Wolfenstein 3D

electronic game

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Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

Wolfenstein 3D is a landmark first-person shooter electronic game released in 1992. Developed by id Software, it popularized the genre by allowing players to navigate three-dimensional environments from a first-person perspective, engaging in combat against Nazi enemies. The game's engine, created by John Carmack, depicted environments as the player character would see them, setting a precedent for future games like Doom. Wolfenstein 3D was distributed using a shareware model, where a free initial level led to purchasing the full game, revolutionizing game sales and distribution.12

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John Carmack
In May 1992, id released Wolfenstein 3-D, a hit that popularized the emerging genre of the first-person shooter. Players navigated a three-dimensional environment of rooms and hallways from a first-person perspective, wielding a weapon that appeared at the bottom of the screen. Game play consisted of finding one’s way through…
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In May 1992, id released Wolfenstein 3-D, a hit that popularized the emerging genre of the first-person shooter. Players navigated a three-dimensional environment of rooms and hallways from a first-person perspective, wielding a weapon that appeared at the bottom of the screen. Game play consisted of finding one’s way through…
Read More

Doom
…a “graphics engine” for id’s Wolfenstein 3D, an action game published by Apogee, that depicted the environment as the player’s character would see it. This set the stage for Doom as the next step of this game genre, the “first-person shooter.” (Typically, in first-person shooters the players move through mazelike…
Read More
…a “graphics engine” for id’s Wolfenstein 3D, an action game published by Apogee, that depicted the environment as the player’s character would see it. This set the stage for Doom as the next step of this game genre, the “first-person shooter.” (Typically, in first-person shooters the players move through mazelike…
Read More