About Golden Axe
Golden Axe is a beat ’em up that Sega developed and published for arcades in 1989, running on its System 16B hardware. The development credit goes to Team Shinobi, and the lead designer was Makoto Uchida, who had also created Sega’s Altered Beast in 1988. You control one of three warriors trying to free the fantasy land of Yuria from the tyrant Death Adder, who wields the golden axe of the title. The game supports both single-player and multiplayer modes.
The arcade game opened in Japan on 27 January 1989 and reached North America and Europe that May. A Mega Drive version followed in Japan in December 1989 and came to North America as a Genesis release in January 1990. Master System and PC Engine CD-ROM² versions arrived in 1990, and home computer versions reached the UK in November that year. Along with the IBM PC, the list of platforms takes in the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, and much later the WonderSwan Color in 2002. Golden Axe went on to become a series, and Sega still owns it.
How it runs in your browser
The MS-DOS version for IBM PCs is the one on DOS.Zone. Press Play and dos.zone opens in a new tab, where js-dos, DOS.Zone’s open-source browser build of DOSBox, emulates an old PC and starts the game. You don’t download an installer or supply a copy of your own, nobody asks you to register, and the site shows no ads. DOS.Zone’s listing doesn’t say who made this PC conversion of the arcade game.
DOS.Zone tags Golden Axe as action and fighting, and its page shows a five-star average from 34 player reviews. There’s no online multiplayer on this listing. The original has a multiplayer mode, but DOS.Zone doesn’t say whether the PC version lets two people play at one keyboard, so check the game’s own menus if you want to try.
Controls and devices
Golden Axe is a keyboard game here. DOS.Zone doesn’t list the key layout, so look at the game’s setup or options screen before you start a run. If nothing responds when you press a key, click once inside the game window so the emulator has focus.
DOS.Zone adds virtual on-screen controls on phones, and its description says you can play on mobile. Still, the PC version was made for a keyboard, and a desktop or laptop will be more comfortable. Chromebooks haven’t been tested.
Who it’s for
It’s for anyone who remembers the arcade cabinet or the home versions and wants to see how the PC release holds up, and for players who simply like an arcade beat ’em up. If you’d rather face one opponent at a time, Mortal Kombat is another DOS.Zone listing that the site files under action and fighting. Prince of Persia, a cinematic platformer from the same year, runs there too.
Is Golden Axe Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play Golden Axe online for free?
You can play it free in your browser on DOS.Zone, with no sign-up and nothing to install. It isn’t an online multiplayer version, though: there’s no way to team up with someone over the internet on this listing.
Is this the arcade or Sega Genesis version of Golden Axe?
Neither. DOS.Zone hosts the MS-DOS version for IBM PCs, running in an emulated PC. The 1989 arcade game and the Mega Drive/Genesis release are separate versions.
Can I play Golden Axe on my phone?
DOS.Zone shows virtual on-screen controls on phones and says the game can be played on mobile, but it was made for a keyboard, so a computer is the more comfortable choice.
