Play Terminal Velocity online — the shareware episode Works — shareware episode runs via DOSBox in your browser
Guide updated November 2026 · Runs via DOSBox + WebAssembly
Terminal Velocity is the 1995 flight shooter by Terminal Reality, published by 3D Realms: no flight-sim checklists, just a fast ship, open 3D planets and tunnels to dive into. The official shareware episode (version 1.2) is hosted here — click Play and it boots in your browser.
D-pad: fly · FIRE: Ctrl · ALT / SPACE: the game's other keys · ESC: menu
⌨ Keyboard — for menus & name entry
Controls — what does what
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse / touch |
|---|---|---|
| Fly | Arrow keys | — |
| Fire, afterburner, weapons | listed on the game's F1 help screen | — |
| Menu / back | Esc | — |
| Sound | — | Use the Sound button under the screen to mute |
Runs in your browser tab with DOSBox + WebAssembly — nothing is uploaded. Click the screen to capture input; press Ctrl+F10 to release mouse.
Terminal Velocity shareware is freely distributable under the LICENSE.TXT included in the package. The registered game is commercial and not hosted here. Provenance: /apps/terminal-velocity/NOTICE.md.
Get the full game
The shareware release plays here free. The rest of Terminal Velocity was the registered, commercial release. Check whether a store carries it today:
How it works & what to expect
The original DOS shareware release runs inside a WebAssembly build of DOSBox. The package is under 4 MB, with Sound Blaster sound already configured.
This was a showpiece for fast PCs in 1995, so it is one of the more demanding DOS games here. It plays well on a recent laptop or desktop.
Playing it
The arrow keys fly the ship. Firing, afterburner and weapon selection are on the keyboard too; the game's help screen (F1) lists them, and they can be changed in its options. Shoot the marked targets on each planet, then find the tunnel entrance: the tunnels are where the bosses are.
Shareware version — and the full game
This is the shareware release, marked “episode one”, which 3D Realms licensed for free distribution in the LICENSE.TXT included in the package. The licence says plainly that it covers no other episode; the registered game is not hosted here.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to play Terminal Velocity here?
Yes. This is the official shareware episode, which 3D Realms licensed for free distribution. The registered game is not hosted.
How much is included?
Episode one of the game: its planets and their tunnel sections.
Can I fly with the mouse?
The keyboard works out of the box. Mouse flight can be enabled in the game's options, though the keyboard is easier in a browser tab.
More you can play in your browser
Related guides
- Tyrian 2000The freeware vertical shooter, all five episodes.
- Raptor: Call of the ShadowsAnother classic DOS vertical shooter.
- Play DOOM onlineid's 1993 shareware FPS — runs cleanly as Win32.
- Blake StoneApogee's Wolfenstein-engine sci-fi shooter.
- Run your own DOS gameHave the registered version or another DOS game? Drop it in the DOS player.
- Games that need nothing installedThe full list of titles that run on a locked-down school or work network.
Want a game like this on your own site?
Terminal Velocity isn't ours to give away — we host it, we didn't write it. But eleven of the games here we did write from scratch, and those are free for anyone to put on their own page: one line of HTML, no account, no permission, no attribution beyond a credit line.