Drawer 08 · review
NetHack
The classic dungeon exploration game, deep and unforgiving, with a new major version, 5.0.0, out in May 2026.
Our score 4/5
Our take
NetHack is one of the oldest games still being worked on, and one of the deepest. You pick a role and a race, enter a dungeon that is different every time, and try to reach its depths and come back. The emphasis, as the DevTeam puts it, is on discovering the dungeon, not on fighting everything in sight.
Almost everything interacts with everything else, which is why people still find surprises after years. It is also hard: most adventures end early, and that is part of the game rather than a failure.
Version 5.0.0 arrived in May 2026, the first major release in a long time. It runs in a text window by default, with tile graphics available on some systems.
A first sitting
- Download it from the official site and read the Guidebook's opening pages.
- Play a Valkyrie, the most forgiving role for a first adventure.
- Keep the in-game help open; the question mark key lists every command.
Where to stop
NetHack saves when you quit with S, and an adventure can wait weeks. Stop at the top of a staircase rather than in the middle of a fight, and never play it to finish a run before bed.
