1997
The original CaveRace
Created for MS-DOS with 320×200, 256-color VGA graphics, keyboard gameplay, mouse-driven menus, and ten handcrafted caves.
Archive 1997–2002
Where the race began.
Return to the original ten caves in the preserved MS-DOS 1.2 and 32-bit Windows 1.3 editions of CaveRace.
Free historical releasesOriginal game dataUnsupportedCompatibility software may be required
CaveRace history
From a 386 PC to modern desktops.
CaveRace began as an MS-DOS maze-action game inspired by the bomb-based arcade games of its era. Its treasure, aliens, five visual worlds, and ten cave layouts became the foundation for every later release.
1998
Version 1.2
The preserved MS-DOS release was dated May 1998 and includes the original Map Editor alongside the game.
2002
Version 1.3 for Windows
The first Windows port replaced the DOS graphics, input, and audio systems with DirectX 8.1 while keeping the original campaign.
2026
The caves live on
CaveRace 1.5 restores the original for modern systems, while CaveRace 2 opens a new campaign with 25 handcrafted caves.
Free historical downloads
Choose your classic.
These releases are preserved for historical and enthusiast use. They are provided as-is without technical support or compatibility guarantees.
Before downloading: modern computers may require DOSBox, a virtual machine, compatibility settings, or older Windows components. For an easy supported experience, choose CaveRace 1.5.
MS-DOS · Version 1.2
The original descent
The 80386-compatible DOS release with Mode 13h VGA graphics, all ten levels, and the original Map Editor.
MS-DOS320×200 VGA256 colorsDOSBox recommended
Download CaveRace 1.2ZIP · 77 KBSHA-256 94f3e5bcb7a95efd924cb6a1930b02b29081fd73e3dbe1ef917d3349b6f59a93
Windows · Version 1.3
The DirectX edition
The 2002 32-bit Windows port using DirectX 8.1 for graphics, keyboard and mouse input, and sound.
Windows x86DirectX 8.110 levelsCompatibility mode may help
Download CaveRace 1.3ZIP · 368 KBSHA-256 56661d2eb9c34e87eeb2b70189a33d5ab6e7e6038a782290179b05710d0bf246Getting started
Run the classics carefully.
Always extract the complete ZIP. Both releases load their level and graphics files from folders beside the executable.
Running version 1.2
Extract the archive, mount its folder in DOSBox or another compatible DOS environment, and run CAVERACE.EXE. The original Map Editor is MAPEDIT.EXE.
Running version 1.3
Extract every file and keep the Levels and Media folders beside CaveRace.exe. A 32-bit Windows virtual machine may be the most reliable option on current systems.