Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter in which players move through levels from the protagonist's viewpoint, fighting aliens and mutated foes with a varied arsenal. Its environments are highly interactive and destructible, and levels are designed in a non-linear way, letting players use air ducts, back routes, and hidden areas to explore or avoid enemies. Set across recognizable real-world style locations, the game is known for its satirical humor and references to action films and pop culture. Returning to Earth in his space cruiser hoping for a vacation, action hero Duke Nukem is shot down over Los Angeles by unknown attackers. As he sends out a distress signal, he learns that aliens are invading the city and have mutated the local police. With his plans ruined, Duke ejects and vows to do whatever it takes to stop the invasion, fighting his way through a besieged city and beyond as he uncovers the scope of the alien threat.
ShooterPuzzleActionScience fictionComedyalienshelicopterbloodymascotparody2.5dopen-sourcerun and gunufokaraokechickendolphinPC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, DOS
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Where do you stand?
Three questions people argue about. Answer first, then see how your circle and the community split.
Has Duke Nukem 3D aged badly?
Sign in to answerBe the first to answer.
Is it the best shooter game of its decade?
Sign in to answerBe the first to answer.
Is Duke Nukem 3D a masterpiece, not merely a very good game?
Sign in to answerBe the first to answer.
Ask the title a question
Answered from the reviews and content notes on file, never made up. If nothing on file settles it, it says so.
Character
Plot-driven, unpretentious, cool and resolved.
- character-ledplot-driven
- unpretentiousprestige
- cooloverwhelming
- resolvedopen-ended
- contemplativerelentless
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
About the game
- Platforms
- PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, DOS
- Developer
- 3D Realms, 3D Realms
- Publisher
- MacSoft Games, 3D Realms, U.S. Gold, FormGen
- Released
- April 19, 1996
- Modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Perspective
- First person
- Engine
- Build
- Time to beat
- 8 h rushed · 9 h main story · 14 h completionist
IGDB rating 7.9/10 from 451 ratings.
Screenshots






Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
Z 199680% alikeBoth plot-driven, unpretentious, cool.
Shadow Warrior 199778% alikeBoth plot-driven, unpretentious, cool.
Earthworm Jim 199476% alikeBoth unpretentious, cool, plot-driven.
Conker's Bad Fur Day 200175% alikeBoth plot-driven, cool, unpretentious.
Headlander 201674% alikeBoth plot-driven, unpretentious, cool.
Earthworm Jim 2 199572% alikeBoth unpretentious, cool, plot-driven.
Destroy All Humans! 200571% alikeBoth cool, unpretentious, plot-driven.
Both unpretentious, cool, plot-driven.
Army of Darkness 199270% alikeFilm · Both unpretentious, cool, plot-driven.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 201567% alikeFilm · Both cool, unpretentious, plot-driven.
Often played with
Similar games per IGDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.










