About Jazz Jackrabbit
Jazz Jackrabbit is a platform game that Epic MegaGames developed and published for MS-DOS computers, released on August 1, 1994. You play Jazz, a green rabbit, in his fight against the evil turtle Devan Shell. DOS.Zone’s description adds that the game is set in bright, cartoonish worlds, with levels full of enemies, power-ups and secret areas, and mixes humor with action. It is a single-player game.
Robert A. Allen, Cliff Bleszinski and Arjan Brussee designed it, and Mark Rein and Tim Sweeney produced it. Robert A. Allen also wrote the music.
Several extra releases followed. Jazz Jackrabbit CD came out on November 28, 1994, and two holiday editions came after it: Holiday Hare ’94 on December 15, 1994 and Holiday Hare ’95 on November 17, 1995. Much later, on November 30, 2017, the game was re-released on GOG.com together with Jazz Jackrabbit 2, with support for Windows, macOS and Linux. Epic Games holds the rights today.
How it runs in your browser
Press Play and DOS.Zone’s Jazz Jackrabbit page opens in a new tab. The site runs the original MS-DOS game there through js-dos, its open-source DOSBox build for the web, which emulates the kind of PC the game was written for. All the files load from DOS.Zone, so you install nothing, supply no copy of your own and don’t create an account. DOS.Zone carries no ads. The listing is tagged as an MS-DOS platformer for the IBM PC and holds 5 stars from 16 player reviews.
The page doesn’t say which release it includes, whether that’s the first edition, the CD version or one of the Holiday Hare episodes, and it doesn’t say whether saves are kept between visits. Check the listing if either point matters to you.
Controls and devices
You play with the keyboard. DOS.Zone doesn’t list the keys for this game, so read the game’s own setup and help screens before you start. Once it has loaded, click into the emulator window so your input goes to the game.
DOS.Zone offers virtual on-screen controls on phones, but a platformer designed for a keyboard is easier to play on a computer. Chromebooks haven’t been checked.
Who it’s for
It suits players who had Jazz Jackrabbit on a DOS PC and want to revisit it without setting up DOSBox, and platform fans curious about a 1994 Epic MegaGames title with Cliff Bleszinski among its designers. When you’ve finished, Jazz Jackrabbit 2 continues the series on Windows and lets you play as Jazz or a second hero, Spaz. If you’d rather stay in the same era, Earthworm Jim is another 1994 platformer on DOS.Zone.
Is Jazz Jackrabbit Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play Jazz Jackrabbit online for free?
Yes. DOS.Zone runs the original MS-DOS game free in your browser, with no download and no account.
Do I need the original game files?
No. DOS.Zone serves the files and runs them in js-dos, so you don’t install anything or provide a copy of your own.
Does Jazz Jackrabbit work on a phone?
DOS.Zone shows virtual on-screen controls on phones, but the game was built for a keyboard, so a desktop or laptop is the better choice.
