About Wing Commander
Wing Commander is the first game in Chris Roberts’ space flight simulation franchise of the same name, made by Origin Systems. It was released for MS-DOS on September 26, 1990. Roberts designed and directed it and produced it with Warren Spector, while George Alistair Sanger and David Govett composed the music. It is a single-player game.
The game spread to other systems over the next few years. A Super NES version reached North America on March 1, 1992, the Amiga got it in September 1992, a 256-color edition arrived on the Amiga CD32 on June 1, 1993, and a Sega CD version followed in North America in March 1994. The game was also re-released for the PC as Wing Commander I in 1994. That same year an enhanced remake, Super Wing Commander, came out for the 3DO, and it was later ported to the Macintosh. There were versions for the FM Towns, Windows and the PlayStation Portable as well. Electronic Arts holds the rights today.
How it runs in your browser
When you press Play, the game’s page on dos.zone opens in a new tab. In that tab, js-dos, DOS.Zone’s own open-source port of DOSBox for browsers, runs the MS-DOS original on an emulated PC. All the game files come from the site, so there’s nothing to install, no copy of your own to supply and no account to register. DOS.Zone doesn’t run ads.
The listing tags Wing Commander as a space simulator and an action game for the IBM PC, with a rating of 5 from 13 player reviews. Its description is short and generic: it says the game is free to play without registration and that phones can run it through virtual controls. It doesn’t say which release you’re getting, the 1990 original or the 1994 Wing Commander I, and it doesn’t mention saving, so check the page if either matters to you.
Controls and devices
Wing Commander runs here with a keyboard and mouse. Click inside the emulator window once the game has loaded, so that your input reaches it. DOS.Zone doesn’t publish a list of controls for this game, so look through the game’s own menus and options before you launch.
DOS.Zone’s description says the game can be played on phones with its virtual mobile controls. We haven’t tested that, and a flight simulator built for a keyboard and mouse is a better fit for a desktop or laptop. Chromebooks haven’t been confirmed.
Who it’s for
It suits players who remember Wing Commander from the early 1990s and want to see it again without setting up DOSBox, and anyone curious about where Chris Roberts’ series began. If you played one of the console or Amiga versions, this is a chance to try the MS-DOS release the series started on. If you’d like a space game with a slower pace, Master of Orion II, a 1996 turn-based strategy game set in space, is on DOS.Zone too.
Is Wing Commander Free, Safe and Official?
Can I play Wing Commander online for free?
Yes. DOS.Zone runs the MS-DOS game free in a browser tab, with no account and no download. It isn’t made or endorsed by Electronic Arts, which holds the rights.
Is this the 1990 original or Wing Commander I?
DOS.Zone lists it simply as Wing Commander for MS-DOS and doesn’t say whether it’s the 1990 release or the 1994 PC re-release called Wing Commander I. It isn’t Super Wing Commander, the enhanced remake made for the 3DO.
Does Wing Commander work on a phone?
DOS.Zone’s page says you can play with its virtual mobile controls, but the game was built for a keyboard and mouse and we haven’t tested it on a phone. A computer is the better fit.
