Platforms | DOS | Windows | Windows, Linux, OSX, Android | DOS | DOS | DOS |
| Play in browser | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Mobile | No | No | Android | No | No | No |
| Project health | ||||||
| Development status | Halted | Active | Active | Halted | Halted | Halted |
| Last updated | 12y ago | 2d ago | 2mo ago | 12y ago | 12y ago | 12y ago |
| Stars | 206 | 189 | 137 | 87 | 42 | 37 |
| Contributors | 1 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 | — | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Engine | — | SDL2 | — | — | — | — |
| Compatibility | ||||||
| Requires original assets | YesGame data must be legally acquired separately. | YesRequires original game data (levels, pictures, sounds, etc.) from the original Catacomb 3D games or the Catacombs Pack. | YesDoes not include game data; original game files must be obtained separately. | YesGame data must be legally acquired separately. | YesYou will need to legally acquire the game data in order to use the exe built from this source code. | YesYou will need to legally acquire the game data in order to use the exe built from this source code. |
| Preview | | | | |
Known limitations
- platform: No support for game controllers.
- compatibility: No backwards compatibility with saved games from the original DOS game.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Catacomb 3-D clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
What license do these Catacomb 3-D clones use?
Catacomb 3-D: The Descent, The Catacomb Abyss, The Catacomb Apocalypse, and The Catacomb Armageddon (GPL-2.0); CatacombGL (GPL-3.0).
Do I need to own the original Catacomb 3-D to play these clones?
Catacomb 3-D: The Descent, CatacombGL, ReflectionHLE, The Catacomb Abyss, and 2 more require original game assets to play.
Which Catacomb 3-D clone is the most actively maintained?
CatacombGL and ReflectionHLE are currently under active development, based on recent commit activity. See the "Development status" row above for every clone's current status.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to Catacomb 3-D.