Doom and Doom II can be purhcased for under $10 on Steam or GOG, but to get the full experience, you'll need a little more than just the raw games.

These releases come bundled with DOSBox, a free, open-source emulator that can run software for MS-DOS systems. Unfortunately, though entirely playable, this lacks essential quality-of-life features that will allow to get the most out of Doom, such as:

• Mouselook
• User-friendly interfaces
• Additional options
• True 3D

This can be remedied through the use of a source port.

Source ports are fan-created ports of Doom's source code, which was made public by id Software in 1997. Source ports allow for greater compatibility on modern systems, and also allow for fixing bugs and adding new features to the now 30 year old game engine.

There are a wide selection of source ports available for you to play with, so I'll describe each in detail. Links to each will be provided. You can also find installation instructions for each.

---

GZDoom is a derivative of the ubiquitous (and discontinued) ZDoom source port with an expanded feature set.

Features include:

• OpenGL renderer
• 3D floor support, including sloped floors
• 3D model support
• 360 degree skyboxes
• Light effects, including dynamic lights and brightmaps
• Can play all Doom engine games, including Ultimate Doom, Doom II, Heretic, Hexen, Strife, and more
• General compatibility for many sound and texture formats
• ...and more

For a fantastic, modern way to play Doom, GZDoom is without a doubt the best way to go.

Download Link:

[https://zdoom.org/downloads]

---

Chocolate Doom is a source port that aims to most accurately represents the 1993 experience of playing Doom, aiming to faithfully represent the game as it released--looks, bugs, and all--as well as maintaining compatibility for the thousands of classic "Vanilla" mods that were created in the years before Doom's source code was released.

Features:

• Highly faithful to original release without the hassle of emulation
• Extreme compatibility, down to the same bugs present in the original
• Minimalist - just add your .wad to the .exe folder and start it up; no extra install needed
• Portable - can run on many different CPUs, operating systems, and devices

For the authentic 1993 experience, Chocolate Doom makes a wonderfully simple choice. Even at the cost of modern amenities (you move with the arrow keys, and have to hold down alt to strafe!), Doom in this form is still a fast, headbanging experience.

Download Link:

[https://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Downloads]

---

Crispy Doom is an official fork of Chocolate Doom that maintains a faithful Doom expereince while also providing a few enhancements.

• Enhanced 640x400 display resolution, with the original 320x200 resolution available as an option
• Widescreen rendering, supporting aspect ratios up to 24:9
• Player QOL options, including jumping, mouselook, crosshairs, minimal hud, and more

Crispy Doom makes a great middle ground between Chocolate and GZDoom, as it provides some great modern features while still maintaining a classic look and feel.

[https://github.com/fabiangreffrath/crispy-doom]

---

ZDaemon is an online multiplayer source port for Doom forked from ZDoom.

Features:

• Built-in server browser
• Access to the ZDaemon IRC channel
• In-game chat
• Account system for keeping track of progress and experience
• Up to 100 players per match
• Dedicated community of players

If you're ever interested in playing with someone other than yourself, ZDaemon is the simplest way to go about it.

[https://www.zdaemon.org/?CMD=downloads]

---