About Doom II
Doom II, also known as Doom II: Hell on Earth, is a first-person shooter that id Software developed for MS-DOS and released on October 10, 1994. A Mac OS version followed the next year. The original Doom first reached players through shareware and mail order, but Doom II went straight to stores, the first game in the series to do so. Sandy Petersen, John Romero, Shawn Green and American McGee designed it, and Robert Prince wrote the music. It runs on the Doom engine and has both single-player and multiplayer modes.
The game has been ported many times since. Versions were made for the PC-98, the Game Boy Advance, the Xbox 360 and the Nvidia Shield, among others. A 2019 release was built in Unity, and a 2024 release from Nightdive Studios uses the KEX Engine and adds a new arrangement of the soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult. id Software belongs to ZeniMax Media, which is now part of Microsoft.
How it runs in your browser
Play takes you to DOS.Zone’s Doom II page in a new tab. The site runs the original MS-DOS release inside an emulated PC using js-dos, its open-source version of DOSBox for the web. Because the game files come from DOS.Zone, there’s nothing to download or install and you don’t need a copy of your own. You don’t have to create an account, and DOS.Zone carries no ads. The listing, titled DOOM II, holds a rating of 5 from 751 player reviews.
DOS.Zone also keeps a multiplayer room for the game at dos.zone/multiplayer/doom-ii. That page explains how matches are set up. We haven’t tested how well online games run there, so treat it as something to try rather than a sure thing.
If you’re after deathmatch with no setup, DOOM II Multiplayer plays Doom II deathmatch on the Odamex engine right on this site, in a frame on the page rather than a new tab.
Controls and devices
Doom II is a keyboard and mouse game. DOS.Zone doesn’t list the key bindings for this release, so open the game’s options menu before your first level and see what each key does. Once the game has loaded, click inside its window so the emulator picks up your input.
On phones, DOS.Zone shows virtual on-screen controls. A shooter designed for a keyboard and mouse still plays better on a desktop or laptop, and Chromebooks haven’t been checked.
Who it’s for
Doom II is for players who know the 1993 Doom and want the sequel without setting up a source port or hunting for old files. It also suits anyone who wants to see the version of Doom that first sold in shops. If you finish it and want more levels on the same engine, Final Doom followed in 1996 and is on DOS.Zone too.
Is Doom II Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play Doom II online for free?
DOS.Zone runs Doom II free with no account, and it has a multiplayer room for the game at dos.zone/multiplayer/doom-ii. We haven’t tested how well online games run there. For drop-in deathmatch, the separate DOOM II Multiplayer page on this site runs the game on the Odamex engine.
Do I need the original Doom II files?
No. DOS.Zone serves the game files itself and runs them through js-dos, so you don’t install anything or supply a copy of your own.
Does Doom II work on a phone?
DOS.Zone shows virtual on-screen controls on phones, but Doom II was built for a keyboard and mouse, so a desktop or laptop is the better choice.
