Duke Nukem 3D

Duke Nukem 3D
Developers
3D Realms
Publishers
ProducerGreg Malone
Designers
ProgrammerTodd Replogle
Composers
SeriesDuke Nukem
EngineBuild
Platforms
Release
January 29, 1996
  • MS-DOS
    • NA: January 29, 1996 (Shareware Version)
    • NA: April 19, 1996 (Full Version)
    • NA: December 11, 1996 (Atomic Edition)
    • EU: May 17, 1996
    Game.com
    Mac OS
    • NA: June 6, 1997
    Saturn
    • NA: October 29, 1997
    • EU: October 30, 1997
    Nintendo 64
    • WW: November 14, 1997
    PlayStation
    • NA: December 2, 1997
    • EU: December 1997
    Mega Drive/Genesis
    • BR: 1998
    • WW: October 16, 2015
    Xbox 360
    • WW: September 24, 2008
    iOS
    • WW: August 11, 2009
    Android
    • WW: November 1, 2011
    Megaton Edition
  • Windows, OS X
    • WW: March 20, 2013
    Linux
    • WW: September 4, 2013
    PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
    • NA: January 6, 2015
    • EU: January 7, 2015
    20th Anniversary World Tour
  • Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
    • WW: October 11, 2016
  • Switch
    • WW: June 23, 2020
GenreFirst-person shooter
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Duke Nukem 3D is a 1996 first-person shooter game developed by 3D Realms and published by FormGen for MS-DOS. It is a sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II, published by 3D Realms.

Duke Nukem 3D features the adventures of the titular Duke Nukem, voiced by Jon St. John, who fights against an alien invasion on Earth. Along with Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake, Duke Nukem 3D is considered to be responsible for popularizing first-person shooters, and was released to major critical acclaim. Reviewers praised the interactivity of the environments, gameplay, level design, and unique risqué humor, a mix of pop-culture satire and lampooning of over-the-top Hollywood action heroes. However, it also incited controversy due to its violence, erotic elements, and portrayal of women. Since its release, Duke Nukem 3D has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made.

The shareware version was originally released on January 29, 1996, while the full version of the game was released on April 19, 1996. The Plutonium PAK, an expansion pack which updated the game to version 1.4 and added a fourth eleven-level episode, was released on October 21, 1996. The Atomic Edition, a standalone version of the game that included the content from the Plutonium PAK and updated the game to version 1.5, was released on December 11, 1996. A fifth episode was released on October 11, 2016, with 20th Anniversary World Tour published by Gearbox Software. A sequel, Duke Nukem Forever, was released in 2011.